AUSTRALIA is playing a proactive role in helping Japanese beef producers recover from last year’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, hosting a group of ten influential Japanese beef industry members on Meat & Livestock Australia’s inaugural ‘Producer to Producer’ (P2P) mission.

The tour is designed to give the Japanese visitors a better understanding of the Australian beef industry and create opportunities for producers in both countries to mutually support each other for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

The busy schedule of industry meetings and on-farm visits is aimed at building collaborative relationships, especially on a producer-to-producer level.

This inaugural P2P mission comprises seven Wagyu farmers from beef producing areas across Japan, one official from the Japanese National Livestock Breeding Centre and two officials affiliated with the powerful Japan Agriculture Co-operatives (JA).

JA operations exist in every prefecture and municipality throughout Japan, with the purpose of protecting farming and living standards of its individual members. JAs are engaged in various activities including farm guidance, marketing, supply of production inputs, credit and mutual insurance businesses. Most farmers in Japan are members of their respective JA.

During this visit, the Japanese delegates will meet with farmers and industry members to learn of the Australian industry’s commitment to produce quality and safe beef, discuss developments in sustainable agriculture, look at risk management initiatives, review efforts to deal with climate variations, and look at animal husbandry innovations that improve production efficiency.

MLA regional manager for Japan, Melanie Brock, is touring with the Japanese visitors, along with her colleague Miho Kondo, MLA’s manager – Japan Trade Service.

“This important initiative grew from the need MLA saw in helping farmers whose livelihoods were left devastated by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster,” Ms Brock said.

“We want to help those Japanese farmers get back on their feet by working together, producer-to-producer, to share information at a grassroots level.”

The inaugural visit includes participants from not only Fukushima prefecture, but also from Mie and Niigata prefectures, both unaffected by the tragic events last year.

“At a time when Japan and Australia are looking at deepening our trade relationships, it is important to show how innovative farmers and industry officials from both our countries can grow beef consumption together – not in competition, but through collaboration,” Ms Brock said.

“To this end, we will continue the MLA P2P initiative through post-visit seminars and networking events, in conjunction with the Australian Embassy in Japan, as well as organise reciprocal visits to Japan for Australian producers.”

One of the visitors on the tour is Yoshiki Okuda, who produces Kuroge Wagyu cattle in the Mie prefecture.

“My family has cattle and we also own a butcher shop where we sell both Japanese Wagyu and Australian beef,” Mr Okuda said.

“Visiting both grassfed and grainfed operations has given me a terrific insight into the strengths of the Australian beef industry. 

“We met some wonderful producers and saw the role the important role the family plays in the business – this is just like Japan where everyone is involved in some way.” 

Mr Okuda said there were many potential benefits to forming lasting links between producers in Japan and Australia.

“I heard yesterday (Monday) in Canberra at a discussion about the Asian Century White Paper about the number of sister-city relationships Australia and Japan has.  I think it is time we had farm-to-farm links, or region-to-region links,” Mr Okuda said.

“That would go a long way in raising awareness about agriculture in each other’s country.”

The group toured western Victoria on the weekend. They have since moved on to Canberra, with the final leg of their trip in Sydney.

On Saturday, the group visited the Maconochie family’s farm at Dunkeld and their Hopkins River feedlot at Macarthur, featured recently on Beef Central.

Hopkins River Beef’s David Maconochie has subsequently written about the Japanese visit in his blog, Aussie Beef Boy (www.aussiebeefboy.com).

“It was a great experience hosting the group,” he wrote.

“Even with the language barrier it was amazing how well we got to know them and it gave us a great insight into their life and where they come from.

“It would be great to hopefully get over to Japan in the near future to visit some of their farms and experience Japanese agriculture first-hand.”

MLA’s P2P program, a bilateral industry program to help build long-lasting rapport between innovative and forward-looking Japanese producers and their Australian counterparts, was launched by the Australian Ambassador to Japan, Bruce Miller on June 28.

In May last year, MLA launched the ‘Together With Japan’ relief initiative on behalf of the Australian red meat industry to support livestock farmers who were affected by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.