Japan to import 5,000 tons of butter over fear of shortage

Thursday 26th June, 01:54 PM JST

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Latest 15 of 31 Total Comments Show All

blvtzpk at 09:10 PM JST - 26th June

Looks like Japan's trying to butter somebody up...hmmm....
Pukey2 at 09:58 PM JST - 26th June

All this butter is going to turn Japan バターくさい。
Sarge at 10:01 PM JST - 26th June

Pukey - All what butter? Ha!
VoXman at 10:11 PM JST - 26th June

And all this is in response to the destruction of millions of gallons of milk 2 years ago by the same agency because they thought there would be a glut of dairy. And you wonder why the farmers control the Diet in Japan.
electric2004 at 10:34 PM JST - 26th June

Well, too little, too late. (The 5000 tons.)
presto345 at 10:55 PM JST - 26th June

Not necessarily good news for honest dairy producers such as NZ and Australia. The Japanese will probably buy from Europe because, like Japan, EU farm policy (price subsidies) allow producers that are economically inefficient to both stay in business and essentially dump their products on international markets.

I don't have data to support that. Maybe you do. At least in the Netherlands, a country that used to be a paradise for dairy products, farmers are forced to supply their milk to the cooperatives at below cost prices. No subsidies, my friend. The number of dairy farmers is decreasing at an alarming rate every year. It is exactly the lack of subsidies that causes this and which results in huge price increases for butter, cheese and other dairy products world wide. Perhaps this is called free trade policy, but to me it looks very disruptive. It forces producers out of business to a point of no return.
alexandrina at 11:47 PM JST - 26th June

Well, our Aussie butter is $1.45 for 250 grams from Woolworths and it is really yummy. Do you think that the Japanese Govt will buy from us now that we put up such a stink about the whaling in our waters?
KyouNoNippon at 11:51 PM JST - 26th June

Japan doesn't need your butter alexandrina.
alexandrina at 11:54 PM JST - 26th June

Why not???
tako10 at 12:12 AM JST - 27th June

alexandrina - I am sure the Japanese want to buy Australian butter. Aside from whaling issue, I personally love Australian produces because I know they pay great efforts to kill farm animals in a least painful manner. The whaling issue is not really about whaling. The Japanese also do not want Australia to exercise their rights over Japan’s sovereign water (namely, Chiba and Wakayama). I do not think the whaling issue causes any boycott of Australian products.
rajakumar at 02:11 AM JST - 27th June

Japan must reduce its over dependance on import food. Japan needs to up productions of food via Japan agro in japan/outside japan.
Crucades at 03:27 AM JST - 27th June

Didnt Japan buy a % of some African nation? They could make he butter there for import.
rajakumar at 06:12 AM JST - 28th June

Japan bread and butter fears, up. Japan should arrest all bread and butter woes first, do not worry about other woes.

Solve the bread and butter fears woes,it should get top urgent, attention.
notimpressed at 08:04 PM JST - 2nd July

Japan would usually tradde with EU than Aussie and NZ, becaus ethey have a dodgy image in the asia pacific. Its too easy to screw it up even worse. Its pretty hard to get agricultural produce into Japan, because of the way they hande things. ie.not in the interst in the consumer, but nthe interest of thier minority domestic producers. Thats understandable with Japans self sufficiency level being so low, but it doesnt help in the long run. NOt enough land, too many consumers, too many greedy officials. rajakumar and crucades have the better answer, hopefully if they do that sort of thing, it will benefit the locals in the foreign lands they gobble up to feed these crowded islands.
RepublicofTexas at 08:14 PM JST - 2nd July

Isn't margarine an acceptable substitute?