US meat to return to supermarkets
Monday, August 30, 2004
Bone-in cuts of beef, from the United States will again be available in local
supermarkets, following the Cayman Islands Government’s issuing of revised
conditions for the importation of ruminant meat from the US. Importation bone-in
meats of ruminant origin – that is, meat from cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo,
bison and deer, from the US, was halted in December 2003, following a reported
case of ‘mad cow’s disease’ or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in that
country.
According to Cayman’s Department of Agriculture (DoA) officials, the new
regulations are designed to allow for a resumption of trade in these products,
while affording local consumers maximum protection from possible exposure to the
disease.
“These regulations are the result of extensive negotiations between the
Cayman Islands’ and US Department of Agriculture, and the implementation of new
slaughtering, inspection and monitoring procedures in the US,” reports Chief
Agricultural and Veterinary Officer Dr Alfred Benjamin.
“They effectively allow for the importation of only those ruminant meat and
meat products that pose virtually zero risk for the transmission of BSE, and
follow international guidelines for importation of ruminant meat products from
countries considered as low risk for the disease.”
Very similar to those used for meat importation from Canada and the United
Kingdom, the regulations were circulated this week to local importers. Products
now eligible for importation include: meat and meat products, including ground
meat derived from cattle and bison younger than 30 months of age; bovine liver
of animals of any age; veal and veal products from animals of any age; sheep and
goat meat and meat products from animals younger than 12 months of age; meat and
meat products legally imported into the US from Australia, New Zealand or
Canada; canned boneless meat legally imported into the US; and protein-free
tallow.
Products not eligible for import include any meat and meat products derived
from advanced meat recovery (AMR) processes.
Although only one case of BSE has been detected to date in the US, DoA’s
Veterinary Officer Dr. Colin Wakelin says it is important to err on the side of
caution when protecting consumers’ health.
He explains, “BSE, which has a long incubation period, has not been detected
in animals younger than 30 months. Restricting imports to meat derived from this
group of animals therefore minimises the risk when importing meat from countries
where there is a possibility that the disease is present.”
All imported US meat must be accompanied by a US FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and
Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness, which must include appropriate
notations as to the age, origin and facility in which the animal was
slaughtered. The only exception to this requirement is meat and meat products
for personal consumption, up to a maximum of 5 kg, providing the original
packaging is intact and the packaging bears the USDA inspection legend.
Details of these requirements may be obtained from Cayman’s Department of
Agriculture, or the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection
Services website,
www.fsis.usda.gov/ofo/export/cayman.htm
Back...
| 
