Indonesia to lift import ban on U.S. beef


Indonesia to lift import ban on U.S. beef

   
JAKARTA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) — Indonesian government would lift the
import ban on U.S. beef later this month, a senior agriculture ministry
official said Tuesday.

    The move follows recent audits at two slaughter
houses in Minnesota, Minneapolis and Nebraska, Omaha, said director
general of veterinary Tjeppy Soedjana.

    “We have concluded audits at the
two (slaughter houses) and what left to be done is the health and halal
certification,” the official was quoted by leading news website
Detikcom as saying.

    At the meantime, only the two slaughter houses will be allowed to sell products to Indonesia, he said.

    The government banned beef import
from the United States in 2004 for fears of mad cow disease and has
since allowed only New Zealand and Australia to supply beef.