January 27, 2004

 

 

Hong Kong To Consider Resumption of US Beef Imports

 

Hong Kong will consider resumption of US beef imports, after the completion of an international experts' review on the safety measures.

 

A team of American agriculture officials yesterday met the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Yeoh Eng-kiong, as part of a regional tour to win back the confidence of importers of US beef following last month's mad cow disease scare.

 

US Undersecretary of Agriculture, J. B. Penn, who led the group, described a string of enhanced procedures to ensure the safety of US beef products from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease.

 

Among the new measures is the removal of especially risky material, such as the brain and spinal cord, from animals more than 30 months old; removing all dead, diseased, dying or downer (unable to stand) animals from the food production system; increased surveillance of livestock herds and an enhanced animal identification system.

 

"We believe we have gone beyond international standards," Dr Penn said, adding an international team of experts was conducting a review of the surveillance system against the disease in the US.

 

"Looking at the fact that this one cow [found to have mad cow disease] originated in Canada, and with all these ameliorative measures in place, consumers can be assured our beef is safe."

 

But Dr Penn said he considered it unnecessary and ineffective to test every animal slaughtered as is the case in Japan and some European countries.

 

"We believe trading rules should be adhered to by [the World Trade Organisation] members," he said. "We should look to apply sound science to the trading rules and if international organisations like the OIE [L'Office International des Epizooties, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health] say there is no need to ban beef from a country that has one case of BSE, we should follow those standards."

 

Hong Kong authorities suspended imports of US beef on Christmas Eve after the US Agriculture Secretary announced two days earlier that a cow in Washington State had tested positive for mad cow disease. Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and Brazil also imposed temporary bans.

 

Dr Penn, who has already visited Japan and the Philippines, left for South Korea yesterday to continue his team's tour.

 

Hong Kong is the fifth-largest market for US beef.

 

A Health, Welfare and Food Bureau spokeswoman said: "We will be pleased to lift our ban on the importation of US beef and beef products provided that all our import requirements can be fully met."