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A Taiwan delegation visited the American Meat Institute and theConsumers Union on Monday on its first leg of a trip to inspectbeef production in the United States after a new mad cow diseasecase was reported in the country last month. The delegation was briefed on meat production and sales in the U.S. and was reassured that the thefourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Californiaconfirmed on April 24 was atypical, according to a statementreleased by Taiwan's representative office in the U.S. The institute also told the delegation about five control measuresin the country's beef supply chain, including import controls on cattle and bone meals from affected areas, cattle monitoring, a slaughter ban on 4D cattle (dead, downer, distressed, diseased) and the removal of specifiedrisk materials. The institute stressed that the United States has never reportedany typical BSE cases. The last three cases were atypical L-typecases as occurred in Canada and Europe while the first case wasdiscovered in a cow imported from Canada. Also on Monday, representatives from the Consumers Union, whichpublishes Consumer Reports, told the delegation it did not suggestavoiding U.S. beef because no clear and direct scientific evidence indicated it wasunsafe. The union only suggested that authorities step up foodinspection to ensure meat safety, the statement said. The representative office also confirmed that a meeting between thegroup and John Clifford, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's(USDA's) chief veterinarian, is scheduled on Wednesday afterintensive contacts with the department. The Taiwanese officials are also scheduled to meet with theircounterparts in relevant agencies, including the Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service, the Food Safety and Inspection Serviceand the Foreign Agricultural Service, to learn more about the case,the office added. On Thursday, the group will visit the National Veterinary ServicesLaboratories under the department in Iowa, the office confirmed.But it remains to be seen whether it will be able to visitslaughterhouses, feed processing plants and cattle farms in Texas and California as it requested. Taiwan has the authority to inspect beef slaughterhouses and processing plants in the U.S. as part of anagreement that led to the lifting of a ban on imports of U.S.bone-in beef in late 2009. Meanwhile, a USDA official told CNA that the department very muchwelcomed the opportunity to share with Taiwan, an important tradepartner, a series of effective preventive measures to lower mad cow disease risks. The mad cow disease case has raised concerns in Taiwan at a time when theLegislature is reviewing draft amendments to the Act Governing FoodSanitation, which will largely determine whether more U.S. beef imports will be allowed into the country. The amendments are related in part, however, to the acceptance ofresidues in American beef of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine, which is currentlybanned in Taiwan. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Network Speed Dome , 960H DVR for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits IP CCTV Cameras.
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