U.S. – Japan: Beef Safeguard Trigger Level Amended
By NNR USA In USA Trade Alerts On 15th December 2022
From the United States Trade Representative website:
On Friday, December 9, 2022, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Japan’s Ambassador to the United States Koji Tomita, confirmed that amendments to the beef safeguard trigger level under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) will enter into force on January 1, 2023.
This amendment will allow U.S. beef exporters to more reliably meet Japan’s growing demand for high-quality beef, providing more predictability and reducing the probability that safeguard duties would be imposed on U.S. beef, as occurred in early 2021.
On June 2, 2022, the United States and Japan signed the Protocol to revise the beef safeguard mechanism under the USJTA which amends the beef safeguard trigger level with a new, three-trigger safeguard mechanism.
Three criteria must be met in order for Japan to implement the safeguard and impose a temporary, higher tariff on U.S. beef.
The three criteria are:
- Imports from the United States must exceed the original beef safeguard trigger level under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement;
- The aggregate volume of beef imports from the United States and the original signatories of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) must exceed the CPTPP beef safeguard; and
- Imports from the United States must exceed the total amount of beef imports from the United States during the previous year. This third trigger will be in effect until 2027.
View a copy of the Agreement