June 4, 2007

Indonesia mulls lifting ban on US beef

Indonesia is considering lifting its two-year old ban on US beef and beef products after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has granted the US a "controlled-risk" ruling for mad cow disease, Indonesian Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said.

Apriyantono said the country is adopting a new regulation by the OIE which allows imports of beef products from mad cow free regions in a country.

The minister also said Indonesia would officially lift the ban but it needs to thoroughly audit and verify the origin of US beef.

Before the ban, the United States was one of Indonesia's top three beef suppliers, along with Australia and New Zealand.