Animal health supervision officers of Beijing confiscated 60 cartons of beef imported from Canada over fears of mad cow disease.

During a recent inspection tour of a warehouse at Yuquanying near the southern third ring road, workers from the Beijing Animal Health Supervision Institute found a wholesale businessman, identified by his surname as Ma, stored 60 cartons of beef imported from Canada.

The cartons of beef, weighing more than 2,000 kg and marked with the label "produced in 2005 and 2006," have a market value of 200,000 yuan (about US$25,000), the Beijing Times reported.

Due to an outbreak of mad cow disease, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and the State Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine has banned direct or indirect import of beef from Canada since May 22, 2003.

Because Ma violated both this decree and the relevant stipulations in Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of China, the beef must be confiscated and destroyed, said the supervision officers. Animal health supervision officers also seized beef imported from Brazil in a separate investigation tour made on Dec. 15, 2006 to the same warehouse.

The animal health supervision officers pledged to tighten their investigations in the future and make sure that all processed animal products in the city are safe to consume.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2007)