After the Ban: U.S. Beef Exports to Japan Lag Demand

Japanese consumers are among the world’s most demanding in their expectations for safety, quality, taste, and value in the food products they purchase. Reminding these consumers that U.S. beef meets all these criteria and rebuilding demand after a two-and-a-halfyear absence from the market will require careful marketing, safety assurances, rebuilding of trade relationships—and adequate supplies. In the months following the reopening of the Japanese market to U.S. beef, importers were expressing frustration that they were unable to obtain enough U.S. beef to meet demand, even at the very low volumes needed for a slowly expanding, very cautious market

Strong U.S. Pork Exports in 2004: The Story Behind the Numbers

U.S. hog prices have been quite strong this year. Part of the reason for this strength is the large increase in export demand since December 23, 2003, when the U.S. government announced a case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in a Holstein cow imported from Canada. The announcement triggered bans on imports of U.S. beef in many international markets. Canadian beef is also banned in these markets because of BSE, and Australia and New Zealand are unable to provide the volume and type (that is, grain-fed) of beef needed to make up the shortfall. Demand for pork as a substitute meat increased in many of the affected markets

Geographical Indications, the WTO, and Iowa-80 Beef

In August 2003, the United States and Australia asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to convene a panel to resolve an ongoing dispute concerning geographical indications (GIs). In simple terms, the United States and Australia charged that E.U. rules governing the registration of GIs discriminate against third-country GI products (national treatment) and fail to protect U.S. trademarks. Given the range of sub-issues covered in the dispute, it is perhaps not surprising that the WTO panel’s March 2005 ruling left both sides claiming victory

Meat Traceability and Consumer Assurance in Japan

Japanese consumers are sophisticated, highly conscious of food quality and safety, and willing to pay for attributes they believe define a high-quality, safe product. A recent series of domestic and international food safety crises have elevated the importance of meat safety among Japanese consumers. The Japanese government and food industry are implementing new policies and systems intended to assure consumers that the food supply is safe and wholesome. Given that these systems tend to focus heavily on consumer assurance programs and traceability, this paper examines the demand for such programs from the perspective of Japanese meat importers, processors, and retailers. The paper discusses Japan\u27s recent history of food safety crises, some of the consumer assurance programs already in use in retail outlets, the potential demand for assurance programs for imported products, and the ability of U.S. and other exporters to provide such assurances

Keeping Farmers on the Land: Agritourism in the European Union

A relatively small amount of arable land, high population density, and high land and labor costs in several E.U. countries make it difficult for many families to stay on farmland that has been handed down for generations. Direct government help is limited because the European Union is under pressure to reduce agricultural subsidies. As part of the policy package developed to address these issues, the European Union has created incentives for producers to add value to agricultural production by participating in agritourism

U.S. Beef Faces Challenges in Korea Before Reaching Full Potential

Negotiations to reach an agreement on import health requirements to reopen the Korean market to U.S. beef took place over the past few years amid enormous political and public resistance in Korea. The expected benefi ts, however, will make the negotiations well worth the effort for both sides. In 2003, Korean imports of U.S. beef reached $749.3 million before imports were banned when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was diagnosed in the United States. U.S. beef began fl owing back into Korea in July 2008, and the value of these exports reached$270 million by the end of November. Despite this success, rebuilding exports to reach the full potential of this market will take time. The following is a brief overview of several market conditions that are dampening sales in the early months of renewed trade and longer-term expectations for conditions that would greatly increase demand and market access

The EU-U.S. Hormone Dispute: The Negotiations Continue

The European Union’s ban on hormone-treated beef remains one of the United States’s most contentious agricultural trade disputes. Iowa Ag Review last addressed this dispute in the Summer 1999 issue, just after the World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrator had ruled that the EU ban was inconsistent with WTO sanitary/ phytosanitary principles relating to risk assessment. This article updates negotiating activities and issues regarding the hormone ban

Strong Export Growth in “Other” Markets for U.S. Pork

U.S. pork exports have nearly tripled during the past 10 years, reaching 907,000 metric tons in 2005. Exports now account for 13 percent of U.S. pork production. Japan, Mexico, and Canada have underpinned U.S. exports since 2000, when Canada replaced Russia as the third-largest importer of U.S. pork. But U.S. exports to other markets also have made sizeable contributions toward U.S. export success (see Figure 1). Although the individual markets that make up these “other” importers are much smaller than the top three, cumulative exports to these markets have grown quickly. The fi ve markets shown in Figure 2 showed especially strong growth from 2003 to 2005

Steady Supplies or Stockpiles? Dried Distillers Grains and U.S. Beef Production

Rapid expansion in U.S. cornbased ethanol production has created concern that large surpluses of distillers grains will occur. Expected production levels are indeed high. Using a relatively conservative set of assumptions, a recent CARD study projects that the U.S. ethanol industry will produce nearly 15 billion gallons of ethanol and 40 million metric tons of distillers grains (dry matter basis) per year by 2011. Under a much more aggressive set of assumptions, the CARD study projects that ethanol production could reach nearly 30 billion gallons annually by 2016, generating more than 88 million metric tons of distillers grains per year