January 6, 2006

US beef can enter Thailand next week

Thailand will be lifting a two-year ban on US beef in the week of Jan 9, said Public Health Minister Phinij Jarusombat.

For US beef products to be allowed back into Thailand, each shipment must have a disease-free document presented to the authorities prior to import, he said.

He said Thailand would use the same standard as Japan when it lifted the ban on imported US beef.

US beef was banned in Thailand in late 2003, following the first reported outbreak of mad cow disease in US cattle farms. More than 20 countries have since banned US beef imports, costing the US more than US$3.2 billion in annual exports.

He said the order to lift the ban would be made during the FTA talks between Thailand and the US, which will be held in Chiang Mai on Jan 9.