Please describe animal quarantine. Furthermore, in the case of importing meat, meat products such as ham and sausage, do I always have to attach an inspection certificate issued by the exporting country?

Animal quarantine is designed for the purpose of preventing infectious diseases of domestic animals entering Japan and foreign countries. Animal quarantine is conducted for imported articles subject to quarantine (hereinafter refered to as designated quarantine goods to include cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys,ostriches, quails, rabbits, honeybees and animal products, and including meat products such as ham and sausages). Furthermore, in order to import designated quarantine goods, an importer must attach an inspection certificate of the exporting country and ensure that the goods pass animal quarantine.

1. Animal quarantine is implemented to animals and animal products imported to Japan or exported from Japan for the purpose of preventing the entry of infectious diseases of domestic animals through imported animals and animal products, and preventing the transmission of these infectious diseases to foreign countries, thereby contributing to enhancement of the international animal quarantine.

2. Processed meat products such as ham and sausages also have to be inspected under this system since their processing methods may not have completely sterilized all causative agents of animal infectious diseases or they might have been re-infected and may carry infectious livestock diseases by handling after processing. Import of these products is allowed for certain countries and not for specific countries (as for details, please refer to the website of Animal Quarantine Service : http://www.maff-aqs.go.jp/hou/43_2_f.htm). The products imported from permitted countries need to pass the export inspections performed by the appropriate government agency of the exporting country, be accompanied by inspection certificates issued by those government agencies which explicitly ensures that there is no threat to spread causative agents of designated animal infectious diseases or that there is a belief thereof, and pass inspections carried out by the animal quarantine officer in Japan. However, if matters to be entered in an inspection certificate are electronically transmitted to animal quarantine service from the government agencies of the exporting country and recorded in an electronic file, attachment of documentation is exempted. This electronic transfer system is being implemented with Australia at present.

3. Importation of meat products such as ham and sausages from certain countries, due to the outbreak of virulent animal infectious diseases or other circumstances concerning livestock health, is prohibited. However, importation of the said products is allowed from those countries only if :

these products are processed at establishments designated by the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in accordance with the standards for heat processing stipulated by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and if an inspection certificate of the exporting country shall be attached to ensure that the shipment complies with the animal health requirements.

The said products are subject to the animal quarantine in Japan.

4. Upon the increase in recent importation of animal and animal products, Japanese Government is attempting to speed up and simplify import procedures by increasing the number of animal quarantine officers, expanding and improving quarantine facilities, extending inspection business hours for cargo at major airports and seaports, and introducing the computing system of animal quarantine procedure "ANIPAS".