Singapore lifts ban on U.S. beef imports

SINGAPORE (AP)--Singapore said Jan. 17 that it is ending a ban on beef imports from the United States, two years after it suspended imports following detection of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the state of Washington.

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority "is finalizing with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the operational details of the health certification program to facilitate the resumption of imports as soon as possible," the authority said in a statement.

"With the lifting of the ban, de-boned beef cuts from young cattle (less than 30 months old) from the U.S. will be allowed for import into Singapore," it said in a statement.

Little was known about BSE at the time of the ban on Dec. 24, 2003, and Singaporean import rules allowed imports only from countries that had been free of the disease for six years, the statement said.

"Since then, more has been learnt about the disease," the government statement said.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority reviewed its import conditions for beef from countries affected by mad cow disease, and developed new import requirements to allow restricted beef imports that are safe for consumption.

After a full assessment of the risk of BSE from U.S. beef and an on-site inspection in the United States in November 2005, the authority said it was satisfied that the United States "has in place effective safeguards to ensure that de-boned beef cuts exported are safe for consumption."

Date:1/25/06