Crowd Cow Imports the A5 Wagyu Japanese Packer Brisket as New Product Offering

Crowd Cow, the online marketplace that sources its meat directly from the top 1% of farms and ranches across the country, including Japan for its Wagyu products, announced today that they have exclusively imported a limited amount of Japanese A5 Wagyu "Packer Briskets" into the United States. These briskets, the popular cut for barbecuing that comes from the lower chest of the cow, have a unique cut plan, different from that of a domestic brisket, which lends itself to weighing in at over 30 pounds untrimmed. Even more rare and exclusive are the fewer than 20 Olive Wagyu Briskets from Kagawa that Crowd Cow is offering. The marbling and tenderness of authentic Japanese A5 Wagyu produces...

U.S. Beef Gains Full Access to Japan

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the United States and Japan have agreed on new terms and conditions that eliminate Japan’s longstanding restrictions on U.S. beef exports, paving the way for expanded sales to the United States’ top global beef market. Last week, on the margins of the G-20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting in Niigata, Japan, Secretary Perdue met with Japanese government officials and affirmed the importance of science-based trade rules. The new terms, which take effect immediately, allow U.S. products from all cattle, regardless of age, to enter Japan for the first time since 2003.

“This is great news for American ranchers and exporters who now have full access to the Japanese market for their high-quality, safe, wholesome, and delicious U.S. beef,” Secretary Perdue said. “We are hopeful that Japan’s decision will help...

NPPC Calls for Swift US/Japan Trade Negotiation 

The National Pork Producers Council welcomed reports that the United States and Japan will commence trade negotiations on April 15, 2019 and urged the Trump administration to expeditiously complete and deliver for ratification to Congress a trade deal that puts U.S. pork producers back on a level playing field in Japan.

“U.S. pork producers are losing market share in Japan to international competitors that have recently negotiated more favorable trade terms in our most valuable market,” said David Herring, NPPC’s president and a pork producer from Lillington, North Carolina. “We are already seeing a decline in ...

USMEF Economist Stresses Importance of Trade with Japan at USDA Outlook Forum

The importance of Japan as a trading partner for U.S. agriculture was the focus of a Feb. 22 panel discussion at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, Virginia. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Economist Erin Borror explained that Japan is the leading value destination for both U.S. beef and U.S. pork, with 2018 exports expected to reach $2.1 billion and $1.65 billion, respectively, when year-end data is available. But Borror also cautioned that the competitive terrain in Japan has gotten steeper for U.S. red meat due to Japan’s preferential trade agreements with Australia, the European Union, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico and Chile, and this situation will worsen unless the United States secures similar access terms with Japan.

Borror noted that U.S. beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged a record $320.72 in 2018, up 14 percent year-over-year and shattering the previous high ($300.36) set in 2014. Japan accounts for one-fourth of this total, or $82.75 per head. The ratio is similar for ...

Buyers Show Strong Enthusiasm for U.S. Lamb’s Return to Japan

On Nov. 28, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) launched U.S. lamb’s return to the Japanese market with an educational seminar and tasting event that drew more than 200 chefs, importers, purveyors, trade media and other key food industry professionals to The Strings hotel in Tokyo.

Following the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States in December 2003, Japan was closed to U.S. lamb for nearly 15 years before reopening in July of this year. The USMEF event was designed to showcase the unique flavor profile and other positive attributes of U.S. lamb, introduce menu concepts featuring a variety of lamb cuts and connect suppliers with prospective customers.

“The turnout at the seminar was extremely impressive, and the enthusiasm was even more so,” said Greg Ahart, vice president of sales for Superior Farms. Ahart also serves on the American Lamb Board and the USMEF Executive Committee. “After a 15-year absence from the marketplace, seeing the amount of excitement and...

 Meat Institute Details Negotiating Objectives for U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement 

Comments affirm importance of Japanese market for U.S. meat and poultry industry growth

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) outlined key meat and poultry industry negotiating objectives and priorities for a bilateral U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement in comments submitted today to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The Trump Administration, in October, notified Congress of its intention to enter into trade negotiations with Japan, and subsequently requested public input.

“The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement stands to be a boon for the U.S. meat, poultry and animal products industry...

USMEF Elects New Officer Team, Voices Support for U.S.-Japan Trade Negotiations

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) concluded its Strategic Planning Conference in Long Beach, California, Thursday with the election of new officers for the coming year. Conley Nelson of Algona, Iowa, was elected USMEF chairman.

“I am very humbled to be in this position and excited and proud to be up here representing the U.S. Meat Export Federation as its new chairman,” said Nelson, a pork producer and past president of the National Pork Board. He has worked for Smithfield Foods for 35 years and is currently general manager of Smithfield’s hog production division in the company’s five-state Midwest region...

USMEF Statement on Upcoming Trade Negotiations with Japan, EU and UK

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has notified Congress that the Trump administration intends to negotiate three separate trade agreements with Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:

“USMEF’s membership, which includes all sectors of the U.S. red meat supply chain, commends the Trump administration for its decision to move forward on trade negotiations with these key trading partners. Global demand for U.S. pork, beef and lamb is strong and exports are on the rise, but we must have a level playing field for this growth to continue. This is a critical step toward reducing tariffs and other trade barriers – especially in Japan, which is our leading value market for red meat exports. The importance and urgency of the U.S.-Japan trade negotiations cannot be overstated. Japan is... 

Trade News Has Pork Producers Feeling Optimistic

News on the trade front is getting better for U.S. pork producers as the Trump administration announced it wants to negotiate trade agreements with the European Union, Japan and the United Kingdom. The National Pork Producers Council commended the administration for its ambitious trade agenda.

The administration recently updated agreements with Canada and Mexico and with South Korea that maintained the U.S. pork industry’s zero-tariff access to those important markets, three of the top five destinations for U.S. pork exports.

“We’ve got the momentum on trade headed in the right direction now,” said NPPC President Jim Heimerl, a pork producer from Johnstown, Ohio. “Producers are hurting because...

Secretary Perdue Statement on Negotiations for a U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued the following statement regarding today’s agreement between President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to begin negotiations for a U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement:

“Achieving high-standard trade agreements is a top priority for American agriculture, and the announcement of the beginning of negotiations for a U.S.-Japan trade agreement is an important step in that process. This is welcome news, since we know that export income is critical to the financial health of agriculture and is a key contributor to rural prosperity. Japan is an important customer for our agricultural products and we look forward to the great potential this breakthrough represents. Today’s announcement is further proof that...

Research: Trade Agreement with Japan is Crucial for US Beef Industry

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture projections indicate that the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in March 2018 could disadvantage U.S. beef exports to Japan, a stumbling block that U.S. beef producers can ill afford.

Beef-exporting countries party to the trade agreement, such as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada, will benefit from an immediate reduction and phase-down of tariffs from their current levels over a 15-year period. The U.S. was once a CPTPP member, but in January 2017, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum officially withdrawing from the trade agreement.

Under the CPTPP, Japan agreed to significant tariff reductions on beef, with reductions from 38.5 percent to 9 percent for muscle cuts. Tariff reductions for select offal products will be phased out completely. Meanwhile, U.S. beef will continue to face tariffs of 38.5 percent to 50 percent, as well as a global safeguard tariff of 50 percent when imports exceed a specified level. Understandably, the...