UK to resume shipments of beef, lamb to Japan

After more than 20 years, trade officials in Japan announced the country reopened its borders to lamb and beef exports from the United Kingdom, which is estimated to be worth more than $146 million in the next five years. The ban was imposed in 1996, after bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in UK cattle. The agreement, effective Jan. 10, follows years of negotiations between the two countries and multiple inspection visits by Japan’s officials, including a 2018 inspection visit hosted by the UK Export Certification Partnership, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, DAERA and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.