RIYADH, 22 March 2005 — The Kingdom has banned import of Canadian beef and beef products following reports of cases of mad cow disease in Canada.
“It is a temporary ban imposed in the light of reports issued by the Canadian authorities and international organizations pertaining to the health condition of cows in Canada,” a spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce said.
The ministry has urged importers to strictly adhere to the ban to assure quality products for consumers in the Kingdom. The government has also called on the public to report sale of any banned products in the local market.
A similar ban is currently in force on several European and African countries.
Kingdom imports two-thirds of its beef for local consumption. Beef and beef products are imported from the United States, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Arab countries in the Middle East.
Expressing disappointment at the ban, a spokesperson of the Canadian Embassy, Andrew Turner told Arab News that the ban has been imposed despite Canada providing the Saudi government with full and regular updates on the precautions taken against the mad cow disease. He added that the ban imposed from March this year was unnecessary and was not supported by scientific evidence, Canadian beef is perfectly safe, he stressed.
