Canadian Ministry of Agriculture aims for an end to Japan’s strict age limits for imported beef

Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Gerry Ritz met with Japan’s Senior Vice Minister of Agriculture Masahiro Imamura on the sidelines of an FAO (United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization) meeting in Rome in November. Aiming for an end to Japan’s strict age limits for imported beef, Ritz told Imamura that Canada would like to pursue technical talks on beef safety based on OIE (International Organization of Animal Health) standards (which are less strict than Japan’s). Imamura did not respond to Ritz’s proposal, stating instead that Japan would respond to beef issues "based on scientific evidence, with food safety as a prerequisite."

Information summarized from: Nihon Nogyo Shimbun courtesy of Canadian Embassy Translation Services, Tokyo