Japan expands access to Argentine beef after sanitary agreement
Japan authorized imports of boneless beef and tongues produced in Argentine zones free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination, expanding the South American country's access to a market that imports more than US$ 3 billion in beef each year.
Agreement expands access to the Japanese market
Japan authorized imports of boneless beef and tongues from areas of Argentina recognized as free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination. The measure expands the area of Argentina authorized to supply protein to the Japanese market, which had already allowed operations with the country's southern region since 2018.
The authorization was announced on September 30, 2026, after negotiations that began in 2024. The diplomatic process to expand Argentine access to Japan had started in 2006. In February 2026, an assessment by Japan's Animal Health Committee considered the risk of foot-and-mouth disease being introduced through boneless beef from northern Argentina to be very low, provided that sanitary safeguards were adopted.
The effective entry of products from the new areas will depend on a technical audit by Japanese inspectors. The mission is expected to assess and approve the Argentine slaughterhouses interested in exporting to the Asian country.
Argentina's Economy Minister, Luis Caputo, said the agreement creates opportunities for the country's production and exports. Japanese beef imports exceed US$ 3 billion per year.
The opening comes as Argentina's beef-processing sector reports growth in external sales. In the first half of 2026, the country exported 411,710 tonnes of beef, 10% more than in the same period of the previous year. Revenue reached US$ 2.20 billion, an annual increase of 44.7%.