EU sees no need for restrictions over US mad cow case
(BRUSSELS) - The European Union said Wednesday it has no plans to impose restrictions on US beef imports despite the discovery of the first mad cow outbreak in the United States in six years.
The US Department of Agriculture on Tuesday reported the country's fourth-ever case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), but stressed the outbreak was contained and no contaminated meat had entered the food chain.
The detection of the case in California "confirms that the US system works," the European Commission's health and food safety spokesman, Frederic Vincent, told AFP.
The discovery will "not impact the 16,000 tonnes of beef imported every year from the United States," Vincent added.
US beef imports to the EU amount to 133 million euros ($176 million) a year.