Scotch Beef in sale in Japan

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