The US on tonight eased its 10-week ban on imports of animals and raw meat products from the EU after determining there was a reduced risk of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease entering the country from the EU.
The US Agriculture Department said it would reopen its borders to shipments of meat products from Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Imports from Ireland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Greece would continue to be prohibited.
Mr Bobby Acort, USDA's associate administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the United States would remain vigilant in efforts to keep the disease from entering US ports.
USDA also announced it will allow a large quantity of pork from Denmark to enter the US market. The meat, comprised mostly of pork ribs, arrived at East Coast ports after the ban was imposed and has been held in freezers, pending the USDA decision.
On March 13th, the US launched a ban on all EU raw meat products after foot-and-mouth disease jumped from Britain to France.