Beef imports’ ban due to BSE fears

Imports of beef and beef products from Canada and Poland have been banned by Thailand due to concerns over mad cow disease.

Thai authorities, who have already banned imports from Ireland, said the ban was effective from July 1 and would bring to 23 the number of countries barred from exporting beef to the Southeast Asian country.

“In order to prevent mad cow disease coming to Thailand and for the safety of our consumers, the ministry has banned imports of beef and beef products from the two countries on the list,” the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement.

Canada introduced new safeguards against mad cow disease last Friday that will force its crippled beef sector to remove risky organs from carcasses.

The United States and dozens of other countries slapped bans on Canadian beef after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, was discovered in a single cow in the province of Alberta on May 20.

Last month, the UN food agency urged all countries to check for BSE after the discovery in Canada.

A few cases of BSE have been found since 2001 in countries such as Poland, Greece, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia, according to reports to the Office International des Epizooties, an international body responsible for animal health.