Taiwan has conditionally lifted a 16-year-old ban on beef imports from Japan.
FDA Division of Food Safety section head Wu Tsung-his said the Taiwan government will wait for the Japanese government to provide a list of government-certified facilities so that Taiwanese importers can import Japanese beef from those facilities.
Nearly 95 percent of Taiwan’s beef consists of imports. Last year the United States was Taiwan’s No. 1 import supplier by weight and value, followed by Australia and New Zealand.
Before the bans were imposed, following the discovery of cattle with mad cow disease, Japan exported a tiny amount of beef and beef products to Taiwan.
According to the FDA website, when shipments resume, Japanese beef exports to Taiwan must come from cattle less than 30 months old. Younger cattle are considered at lower risk of mad cow disease.
Taiwan also agreed to resume Japanese beef imports providing that the cattle are slaughtered or processed at government-certified facilities, and come from traceble cattle.