Canada's mad cow case won't end imports
Hong Kong has no plans to ban all beef imports from Canada despite the latest mad cow disease case there.
But the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is monitoring the situation and seeking information.
Fears of a resurgence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy rose when Canada confirmed its second case on Sunday in an eight-year-old dairy cow from the province of Alberta.
Canada confirmed its first mad cow case in May 2003.
Hong Kong banned beef imports from Canada in that month but allowed a partial resumption five weeks ago.
Twenty tonnes of Canadian beef have since been imported, according to the department.
Only boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months old and with high-risk parts such as brain and spinal cord removed during slaughtering is allowed in.
Every consignment must have a health certificate and departmental approval in advance.
In 2002, before the first mad cow case, 597 tonnes of Canadian beef was imported, accounting for just 1 per cent of beef imports.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Sunday the infected cow had not passed into the human food or animal feed supply, and posed no risk to the public.
In December 2003, the first US cow confirmed to have the disease was identified. It was found to have come from a Canadian farm, leading to a ban by Washington on imports of Canadian cattle.
