Australian beef exporters face competition after Japan agreed to allow more beef from "mad cow disease" affected nations.
There had been trade restrictions on beef from the US, Canada, France and the Netherlands after outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as BSE.
The US and Canada were only able to export beef to Japan that was killed from animals under 21 months.
Japan had banned exports from the Netherlands and France.
Media reports say Japan is expected to open up beef exports from US and Canada to allow animals up to 30 months to be killed for the Japanese market.
The decision was based on better safety procedures, as well as a decrease in the number of reported cases worldwide of BSE, which had slipped from 2215 in 2001 to 12 in the first nine months of the year.
(AFP)
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