(1) Has the campaign announced by the Minister in July 2002 for the promotion of Australian beef sales in Japan commenced; if so: (a) when did the campaign commence; and (b) what form has it taken.

(2) (a) Has the campaign achieved any improved performance for Australian beef sales; and (b) how will its future success be measured.

(3) If the campaign has not commenced: (a) when will it commence; (b) what form will it take; and (c) how will its success be measured.

(4) Has the department assessed the likely impact on Australian beef sales with the discovery of a further case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan in the week commencing 19 August 2002; if so: (a) what is the result of that assessment; and (b) what steps have been taken to protect the volume of Australian beef sales to Japan.

(5) If no assessment has been made of the potential impact of the latest BSE discovery, why not.

(6) If no action has been taken to address the potential impact of the latest BSE discovery, why not.

(1) (a) The campaign commenced on 9 September 2002.

(b) The retail, food services, public relations and media industries in Japan will be targeted with specially tailored activities that include campaigns, promotions, visits and advertising.

(2) (a) It is too early to access the impact of the campaign given it commenced on 9 September 2002.

(b) The success of the campaign will be measured against key performance indicators and milestones set down by Meat and Livestock Australia Ltd.

(3) Response provided in Question 2.

(4) (a) Advice received from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia (AFFA) representative in Japan indicates the impact of the BSE discovery in the week commencing 19 August 2002 will have a lesser effect on Japanese consumers than earlier detections. Meat and Livestock Australia Ltd provides weekly market assessments to AFFA and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics conducts quarterly market assessments.

(b) No further steps have been taken, as there has been a steady increase in Australia's exports to Japan during 2002, despite detections of BSE in April and May.

(5) Response provided in Question 4.

(6) Response provided in Question 4.