Canadian beef now on Japan’s shelves

Since the Trans-Pacific Partnership came into effect, a wider variety of imported beef has been making its way onto the tables of Japanese households.

Products from Canada and New Zealand have been increasing, and “new forces” from South America have appeared after bans on imports from those countries were removed.

Up to now, the United States and Australia almost exclusively dominated beef imports into Japan, accounting for 90 per cent of the total. But the grip of the “Big 2” is being loosened by Canada and New Zealand, which saw their prices go down after tariffs on their beef dropped from 38.5 per cent to 26.6 per cent starting in April, after the TPP took effect at the end of last year.

Canadian beef is regarded as similar in terms of quality to that of the United States, which Japanese consumers prefer. According to trade statistics from the Finance Ministry, the import volume in January-June this year was 17,303 tons, up 93 per cent from the same period last year. Imports of New Zealand beef, known for its high lean content, rose 46 per cent to 10,097 tons.

At one supermarket in Tokyo, Canadian chuck loin sells for about 258 yen (about $2.43) per 100 grams. “It is about the same price as the U.S. beef, so it’s not out of reach,” the purchasing manager said.

South American imports are expected to show growth gradually. Beef imports from Uruguay and Argentina had been banned due to past outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, an infectious disease affecting livestock. But the government lifted the bans on beef from Patagonia in southern Argentina in 2018 and from Uruguay in February this year.