EU welcomes US decision to lift BSE-related ban on beef imports

摘要

The European Commission has welcomed a decision by the US authorities to bring import rules on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, fully in line with international standards. This long awaited move, announced on 1 November by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is expected to effectively end a fifteen-year ban on exports of European beef to the US. "The re-opening is a welcome, albeit late, step to abolish the unjustified ban and to re-establish normal trading conditions," the Commission said in a statement, on 2 November. It added that the EU expects the remaining import restrictions on EU sheep and goat products to be lifted soon as well and the US import conditions to be fully aligned with international standards shortly.