Taiwan government lifts its four-year ban on Canadian beef imports

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan has lifted a four-year-old ban on Canadian beef imports that followed a mad cow disease scare, but the meat is restricted to boneless cuts from cattle under 30 months old. The Department of Health said the decision, which took effect Saturday, was made after Taiwanese inspectors concluded that Canadian beef is free of the risk of mad cow disease following stepped up control in the country.

The department said imported beef must also be free of brain or spinal material, believed to have a higher risk of carrying mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE.

"We will continue to step up inspection and will suspend imports again if those conditions are not met," the department said on its Web site.

Taiwan banned Canadian beef imports in May 2003 following the discovery of Canada's first known BSE case.

Before the ban, Taiwan was Canada's fifth-largest beef export market, with sales of about US$16.7 million.

Canada has had 10 reported BSE cases since the country's first discovery, on May 20, 2003, which drove Taiwan to slam shut its international borders to Canadian beef.

Taiwan lifted a ban on U.S. beef imports in January 2006 under similar conditions.

BSE has been linked to more than 150 human deaths worldwide, mostly in Britain.

© The Canadian Press, 2007