Canada Expands Market Access in Japan for Canadian Beef

Jan 28, 2013

Canadian Government Helps Improve Export Beef Market in Japan

The Government of Canada has reached a new deal with Japan to enhance market access to Canadian beef. The access is for beef cattle less than 30 months of age, which is an improvement compared to the old requirements, which only permitted beef exports from animals less than 21 months of age. Expanding the age requirement will provide Canada will better export access to Japan with exports expected to reach $150 million annually.

"Our Government welcomes this expanded access for Canadian beef into the valuable Japanese market,” said Minister Ritz. "This agreement will put more top quality Canadian beef on Japanese store shelves while strengthening our producers' bottom lines and growing our overall economy.”

The revised regulations will come into effect Feb 1, 2013. Japan is Canada’s third-largest export market for beef. Since the 2003 case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) found in an animal in Canada, government and industry has been working hard to reopen markets - like Japan, which have taken years of negotiation.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.