December 31, 2003

US Beef Seized in China's Ningbo Province

A shipment of sixty kilograms of beef products originating from mad-cow-plagued Washington State was seized on a US cargo ship bound for Ningbo province in China.

The cargo ship was scheduled to sail from the United States to several Chinese ports, and Ningbo was its first stop. The beef was found last Saturday evening when local officials began routine inspections. Ningbo Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau immediately sealed up the beef for safekeeping, and carried out an inspection on related persons.

The beef was said to be purchased in Tacoma, Washington State at the end of November, but it is still difficult to judge if the beef came from disease-infected areas or not.