Perspectives
National beef supply threatened by Miyazaki foot-and-mouth outbreak
Damage caused by the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Japan has so far been limited to Miyazaki Prefecture, but the possibility of the disease becoming a nationwide problem cannot be ruled out, as calves born in the prefecture are used as breeding cattle all over the country.
In late April, after the outbreak, seven markets handling calves in the prefecture voluntarily suspended their operations. If the problem is prolonged, it could affect meat producers who purchase calves. Such producers now face the difficult decision of whether to wait for shipments of Miyazaki cattle to resume, or to search for suppliers from other regions.
Figures from the Miyazaki Prefectural Government's livestock division show that 29,358 of the 78,391 calves born in Miyazaki Prefecture in fiscal 2008 were shipped outside the prefecture. The top destination was Saga Prefecture, which received 2,784 of the calves, followed by Mie Prefecture (2,695), Kumamoto Prefecture (2,513) and Kagoshima Prefecture (2,281). Cattle produced in Miyazaki Prefecture accounted for a large percentage of beef in these prefectures.
Officials in the city of Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, which produces "Matsusaka beef," one of the top lines of beef in Japan said that 2,357 of the 5,397 head of breeding cattle that were brought into the prefecture in fiscal 2009 -- 44 percent of the total -- were from Miyazaki Prefecture.
"The quality of the meat is rated highly, the periods it takes to raise the calves is shorter compared with other prefectures, and the cost can be kept down," a city official said.
Kiyofumi Seko, 61, vice chairman of a Matsusaka beef liaison council that represents businesses in the industry, said measures would need to be taken if the suspension of beef shipments continues for a long time.
"If it settles down in three or four months there'll be no problems, but if it lasts longer than that we think we'll start buying from the Tohoku region," he said. However, an attachment to Miyazaki beef remains.
"Out of sympathy we want to stick with Miyazaki livestock," he said.
Depending on the region, the way calves are raised differs.
"There are differences in several areas, from the way they are fed to the way they are handled," said a representative of the Miyazaki chapter of the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations. "Okinawa and Kyushu account for more than 40 percent of the calves that are produced for beef. I wonder if it would be possible to fill that gap with beef from Hokkaido and the Tohoku region."
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Livestock Industry Department maintains that "at the present stage the supply of calves is not greatly affected," but if there are no prospects of resuming trade of calves produced in Miyazaki Prefecture, then the issue of securing a supply could rise to the forefront on a national level. (By Wataru Yukitomo, Economic News Department, and Akira Hashimoto, Matsusaka Bureau)
(Mainichi Japan) May 18, 2010