Saudi Arabia Halts Shipments of U.S. Beef, USDA Agency Says

Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia halted imports of U.S. beef, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Beef from the U.S. shipped on or after April 19 is not eligible for export to the country, the agency said today in a report on its website, without providing a reason for the ban.

The U.S. shipped 15.469 million pounds (7,017 metric tons) of beef to Saudi Arabia in 2011, government data show. That’s less than 1 percent of total U.S. beef exports last year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Campbell in Chicago atecampbell14@bloomberg.net