Iran has suspended imports of beef from all European Union countries over concerns about the dangers of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, the press reported Wednesday. The Iran Daily quoted state veterinary officials as saying imports from Germany had already been banned.
"There were no worries for consumers in Iran," because the bans were of a "preventive" nature, said Samad Yeghaneh, chief of the veterinary service's department of international relations.
Iran had planned to import 4,000 tons of German beef in the current fiscal year, which runs from March to March, of which around 1,400 had already been received, Yeghaneh said. Germany discovered its first case of BSE in November.
Iran is a large consumer of meat, importing around 700,000 tons of red meat and 600,000 tons of poultry each year. — (AFP, Tehran)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
