Japan plans to make its cattle intellectual property to protect its high-end beef industry by identifying pure Japanese animals against those of mixed origin, the agriculture ministry said Friday.
Japan will seek to patent the cattle's genes and put bar-codes on semen stocks in a bid to protect its beef, known as "wagyu" here and overseas often called Kobe beef.
Kobe beef fetches high prices as it is marketed as being of elite quality. Ranchers sometimes massage the cows or feed them beer while they are being raised for slaughter.
"Japanese beef is Japan's unique property created by producers, researchers and related parties after repeated improvement. And it is necessary to recognise that 'wagyu' is a Japanese treasure," a ministry official said.
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Between 1997 and 1998, 128 heads of Japanese cattle and 13 000 vials of sperm were exported to the United States, an agriculture ministry policy paper said.
The genetic material was in turn sent to Australia, where it has become mixed with foreign sperm through artificial insemination, it said.
The ministry voiced alarm that 25 000 resulting calves last year.
The agriculture ministry said France and the Netherlands have already introduced bar-codes for animals' semen supply.
It said it would also step up research into the animals' genetic sequencing to see why the Japanese beef has its purported special flavor and aroma.
Japan used to be the biggest foreign consumer of US beef until it was banned in December 2003 due to a case of mad-cow disease in Washington state.
Japan last week agreed to resume imports of US beef after a prolonged controversy including US lawmakers' threats to impose trade sanctions. - Sapa-AFP
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