Fresh ban on European beef

Dump your Euro sausages, consumers and retailers told

Australia and New Zealand have announced a total ban on the import of beef products from 30 European countries because of fears of "mad cow" disease.

A joint statement by the Australia-New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) said the ban followed confirmation that mad cow disease - or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) - had spread well beyond the UK.

Australia and New Zealand have one of the safest food supplies in the world - and the current steps are intended to keep it that way

Food Authority's Managing Director

The announcement comes as the German Government holds an emergency meeting to discuss its growing BSE crisis.

ANZFA's managing director, Ian Lindenmayer, said that, although there was only a very small possibility that any of the European products were contaminated with BSE, the new measures would further reduce the risk.

"Australia and New Zealand have one of the safest food supplies in the world - and the current steps are intended to keep it that way," he said.

Japan's ban

The ban applies to the 15 European Union countries and another 15 countries in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Australia does not import fresh beef, only beef products

A ban on British beef has been in force since 1996, when scientists linked BSE to the fatal brain-wasting disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

Last month, Japan also decided to ban imports of EU beef, processed beef foodstuffs and cow sperm.

China has also banned EU meat-based animal feeds.

Mad-cow free

Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said the decision had been taken in order to protect Australia's status as a country free from mad cow disease.

The BSE crisis has spread across Europe

No cases of BSE have been reported in Australia or New Zealand.

The ban will only affect a relatively small number of products.

Australia does not import fresh beef. Imported products from the countries listed in the ban amount to about 1,000 tonnes a year - less than 1% of annual beef consumption.

Interim measures

Interim measures announced by the authorities included advising retailers to remove all European beef products - such as corned beef, pate, frankfurters and soup - from their shelves.

Consumers will also be asked to dump European imports stored in their cupboards at home.

Beef products already being shipped to Australia and New Zealand will be prevented from entering.

The European Union and other countries have now banned the use of all animal-based feeds for livestock, believed by scientists to be the main medium by which BSE is transmitted to cattle.