U.S. beef imports banned again

Premier Frank Hsieh said the public should not panic, as the American beef that has been imported in Taiwan since April were calves less prone to the disease, and should be safe to eat.

The new ban does not apply to beef products already on store shelves or those being shipped to Taiwan, government officials said.

Taiwan will not consider reopening the market until the U.S. authorities have tracked down the diseased cow’s records and reinforced measures concerning feeds and slaughtering to stop the spread of bovine spongifoam encephalopathy (BSE), the officials said.

The government in April lifted a 14-month ban on American beef reportedly due to strong pressure from Washington, despite worries and criticisms that it was a wrong decision made at the cost of the people’s health.

The United States confirmed its first BSE case in late 2003, prompting many other countries to impose a ban that would usually last seven years.

News of a second case appeared on June 10, and it was confirmed yesterday.

Cabinet spokesman Cho Jung-tai cited the premier as saying the government made a careful evaluation giving number one priorities to the people’s safety before easing the ban three months ago.

“Premier Hsieh, after consulting related departments, has decided to temporarily stop the imports to American beef, effective immediately,” Cho said.

A Cabinet-level Department of Health official said that the information made known so far shows that the latest BSE case in the United States involves an eight-year-old non-ambulatory “downer” cow.

Chen Lu-hung, head of the DOH’s Bureau of Food Sanitation, said there has not been any other pathological data such as where exactly the animal was raised and the whereabouts of its siblings.

He said the government will reconsider its ban on U.S. beef under certain conditions..

These conditions include the release of pathological information concerning the second case, the implementation of a feed ban and slaughtering standards, and the establishment of a BSE surveillance system, he said.

The United States already imposed in 1997 a feed ban that prohibits feeding to cattle and other ruminants most mammalian protein, including meat-and-bone meal, he said.

It has also adopted beef slaughtering standards that require the removal of risky BSE-transmissible tissue such as brains, spinal cords and bones from the cattle, Chen pointed out.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also reviewing its BSE surveillance program, Chen said.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email