Certifying the BSE-free status of beef and beef products
What steps has the Government taken to protect Australia from the effects of BSE?
On 5 January 2001, the Australian Government announced a temporary suspension of imports of beef and beef products from thirty European countries. In addition, beef products from those countries were voluntarily withdrawn from the supermarkets. Consumers were advised to discard such products containing beef that they may have already bought.
In partnership with a number of government agencies, ANZFA has now developed a certification regime, linked to an amendment to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which will replace the temporary import suspension.
What are the concerns over BSE?
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) is a disease of cattle. It is believed to cause the human disease variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), which has no cure and is always fatal. The most likely route of transmission of the BSE agent to people is through consumption of contaminated food. Cattle in Australia are free from BSE.
Why can't we continue with the temporary suspension?
To protect the Australian public, the temporary suspension announced on 5 January built on the ban that Australia has had in place since 1996 on the importation of specified foods containing British beef following the links between BSE infected beef and vCJD. BSE, once thought as only a UK problem, has now been identified in a number of continental European herds following increased testing procedures. The spread of BSE is linked to the inclusion of meat and bone meal from infected animals into cattle feedstock. It is likely that some of this infected feedstock has been exported globally. New measures will be implemented from 16 September 2001 and will apply to all countries seeking to export beef and beef products to Australia.
What change is being made to theAustralia New Zealand Food Standards Code?
An amendment to the Code recently approved by the Ministerial Council 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 the satisfaction of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), that their cattle are BSE-free.
How will this requirement be enforced?
ANZFA has requested AQIS to intercept all beef and beef products at Australia' s borders to determine the country of origin of the products and of any beef ingredient. AQIS will handle applications to import beef and beef products according to the risk category of the country from which the beef ingredients in a product are sourced ANZFA will allocate countries to one of four categories, according to the level of risk: :
Category A (certification required) - beef and beef products from these countries are regarded 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 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.
AQIS will require official certificates supplied by the agreed Competent National Government Authority from countries placed in the A, B or C risk categories. The certification requirements will depend on the category (see details on the ANZFA fact sheet The Australian Assessment process for BSE country categorisation).
Does this mean that the suspension on British beef and beef products entering Australia will continue?
Yes. Fifteen European countries have reported cases of BSE, including the United Kingdom. Affected countries can, at any time, apply to ANZFA to have their BSE-risk status reviewed.
Are any beef products exempt from these certification arrangements?
Yes. Milk and dairy products, gelatine, fats and tallows, collagen from bovine skins and hides are exempt. 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. Australia and New Zealand are categorised as Category A risk countries. As such, any imports of Australian or New Zealand beef or beef-containing products will need to be accompanied by the necessary formal documentation.
Will beef products already on supermarket shelves be removed if countries do not provide certification of BSE status by 16 September 2001?
ANZFA has requested that retailers voluntarily withdraw beef and beef products from supermarkets from 16 September 2001 if the beef ingredients are sourced from any countries for which no certification of BSE-free status or BSE preventative measures have been obtained by this date. ANZFA will be working with manufacturers and retail organisations to identify these products.
Further information:
Information Phone Line 1800 200 701
Medical: http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/bse/
Animal production: www.affa.gov.au