China Ends Ban on US Beef Imports
By Lauren Hogan
Here's a piece of good 'moos' for meat lovers: China's ban on US beef products has been lifted!
The nearly 13-year-old ban specifically targeted 'American bone-in beef and boneless beef for cattle under 30 months' and was originally put into place in 2003 when mad cow disease was running rampant.
Back in 2014 we reported the ban would soon be lifted, and now here we are, two years later and your steak is ready to be served - 'effective immediately' according to the general Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
China is the world's largest consumer of pork, but the demand for beef is rapidly increasing - in 2015 annual beef consumption had risen to 3.8kg per person. According to the Shanghai Daily, before the ban was lifted, many Chinese shoppers purchased US beef online.
The government has kept bans on importing from the European Union, also due to mad cow disease concerns from 16 years ago, but it is rumored they're in talks to lift restrictions with Ireland sometime this year.
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