PARIS: The Chinese authorities have decided to re-open their doors to imports of French beef.
The French Ministry of Agriculture welcomed the decision taken by China to partially lift the embargo that hit French beef since 2001 as a result of mad cow disease. “This decision, taken almost nine years after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognized France’s controlled risk status, was highly anticipated and will apply to boneless meat of older cattle Less than 30 months, “the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the French inter-profession of livestock and meat welcomed in a statement “excellent news for the French beef and veal sector that will eventually export to China”, the “second largest importer Beef with around 1.1 million tons imported annually “.
In mid-January, the United States announced its decision to re-open its door to imports of French beef for the first time since the embargo was imposed in 1998 following the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis (BSE), commonly referred to as mad cow disease.
