Japan’s decision to hike tariffs on frozen beef imports from the US could disrupt sales and harm trade relations between the two countries, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Friday.
Japan will raise tariffs from next month on imports of frozen beef, popular in beef bowl dishes, from the US and some other countries to 50 percent from 38.5 percent, until March next year, the Japanese Ministry of Finance said on Friday.
“I am concerned that an increase in Japan’s tariff on frozen beef imports will impede US beef sales and is likely to increase the United States’ overall trade deficit with Japan,” Perdue said in a statement. “This would harm our important bilateral trade relationship with Japan on agricultural products.”
The tariff hike is a safeguard mechanism to protect domestic farmers, Japan’s ministry said. It is the first time it has been used since 2003.
Japan is the top destination for US chilled and frozen beef, with trade valued at US$581 million this year through May. Exports of chilled beef from the US to Japan totaled 57,970 tonnes during that period and frozen beef exports were 44,760 tonnes — valued at US$414.4 million and US$166.7 million, respectively, according to US Meat Export Federation data.
Tyson Foods Inc, the largest meat processor in the US, said on Friday it supported US government efforts to address the issue with Japan.
Among the countries not affected by the tariff increase are Australia and Mexico, because they have economic partnership agreements with Japan. Australia could still struggle to win market share, as its prices remain high because of a drought that has cut cattle numbers, but Mexico could take advantage of the tariffs to boost its exports.
“This does present an opportunity for Mexico,” said Rogelio Perez, the top trade official with Mexican cattle growers association AMEG.
Any new beef exports to Japan from Mexico, however, would not occur until at least September.
Separately, Perdue said talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) must “do no harm” to the agricultural sector in the US and Mexico that have benefited from it.
Near the end of a two-day visit to the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico, Perdue said US President Donald Trump is rightly concerned about helping the manufacturing sector in the NAFTA talks due to begin on Aug. 16.
“The unfortunate thing is that in many trade renegotiations ... agriculture is always used as retaliatory measure,” Perdue told reporters in a conference call. “Our goal, first of all, is to do no harm in agricultural sectors.”
Perdue met in Merida, Mexico, with his counterpart, Jose Calzada Rovirosa, who said his government’s goal in the NAFTA talks was to “give us more certainty and improved trade.”
“Far from seeing problems, we see a big opportunity to continue to strengthen what we have been building in recent years,” Calzada told reporters in a joint press conference.
NAFTA “is an instrument for progress that has worked,” Calzada said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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