Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 26, 2003
Macao Suspends Imports of U.S. Beef
Imports of U.S. beef will be temporarily suspended from Friday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) after confirmation of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, according to a source from the local Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM).
Imports of U.S. beef will be temporarily suspended from Friday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) after confirmation of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, according to a source from the local Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM).
The IACM, responsible for food inspection, pointed out that thedecision made by the SAR government after consultations with localexperts is aimed to safeguard the customers' health and the safetyof food.
It was reported that an independent test by a British veterinary laboratory had confirmed the first U.S. case of mad cowdisease. Many U.S. beef importing countries and regions including Japan, Singapore, Russia, China and Hong Kong, have decided to halt the U.S. beef imports since Tuesday.
The IACM said that the U.S. beef on the market of Macao has been certificated by the authorities of producing regions where nocase of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was found.