Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) A Canadian beef festival opened in Taipei Friday to officially celebrate the lifting of an import ban of more than four years on Canadian beef out of concern over mad cow disease.
The Taiwan government's decision to lift the ban is very much appreciated, said George Groeneveld, minister of agriculture and food of the government of Alberta, the province from which 95 percent of Taiwan's imported Canadian beef came from prior to the ban.
Taiwan re-opened its doors to Canadian boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age in a partial lifting June 23, more than four years after an import ban on beef from Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain and several other European countries was announced Dec. 31, 2003 amid fears over the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease.
"The safety of meat products is ensured by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency of the government of Canada, based on scientific principles and consistent with applicable international standards and rules, " said Ron McIntyre, director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei.
In 2003, Taiwan was Canada's fifth-largest export market for beef. Overall, Taiwan is Canada's fourth-largest market in Asia for agriculture products, said McIntyre.