April 9, 2004

Mexico To Further Relax Restrictions On Imports US Beef

Mexico has announced it will begin accepting imports of certain additional U.S. beef offal items, trimmings and veal, industry officials said Thursday.
 
The shipments are expected to begin as soon as the Mexican and U.S. governments can make the needed changes to their required shipping documents.
 
Richard Fritz, vice president for trade development at the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said that Mexico will allow imports of additional U.S. beef items that include veal, tallow, hearts, livers, tongues, kidneys, lips, diaphragm and certain trimmings.
 
Fritz said Mexico will need to amend its import permits before any shipments can be made. Likewise, the U.S. government also will have to make changes in its shipping documents.
 
James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation, in a meeting in Washington Thursday said Mexico's announcement is good news for the U.S. beef and meatpacking industries.
 
Prior to Thursday's announcement, Mexico had been allowing only imports of U.S. boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age, Fritz said. On March 3, Mexico partially lifted its ban on U.S. beef. The ban was imposed after the U.S. discovered its first and only case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, on Dec. 23.
 
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials were not immediately available for comment on the matter.