Japanese Beef to Arrive in Taiwan After 10-Year Ban
TAIWAN - After a hiatus of more than a decade, the first shipment of Japanese beef landed in Taiwan Thursday night due to the lifting of a ban, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
29 September 2017
1 minute read
The FDA announced on 19 September the regulations on Japanese beef and beef products imports, officially lifting a long-existing ban.
The ban was enforced beginning in 2003 following the outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan.
Focus Taiwan reports that according to the regulations, the beef needs to fulfill six provisions, including that it has to be from cows under 30 months of age and from healthy cows that are checked by an official veterinarian.
The beef also needs to meet certain standards to be processed in Taiwan's factories. For instance, specified risk material must be removed during slaughtering.
Specified risk material refers to a cow's body parts that may be at risk of infection.
In addition, each batch of beef needs to be issued certified documents signed by official Japanese veterinarians.
The FDA's Northern Center Senior Executive Officer Wei Jen-ting told the Central News Agency that the first application for inspection of Japanese beef was received at approximately 6 p.m. Thursday with a shipment of 205 kilograms scheduled to arrive at around 10:10 p.m.
Mr Wei said the earliest that the beef will be on the market was Oct. 2 if everything is found to be in compliance.
TheCattleSite News Desk
