Japan imports 11% more beef due to Fukushima nuclear fallout fears

JAPAN has increased its beef imports by 11% from this time last year, largely due to health fears relating to fallout from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Japan imported 204,543 tons of beef in the five months ended May 31, an increase of 11% from the same period last year, according to Japan’s agriculture ministry. Much of that jump is made up of imports from the US.

Japan’s government said yesterday it can’t rule out the possibility that beef contaminated with radioactive material has been exported, as consumers and lawmakers accused authorities of negligence on food safety.

The Japanese authorities have imposed a ban on beef shipments from areas near Fukushima after finding 637 cattle were fed hay containing radioactive cesium. Supermarkets including Japan’s biggest, Aeon Co, said the beef was sold in Tokyo and other cities.

Japan is not a primary market for Irish beef, but food and drink exports are more encouraging.

The growth of exports of Irish food and beverages to Japan in the first six months of 2011 more than doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching more than €12m.

The Irish Ambassador to Japan, John Neary, said: “This increase underlines the importance of Japan as a market for Irish food and beverages and highlights the potential for further growth.”