Taiwan Bans US Beef Imports For 7 Yrs Due To Mad-Cow Case
12/30/2003
Dow Jones News Services
(Copyright © 2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
TAIPEI (AP)--Taiwan has banned imports of U.S. beef and other cow parts for at least seven years because of last week's detection of the brain-wasting bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, in the U.S., an official said Tuesday.
The ban could be a boon for cattle farmers from Australia, the supplier of 50% of Taiwan's beef, and New Zealand, which has had 20% of the island's market, officials said.
The U.S. was the source of 20% of Taiwan's beef before officials announced last week that a cow in Washington state tested positive for mad-cow disease.
Taiwan decided to ban U.S. beef imports for at least seven years because the move was recommended by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health, said Hsiao Tung-ming, a Health Department official. Taiwan notified the U.S. about the ban Monday.
"To lower the risk of mad-cow disease, we have no choice but to impose the ban," Hsiao said.
If the U.S. finds another mad-cow case, the seven-year ban - designed to cover the long incubation period for the disease - could be extended, he said.
Scientists believe mad-cow disease spreads when farmers feed cattle with recycled meat and bones from infected animals. It is thought to cause the fatal human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Hsiao said Taiwanese consumers are flexible and eat a varied diet, so they will likely buy other kinds of meat if beef from Australia and New Zealand become too expensive.
"It's a dynamic market," Hsiao said. "Consumers may also switch to pork and chicken if prices of Australian and New Zealand beef soar because of the rising demand."
On the Net:
World Organization for Animal Health: www.oie.int |
