U.S. To Accept Irish Beef Imports Again, 15 Years After Mad Cow Scare

(Meneer Dijk)

Americans loooove stuff from Ireland — rolling green hills, thatched roof cottages, saint’s days that give you an excuse to binge drink… But for the last 15 years, Irish beef has definitely not been one of them, after the mad cow scare that rocked Europe and ended beef imports into the U.S. from the countries affected. Until now, as the United States says it’ll start accepting imported beef from Ireland soon.

It’ll be the first European Union state that’s been given the go-ahead to sell beef in this country again since mad cow made everyone mad at foreign beef back around the turn of this century, notes the Associated Press.

Ireland’s minister for agriculture, food and the marine, Simon Coveney, issued a statement today saying that American authorities had inspected Ireland’s beef production systems and signaled that everything was ready to go for exporting to the States.

Irish officials estimate that annual exports could be worth at least Monday announcing that access to the lucrative U.S. market came after American authorities inspected Ireland’s beef production systems. Authorities estimate annual exports could be worth at leas t€25 million euros, around $30 million.

The ban was actually for the EU back in March, but it’s taken this long for the necessary inspections to take place before exports could start.

US to resume first beef imports from Ireland since mad cow [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist