July 20, 2005
Chile lifts US beef import ban
Chile has lifted its US beef import ban, which were put in place after the December 2003 mad cow case in the US, announced the USDA on Jul 19.
US beef and beef products from animals younger than 30 months of age are now allowed into Chile, one of the dozen countries that banned US beef imports immediately after the BSE case in the US was announced.
US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns applauded the Chilean government for making trade decisions that move toward normalising international trade in beef.
Before the ban, Chile bought beef worth US$5.3 million from the US in 2002. In contrast, Japan¡ªformerly the biggest US beef import country¡ªpurchased US$1.5 billion worth of US beef in the same year.
Japan is still keeping its US beef import ban despite pressures from the US recently.
