Australia to change BSE beef import policy

Australia's government is adjusting its quarantine policies to allow beef imports from BSE-affected countries.

The changes followed a review of current settings and would be effective as of March 1, 2010, according to a joint statement by Agriculture Minister Tony Burke, Trade Minister Simon Crean and Health Minister Nicola Roxon.

But a review has concluded that the risk to human health from imported beef remains very low, provided the appropriate risk mitigation strategies are put in place.

The joint statement said there is no intention to risk public health and the new arrangements will not affect the Australian food standard which requires that beef and beef products be derived from animals free of BSE.

This standard will not change and current enforcement measures will continue to apply, said the statement.

The government said that since the BSE scares earlier this decade, there have been significant advances in knowledge and changes in practice in managing beef herds and food production.

This has allowed countries to trade beef and beef products safely, the joint statement said.

The new policy will provide a better outcome for both domestic and export industry, allowing a more sensible risk-based regional response to be made, the ministers said.