15
October 2019
Japanese
consumers can buy Scotch Beef for the first time in 23 years. British lamb and beef have been banned from
Japan since the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) outbreak of 1996.
Former UK
Prime Minister Theresa May agreed a lifting of the ban with Japan’s Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe. The first deliveries were celebrated at the British
Embassy in Tokyo. The event was organised by Quality Meat Scotland and Scottish
Development International.
According
to Quality Meat Scotland chief executive Alan Clarke the Japanese market could earn
£127m for UK farmers over five years.
Mr Clarke
said: "Scotch Beef was the first European red meat product to be granted
the coveted European Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) status which
reflects the unique provenance and quality of this product, and the farming
methods behind the production of Scotch Beef are very much part of our Scottish
landscape and heritage.
"We
look forward to further developing opportunities to promote and showcase Scotch
Beef and Scotch Lamb in Japan."
Scotland's
External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop described Scotch Beef as “one of
Scotland's most iconic food products”.
Questions
Why was
Scotch Beef banned in Japan?
Are there
any foods that are banned in your country?
How
important are heritage and provenance to selling a food product?
Vocabulary
back on
sale – in the shops again
beef –
meat from cows
to ban –
to forbid (import or export, sale, etc.)
to lift a
ban – to allow something again
to
celebrate – to do something to show you are happy
red meat
– meat from cows and sheep
to
reflect – to make people think about something
unique –
single, special
provenance
– origins and background
heritage
– history and culture affecting the present
to
showcase – to make public
iconic -
well-known and recognised
Grammar
Passive
Can you
find examples of the passive in the first two paragraphs? Highlight below
for solutions
British lamb and beef have been banned from Japan
since the BSE outbreak …
The first
deliveries were celebrated at the British Embassy in Tokyo. The event was
organised by Quality Meat Scotland and Scottish Development International.
What tenses are used, how are they formed?
Present perfect (have been banned) past simple (was
organised/were celebrated).
Change the tense by changing ‘to be’ in the passive
construction.
More
passive grammar notes
