Singapore lifts post-nuclear restrictions on Japan meat

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) announced on Monday (8 April) that it had lifted the suspension on food imports, including meat, from Chiba, Ibaraki, Gunma, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi and Tokyo with immediate effect.

However, it stated that the decision to lift restrictions had been made following “a review by the AVA and assurances from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on the safety of food from Japan”. It added that consignments of food from these regions would only be accepted if accompanied by a certificate of origin (COO) issued by the Japanese Government, as well as a pre-export laboratory report certifying that the food was free from radioactive contaminants.

Restrictions on imports from Fukushima remain in place and the AVA said it would continue to monitor food imports from Japan to ensure their safety.

Nuclear disaster​

Singapore imposed restrictions on Japanese food following a huge earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011, which damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushina nuclear plant, resulting in the release of radioactive materials.

Raodiactive surveys conducted by Japanese and Singapore authorities in the wake of the disaster revealed that raw milk and vegetables from regions surrounding Fukushima contained high levels of radioactive contamination.

AVA took immediate action to ban imports from these regions and developed the COO system with Japanese authorities to establish traceability on food imports.