AUSTRALIA: Beef import ban scaled down for EU, extended in Asia

Australia is mulling an end to the blanket ban on beef imports from 17 European countries. Exports from the remaining 13 countries in Europe will remain in place however, due to fears of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). The Australia-New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) added that the ban could be expanded to include a number of Asian countries, which would have to prove that they did not import potentially contaminated livestock feed from Britain. These countries may include Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.