Those cuts would be a huge benefit to Canada’s beef and pork
industries.
The Japan Times newspaper says Japan’s offer made during the
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations is to reduce its beef tariff to
nine percent over 15 years from its current tariff of 38.5 percent.
Japan wants “a safeguard measure” that would allow it to
hike tariffs back up to 20 percent if beef imports exceed certain levels, the
newspaper reported, citing negotiation sources.
Japan would set the threshold at or near the current import
volume, according to the report.
The so-called TPP quota is expected to be set at 500,000
metric tons of beef annually, roughly the current level of imports, according
to the another newspaper, the Economic Times.
Pork levels are expected to be set between 500,000 and
600,000 metric tons, which is still lower than the 760,000 metric tons
currently imported from U.S. and Canadian sources, the report said.
