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Corn Growers Supportive of New Beef Agreement

By Kansas Corn Commission

01/29/2013

Kansas Corn is praising a recent agreement to significantly improve access of U.S. beef to Japan.

Beginning Friday, Feb. 1, the U.S. can export beef from animals less than 30 months of age to Japan with the exception of ground beef. The hamburger product will be phased in after a surveillance period to ensure the new export protocol runs smoothly. This announcement is made nearly ten years after the discovery of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the U.S in December 2003. Since then, only beef

from animals 20 months of age or younger has been eligible for export to Japan.

Along with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), the Kansas Corn Commission said this is a positive step for the American beef industry as well as Japanese consumers. Specifically, Kansas Corn Commission Chair Mike Brzon said the Kansas beef and corn industries will benefit from increased exports to this premium market. And, he adds, Japanese consumers can once again choose from a larger variety of beef products from the U.S. retail and food service industry.

"This was a long-standing issue between our governments," Brzon said. "Along with USMEF, we appreciate the Japanese government and USDA for efforts that made this agreement come together after a decade of lost market share for corn-fed beef."
As the first state corn checkoff to join USMEF, the Kansas Corn Commission has been a member of USMEF for more 30 years. The commission has been a member of the organization's Million Dollar club since 2005 and has continually supported efforts to regain markets lost when BSE was discovered in the U.S. in 2003.

According to USMEF, Japan is currently the No. 2 market for U.S. beef exports in terms of value and No. 3 in volume (143,900 metric tons or 317.2 million pounds) valued at $969.8 million through the first 11 months of 2012 - expected to top $1 billion in value for the year for the first time since 2003.
USMEF forecasts that U.S. beef exports to Japan in 2013 as a result of expanded access to the market will increase roughly 45 percent in volume and value, reaching 225,000 metric tons (496 million pounds) and $1.5 billion.

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