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Japan has halted imports of foie gras from France as a mass vaccination campaign is underway to prevent the spread of deadly bird flu that has killed millions of birds worldwide.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) has suspended imports of raw foie gras from France as a mass vaccination campaign against bird flu rolled out last week.
Japan prohibits the imports of meat from vaccinated poultry for reasons involving the issue of distinguishing vaccinated birds from infected ones.
Although France makes up only a margin of overall poultry imports to Japan, over 30% (63 tons) of offal imports, which includes foie gras, are from France.
MAFF has yet to determine when it will lift the suspension on poultry from France.
Worldwide bird flu
The suspension came after the French government informed Tokyo on October 1st of its plans to vaccinate 64 million ducks in response to the spread of an avian influenza variant called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
HPAI has infected millions of birds across the globe in the latest outbreak. In France, the disease forced farmers to cull more than 30 million birds in the past three years.
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While the United States alone has a death toll of nearly 60 million, it too reacted swiftly to France’s announcement of the bird vaccination program, saying that it “presents a risk” of introducing the disease into the country, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.
Japan’s largest culling of over 17 million birds occurred this year–––killing 9% of the country’s egg-laying chickens and leaving sixteen prefectures with no more land to bury them. The unprecedented strain of bird flu outbreaks on local farms prompted the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to raise the budget for countermeasures against the disease to ¥6 billion (over $40 million USD) this March.
Other bans
Japan’s halt on poultry imports from France is not the first of its kind this year.
This summer, MAFF temporarily suspended poultry imports from two Brazilian states after each announced the confirmation of HPAI cases.
In response, Brazilian meat lobby ABPA said that Japan’s stance was not “in line with the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (WHOA)” that says that bans are only applicable if highly pathogenic viruses reach commercial farms, which had not happened in Brazil.
MAFF lifted both bans in August, resuming imports upon confirmation that the risk of importing HPAI was eliminated.
Preparing for worse
Japan braces for another wave of bird flu as the season for bird migration nears. MAFF held a meeting to discuss strengthening countermeasures against bird flu on September 14th.
Reports say that bird flu cases are set to increase between November and throughout the New Year in January.
Disinfection of farm facilities and measures against the entrance of wild animals will be the focus moving forward, according to last month’s talks.
With Classical Swine Fever (CSF) findings in Saga Prefecture this August and cases of African swine fever in neighboring Korea, officials are on edge for an oncoming wave of disease spread.
Foie gras to gras foie
Japan’s import of foie gras has been on the decline for years for a combination of reasons.
One is that the global bird flu outbreak caused a dip in Europe’s production of foie gras, including France.
The disappearance of foie gras from Japanese dining tables escalated in 2020 when the demand evaporated for French luxury foods–––which had been used for weddings and celebrations until social distancing measures made such events impossible.
Now, Japan imports less than half of the foie gras it did three years ago.
Nippon Ham, a major food processing conglomerate headquartered in Osaka, came up with a replacement for foie gras. They call it gras foie.
Using leftover chicken liver, Nipponham says it focused on the rising awareness for sustainability among youth and released a mock version of foie gras this March.
The concept of using what would otherwise become food waste–––defying expectations of the real foie gras–––inspired the flipped name gras foie, according to Nippon Ham.
Sources
[1] フランス産フォアグラなど輸入停止 鳥インフルワクチン接種で. NHK
[2] フランスからの生きた家きん、家きん肉等の輸入停止措置について. 農林水産省
[3] How Do You Fight Bird Fle in France? Vaccinate 64 Million Ducks. The New York Times
[4]鳥インフルエンザ 処分数が過去最多 １６道県で埋める土地も不足. NHK
[5] 今年度 特別交付税 １兆１１３１億円 災害や鳥インフル対策経費など. NHK
[6] Japan halts poultry imports from second Brazilian state. The Asahi Shimbun
[7] 日本、ブラジル・サンタカタリナ州産鶏肉輸入停止を解除. REUTERS
[8] ブラジルからの家きん肉等の一時輸入停止措置の解除について. 農林水産省
[9] 日本ハム「グラフォア」人気 鶏でフォアグラ再現. 日本経済新聞
[10] 高級食材、輸入が軒並み大幅減 宴会・式典需要が蒸発. 日本経済新聞
[11] 鳥インフルエンザや豚熱など対策強化へ 農水省と自治体が会議. NHK
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