A report shows beef consumption "remains weak due to inflation", with a shift toward less expensive proteins in Japan - one of the countries the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine will visit in June as part of the 2025 programme of ministerial trade missions.

The report highlights that cattle stocks in 2025 in Japan will decrease on last year's totals due "to the increased number of cattle slaughtered in 2024".

However it also projects that pork consumption in Japan will remain stable in 2025 compared to 2024, as "steady demand is expected to continue".

"While inflation is affecting consumer spending habits, pork, along with poultry products, will remain a favored source of animal protein for daily meals," according to the report published by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Specifically in relation to beef production it is expected that cattle fattening operations in Japan will continue to focus on Wagyu production "with a greater supply of Wagyu beef".

The USDA report provides an insight into current market trends in the Japanese market and details that consumer demand for less-expensive beef "such as cow meat, accelerated as a reasonable alternative to expensive imported beef".

According to the latest statistics "supplies for cow meat were limited in 2024, resulting from dairy farmers expanding their herd size for better milk production".

The USDA report outlines that this expansion also reduced the slaughter of dairy cows and heifers in 2024 in Japan.

"This trend will remain unchanged," it stated.

The report also references recent forecasts that suggest in terms of beef production cattle fattening operations will "continue to focus on Wagyu production, with a greater supply of Wagyu beef".

Latest figure suggest the number of Wagyu beef cattle slaughtered continued to expand as cattle fattening operators in Japan "sought better carcass prices compared to other breeds".

"This enabled cattle farmers to purchase new calves, spurring increased demand for calves in the market," the report also detailed.

However according to the USDA report in general "there is a shift towards less-expensive animal products" in Japan such as pork which has lead to reduced beef consumption at-home.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, recently told the Dáil that the 2025 ministerial trade missions programme "provides important opportunities for the government to enhance the ongoing efforts of Bord Bia and industry in marketing Ireland's high quality, sustainably produced agri-food products in key priority growth markets".