• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
Argentina and Japan have agreed on the sanitary requirements for the entry of beef and tongue from the foot-and-mouth disease-free zone with vaccination. With this final step, which consists of 12 stages, the access of beef from all national territory to the Japanese market is completed, fulfilling a historical demand from our country, first raised in 2006.
The agreement culminates after two decades of negotiations and marks a milestone in the bilateral relationship. Japan is one of the main global importers of beef, with purchases exceeding USD 3 billion annually, and one of the most demanding markets in terms of sanitation and quality.
This achievement was possible thanks to the coordinated work of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and SENASA (National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality), which maintained the necessary political, commercial, and technical dialogue to reach the agreement and advance in Japan's opening process, which gained renewed momentum from 2024, when Argentina established it as a priority. The efforts included presentations in various forums: official missions to Tokyo, international bilateral meetings, and visits to Argentina by authorities from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and parliamentarians.
A decisive breakthrough occurred in February 2026, when the Japanese Animal Health Committee concluded that the risk of introducing foot-and-mouth disease through deboned beef from northern Argentina would be extremely low if appropriate sanitary measures were applied. Since 2018, Japan already allowed the entry of beef and meat products from southern Argentina, recognized as a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone without vaccination, but whose commercial representativeness is very low.
The announcement was made during an official visit by authorities from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries and SENASA to Tokyo. The agenda included meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), its sanitary authorities, meetings with importers, and a promotion event for Argentine beef organized by the Argentine Embassy in Japan with the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute (IPCVA).
Argentine exports from the newly incorporated zone will begin once the audit visit of the system, which Japanese authorities plan to carry out shortly, is completed, in order to inspect and enable interested establishments.
Its opening creates new opportunities for Argentine production and exports, while recognizing the quality of our meat, the solidity of our sanitary system, strengthening Argentina's international insertion strategy.
