Irish beef and offal exports to Japan in January were 384t, up from 140t in January 2021 and worth over €3m compared with €750m a year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

With Irish beef exports to the US failing to take off, China still closed and South Korea not yet open, Japan is the one high-value Asian market open to Irish beef exports.

It too has been slow to develop since it was reopened in 2013, with offal and tongues in particular the main product exported as a high tariff rate of 38.5% was a huge barrier to beef.

This tariff has been falling since the EU-Japan trade agreement, negotiated when Phil Hogan was Commissioner for Agriculture, came into effect in February 2019.

It provides for a progressive reduction in this tariff down to 9% after 15 years for up to 50,000t of EU beef, and currently stands at 24.2%, similar to the US.

The UK, who have the same tariff as the EU also increased their beef sales to Japan in January to 334t worth £1.8m (€2.1m) which is a dramatic increase on just 24t exported in 2021 (AHDB).

Overall Japan still imports miniscule amounts of beef from Europe with the US, Australia and New Zealand the main suppliers. In January, the US exported 22,936t (US Meat Exporters Federation).

Australia exported 26,446t in February while New Zealand sent 6,646t between October and December 2021.