Taiwan to conditionally lift 16-year-old import ban on Japanese beef

TAIPEI - Taiwan has decided in principle to lift a ban since 2001 on beef imported from Japan, action taken following the discovery there of cattle with mad cow disease, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement posted Monday on its website.

The statement also indicated Taiwan will also lift bans imposed for the same reason on beef imports from Sweden and the Netherlands.

A FDA official told Kyodo News on condition of anonymity that if all goes smoothly, Taiwan will resume imports of Japanese beef no later than Oct. 15.

Nearly 95 per cent of Taiwan's beef is imported. Last year the United States was Taiwan's No. 1 beef supplier by weight and value, followed by Australia and New Zealand.

Before the ban was imposed, Japan exported a minuscule amount of beef and beef products to Taiwan. In 2000, Japan shipped only 4 tons, only 0.01 per cent of the total amount imported by Taiwan that year.

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