Jamaica reopens market to U.S. beef imports

Jamaica reopens market to U.S. beef imports The Jamaican government said Monday it has reopened its market to U.S. beef imports.
   The country closed its borders to U.S. beef shipments after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow” disease, in a Washington state cow Dec. 23, 2003.
   Prior to the ban, U.S. beef exports to Jamaica totaled $4.3 million in 2003.
   In response to finding the brain-wasting disease, the U.S. government has implemented several new regulatory measures to strengthen the food safety system. These include banning non-ambulatory animals for human consumption, prohibiting specified risk materials and strengthening meat-processing safeguards.
   “We are continuing our market-opening efforts in other countries,” said outgoing U.S. agriculture secretary Ann Veneman in a statement. “Our goal continues to be the resumption of normal beef trade throughout the world, and we are working tirelessly on that effort.”