Australia and New Zealand today suspended imports of all beef products from 30 countries including all European nations because of BSE fears.
Their joint food regulator, the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), said it was also advising retailers to voluntarily withdraw all beef products such as corn beef, p&aunlaut;té and soup from their shelves.
Imports of British beef were suspended by Commonwealth agencies including Australia and New Zealand in 1996 after London linked bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)to the fatal brain condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).
The latest ban follows further recent confirmation BSE has spread beyond Britain.
ANZFA said the 15 European Union countries and another 15 neighbouring states were considered at risk.
"Australia and New Zealand have one of the safest food supplies in the world - and the current steps are intended to keep it that way," ANZFA managing director Mr Ian Lindenmayer said.
"There is only a very small likelihood that European beef producers now in the supermarkets or in our kitchens are contaminated with BSE. The measures now being taken will further reduce that risk."
AFP