Import of Japanese Beef Suspended in HKImport of beef from Japan will be suspended as a precautionary measure to protect food safety and public health, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced Wednesday in Hong Kong.FEHD has imposed additional import control measures on Japanese beef since September 11 following the report of the first suspected case of Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan last week. A FEHD spokesman said since the imposition of the additional import control measures, the department had not approved any application for import of beef from Japan, and no beef has been imported to Hong Kong. He said, "importers have to obtain prior approval from the FEHD before importing beef into Hong Kong." "They are also required to submit health certificates issued by recognized authorities stating that meat-and-bone meal is not used to feed cows in the exporting country, that all cows have passed ante-mortem inspection by veterinary officers and that specific high-risk parts like brain and spinal cord, etc have not been included in the consignment for export," he added. |
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