Imported U.S. beef seized in Beijing
( 2004-01-02 11:35) (chinadaily.com.cn)
Chinese customers
look over beef products at a supermarket in Guangzhou, South China's
Guangdong Province, December 24, 2003. China's Ministry of Agriculture has
suspended US beef imports after the United States reported its first
suspected case of mad cow disease.
[newsphoto/file] | Nearly 186 tons of beef products in Beijing from the US have been sealed off
on Thursday during a meat market inspection. Beijing Youth Daily says the beef
products are to be disposed of upon examination on advice from The Ministry of
Agriculture.
Beijing Agriculture Bureau has recently issued a string of prevention and
monitoring orders to make Beijing free of beef products possibly infected with
the mad cow disease. A citywide market inspection is being carried out by
Beijing Quarantine and Supervision Station on Animal Products.
Inspection groups have been formed to conduct inspections over all meat
markets and sales refrigeratories in Beijing. Beef products from the US found
must be reported and sent to the station for further examination. The disease so
far has not been found in the city or anywhere in China.
Earlier at the end of December 2003, Sixty kilograms of beef products, all
from the Washington State where a mad cow disease case was found, were seized on
a US cargo ship in Ningbo, Xinhua reported. The ship was scheduled to dock at
several other Chinese ports.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the State Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), announced a ban on imports of US
beef and beef-related products after the United States reported its first
suspected case of mad cow disease.
(Shan Juan)
|
