While the US has commanded most attention in terms of the new export markets opened this year, sale volumes of beef and offal to Japan are similar, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

This time last year, ABP announced it had secured a major deal to supply beef to Japan and the most recent CSO figures suggest 500t of product has gone from Ireland to Japan, over half of which was supplied by ABP.

Mark Goodman of ABP said: “Since going into the market, we have developed relationships with a number of leading importers and restaurant chains, supplying a selection of offals, in particular tongues and tails, which are a delicacy in Japan, as well as 70VL flanks and trims which are used for manufactured beef products, particularly burgers, in the fast food industry.”

Japan is the third-largest beef importer in the world after the US and Russia, with 760,000t imported in 2013, almost 10% of global imports. There are restrictions, however, with the 30-month age limit being the most significant.