When Japan reopens its borders to U.S. beef, producers of cattle from which beef will be harvested for export to that country must comply with the regulations of the Beef Export Verifi cation Program (BEV) for Japan. The primary requirement affecting cattle producers is verifi cation that their cattle are less than 21 months of age at the time of slaughter. To qualify under the BEV for Japan, producers and processors of any cattle that will provide beef for the Japanese market must participate in a Quality System Assessment (QSA) program that has been pre-approved by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. That is, unlike Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), which accepts an auditable record, Japan is requiring that cattle must have been raised by cowherds, backgrounders, and feedlots that are covered under a QSA program. Records documenting age of the cattle and signed affi davits by the producer are needed, but these alone are not enough.