One year after the lifting of Japan's latest ban on U.S. beef over mad cow concerns, imports of the meat remain far below the levels seen before the first ban was imposed in 2003, an official said Friday.
The U.S. beef industry was exporting 20,000 tons of beef per month to Japan before the meat was first banned in December 2003, according to the U.S. Meat Export Foundation.
For the 10-month period from last August through May, Japan imported 15,205 tons of U.S. beef, farm ministry official Mayuko Nishibori said. The period was the most recent one for which statistics are available, she added.