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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which countries are refusing to allow British beef to be imported; and for what reasons. [216567] Mr. Bradshaw: Following is a list of 84 countries which we understand still impose a ban on the import of British beef. The situation in a further 27 countries has still to be confirmed. In addition there is continuing dialogue between the EU and Egypt on recently revised Egyptian import conditions. The reasons cited for the bans are animal and public health related. However, we consider that these bans are not justified in the light of science and the BSE controls applied in the UK. Currently, beef exports can only take place under the stringent conditions of the Date-based Export Scheme, which complies fully with EU and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) rules and guidance. We are currently working with the European Commission for recognition that, like most other EU member states, the UK is now a moderate (rather than high) risk country according to current OIE rules. We are also working with the Commission with a view to lifting the ban on the export of beef from UK cattle born after July 1996 as soon as possible after the over-30- month rule is replaced by testing and these cattle can be sold for human consumption in the UK. Bans: Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belarus Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo (Democratic Republic of) Congo Brazzaville Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Dominican republic Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Gabon Grenada Guatemala Guyana India Indonesia Japan Jordan Kenya Korea (South) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Libya Macau Malaysia Mexico Monaco Montserrat Morocco Nicaragua Nigeria Oman Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Qatar Rwanda Samoa Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa Sri Lanka Switzerland Syria Taiwan Thailand Togo Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates USA Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia To be confirmed: Afghanistan Benin British Virgin Islands Cape Verde Comoros Eritrea French Polynesia Georgia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Iraq Jamaica Liberia Maldives Mali Mauritania Mayotte Moldova Niger Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Somalia South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands St. Helena Dependencies Yugoslavia

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c1363-6W;432 c1359-62W; 216567

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Exports BSE Beef

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk