Malt and quota management system

Japan had a tariff quota system for malt even from before the EPA, which introduced a quota for EU origin malt. However, only companies manufacturing beer themselves or importing exclusively for the use of a particular brewery were allowed to apply for a quota, discriminating against traders wishing to import on their own account for selling to multiple customers in small volumes or on short notice. Following multi-year efforts by the EBC and the EU, this has now been remedied in late 2021, opening the door to importers to provide of a large variety of EU-origin malts even in smaller quantities for the flourishing craft beer market, and for non-brewery users. However, an administrative burden remains, which is unreasonable considering the quota is not fully utilized and all eligible quota applications are being granted.