‘Very welcome news,’ cattlemen’s association says of Japan lifting beef restriction

Mar 31, 2023

After 20 years, Canadian beef producers will have full access to the Japanese market.

This will come as excellent news for Saskatchewan producers, according to Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association CEO Grant McLellan — especially since Japan is the third-biggest beef importer in the world.

“We feel very good about it. I mean, this is 20 years in the making that we finally get to see the final vestiges of some of those restrictions and trade blockages from Canada to Japan,” he said.

“We’ve seen even in the face of those challenges that Japan is our second-largest export market for Canadian beef. I know that we exported — I think in 2022 — $520 million in beef products, which even that was an 18 per cent increase over the previous year and 2021. So it’s definitely huge news, very welcome news.”

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Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.