Mad Cow News

Taiwan halts US beef imports

TAIWAN today halted beef imports from the United States on fears of mad cow disease, joining several other Asian countries.

The move came after a cow in Washington state tested positive for mad cow disease.

If the disease was confirmed, U.S. beef would face a seven-year export ban, said Chiang Yi-nan, the chief of the COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

Feds Hold Meat From OR Distributor

The discovery of the first suspected U.S. case of mad cow disease in nearby Washington state is cause for concern in Oregon, as federal inspectors instructed at least one local meat distributor to hold off its shipment.

"It's not going any place. We'll do what we have to do to keep the product from being distributed," said an official at the Willamette Valley Meat Company in Portland, who confirmed that inspectors had visited the meat facility earlier in the day.

But the company official, who refused to give his name, stressed that inspectors have not yet determined if the meat from a Holstein cow suspected of having the disease made its way to Portland. "We don't even know for sure if that cow was sent here," he said...

Dollar calm as market shuns mad cow case

The dollar traded in tight ranges against major currencies on Wednesday as a holiday-thinned market brushed aside robust U.S. data and news that mad cow disease had been discovered in the United States.

"There's a little bit of covering going on right now (due to the mad cow scare), but very few people are changing their positions because of it," said Toshihiro Azuma, a manager at Sumitomo Trust and Banking...

Canadian Cattlemen's Association to Stand Behind US Ranchers

As the United States awaits final test results from England which will confirm or deny the presence of mad cow in one Washington state animal, Canadian ranchers announce their intention to support their US counterparts.

The head of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Neil Jahnke, said that US beef should not be shut out at Canadian borders, and that his industry will be standing behind US ranchers...

Mad cow fear seen stirring markets

Stocks of national restaurant chains that serve hamburgers and steaks dropped in after-hours trading yesterday, shaken by news of the first reported case of mad cow disease in the United States.

Analysts expected active trading today in the shares of companies such as McDonald's Corp. and cattle futures contracts that change hands on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange...

Seven Nations Halt U.S. Beef Imports

Japan and South Korea halted imports of U.S. beef on Wednesday after a cow in Washington state tested positive for mad cow disease, depriving American exporters of two of their largest overseas markets.

Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia followed suit...

Australia halts US beef imports

AUSTRALIA has placed a temporary hold on US beef imports following a mad cow disease scare in the United States, the agriculture minister said today.

"The Australian government has decided to temporarily hold beef products imported from the US at the border pending more information," Warren Truss said in a statement...