SYDNEY (Kyodo) The soaring cost of Australian beef in Japan could put off Japanese consumers, industry organization Meat and Livestock Australia said Friday.

Wholesale prices of frozen Australian beef in Japan have risen between 52 percent and 67 percent since mid-December, after U.S. beef imports were banned following the detection of mad cow disease in the United States, Japan's Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corp. said this week.

But whether beef remains at inflated prices depends on a number of factors, an MLA Japan spokeswoman said.