China has banned imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related
products from the United Kingdom in the wake of the foot-and-mouth
outbreak in southern England, said a circular jointly issued by
China's Ministry of Agriculture and top quality watchdog on
Tuesday.
The prohibited items - including dairy products, which were
shipped on July 8 or after will be returned or destroyed, while
those shipped out of the U.K. before July 8 will go through strict
inspections before being accepted.
China has also prohibited these items to be mailed or carried by
travelers to China from the U.K. and those transported via China
will be sealed up.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine told local authorities to strengthen inspection and
supervision on imported animal food.
Earlier this month, cattle in southern England were found to be
infected with foot and mouth disease, with some 60 animals at a
farm near Guildford, Surrey testing positive.
Since August 4, a number of countries, including the United
States and Japan, have stopped importing cloven-hoofed animals and
related products from the U.K.
(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2007)