Memo: Statement by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner Tonio Borg, and Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Cioloş on the re-opening of the Japanese market for imports of EU beef and beef products since 1 February 2013 and on today’s endorsement by Member States to allow beef imports from Japan to the EU

Japan introduced a ban on beef imports from the EU in 2001 following the BSE epidemic. Since then, the EU has made great progress in its battle against BSE. The consistent fall in the number of cases is testament to the robust and comprehensive EU measures put in place to eradicate this disease. Japan has thoroughly reviewed these measures and on 1 February 2013 acknowledged that scientific facts confirm that EU beef is safe.

The European Commission had regularly raised this issue with the Japanese authorities. The Japanese market opening is the result of that on-going dialogue, and in particular of the closer cooperation started when preparing for the negotiations of a free trade agreement.