Certifying the BSE-free status of beef and beef products
What are the concerns over BSE?
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or 'mad cow disease' is a fatal, progressive, neurological disease of cattle. It is now accepted that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is caused by eating beef products contaminated with the BSE agent.
What steps has the Government taken to protect the Australian food supply?
On 5 January 2001, the Australian Government announced a temporary suspension of imports of beef and beef products from thirty European countries (see History of Australia’s regulatory response to BSE as it relates to food safety ).
In partnership with a number of government agencies, FSANZ (then ANZFA) developed a certification regime, linked to an amendment to theAustralia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which replaced the temporary import suspension.
Based on a comprehensive, internationally peer-reviewed risk assessment, an amendment to the Code was developed which requires all beef and beef products sold in Australia to be derived from cattle that are free of BSE. This means that the official veterinary authorities of countries supplying Australia with beef products will need to certify to a number of requirements regarding the safety of the beef product.
How is this requirement enforced?
Certification requirements for imported beef products are enforced by AQIS. AQIS handles applications to import beef and beef products and ensures appropriate certification accompanies all consignments of beef and beef products. Certification requirements depend on the category a country has been allocated by the ABCCC. The four country categories are as follows:
Category A (certification required) beef and beef products from these countries are regarded as posing a negligible risk to human health.
Category B (certification required) - these countries, while not reporting cases of BSE, may have been exposed to high risk factors, such as the importation of high-risk meat and bone meal.
Category C(certification required) - countries in this category are known to have considerable exposure to BSE risk materials, but have not reported indigenous cases of BSE.
Category D- beef and beef products from countries in this category pose the highest level of risk and will be refused entry to Australia. These countries will have reported cases of indigenous BSE in their herds.
Consignments of beef and beef products from category D countries cannot be imported. Products from category B and C countries can only be imported if the national authority can certify that the product is derived from animals not exposed to BSE risk and if specific risk materials have been excluded from the food chain.
What are the certification requirements?
The certification requirements are detailed in the document BSE: Human health requirements for the importation of beef and beef products (8 July 2001) .
Are any beef products exempt from these certification arrangements?
Yes. Products exempt from these requirements are listed in Clause 11 of Standard 2.2.1 of theAustralia New Zealand Food Standards Codeand include:
- collagen and gelatine from bovine skins and hides;
- bovine fat and/or tallow included as a minor ingredient of a processed product (no more than 300 g/kg of the food); and
- dairy products sourced from bovines.
Current scientific opinion is that BSE cannot be transmitted through these products.
Do the new arrangements apply to Australian and New Zealand beef and beef products?
Yes. Any imports of Australian or New Zealand beef or beef-containing products will need to be accompanied by the necessary certification.
Further information
Further information regarding BSE can be found at the following site:http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodmatters/bovinespongiformencephalopathybse/index.cfm