Japan Bans Beef from Brazil over BSE Case from 2 Years Ago

Dec 14, 2012

Brazil Aggressively Working on Getting Ban on Beef Lifted

Japan recently announced that it has banned imports of beef products from Brazil after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) also more commonly known as ‘mad cow’ disease was confirmed from a carcass of a cow that died two years ago.

Despite the ban, the impact is expected to be minimal since Japan doesn’t import a significant amount of beef from Brazil. In 2011, Japan only imported 1,400 tons of beef which accounted for 0.3% of the total amount of beef exports.

The World Animal Health Organization notified Japanese officials of the BSE case on Saturday that a 13-year-old cow that died in Dec. 2010 was infected with the disease.

Brazil is currently working on getting the ban lifted; citing that it was an extreme reaction of Japan given the cow has been dead for two years and never died from the disease.

The Brazilian government is worried that if the situation is not dealt with quickly, that other nations might follow suit. Brazil is the second-largest exporter of beef.

Video: Environmental Effects on Sow Fertility - Dr. Isabela Bez

In this special episode celebrating International Women's Day of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, we bring Dr. Isabela Bez, a veterinarian and PhD student in Brazil, who explains how temperature and light regimes influence sow reproductive performance. She discusses seasonal infertility, climate adaptation, and why environmental monitoring inside barns is critical for herd efficiency. The episode highlights practical management strategies to reduce reproductive losses and improve outcomes. Listen now on all major platforms. "Environmental factors are actually very important on sow reproduction, and sometimes these are the factors that producers tend to not pay attention." Meet the guest: Dr. Isabela Bez / isabela-cristina-cola%c3%a7o-bez-1753381b0 is a veterinarian and PhD student in Animal Science at Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), Brazil. Her work focuses on swine reproduction, nutrition, and animal welfare, with strong expertise in environmental effects on sow performance. She collaborates with international farms and research groups to improve reproductive efficiency through applied science.