Removal of 30-month Age Limit for Export to Japan an Important Step

 

IFA President Joe Healy said the clarification by Minister Creed that the 30-month age restriction for export to Japan has been removed is a welcome step towards reducing processor specification requirements.

Joe Healy, who was part of Commissioner Hogan’s trade mission to Japan last week, said the age restriction and other processor requirements for the in-specification bonus are causing a lot of frustration amongst farmers. The age limit originates from the BSE crisis and there is no veterinary reason for it to remain in place.

 

As part of Economist Jim Power’s work on behalf of IFA, he is independently verifying the extent to which the age requirement is still being demanded by retailers, particularly in the UK.

 

“We need to do all we can to persuade buyers that the age limit and other restrictions are no longer necessary so that they can be removed from the requirements for the in-spec bonus,” he said.