Vietnam set to lift ban on French beef imports, 17 years after mad cow

06/08/2015 12:00 - 770 Views

Vietnam has lifted a ban on French beef and the meat is expected to make a comeback next month, after nearly two decades.
Members of French’s National Assembly said at a press briefing in Hanoi Tuesday that Vietnam has officially removed the ban that it imposed on the product in 1998 over the mad cow disease.
Vietnam is the last member state in Southeast Asia to resume the trade.
Trade secretary Martine Pinville said at the conference that France has been waiting for the ban to be lifted.
She said 22 French exporters have applied to bring beef into Vietnam again.
She said she hopes Vietnam will decide by the end of August to allow these companies to enter local market.
Vietnam is expected to first allow imports of boneless beef from France.
Jean-Noel Poirier, French ambassador to Vietnam, said the two governments will work further so that different kinds of products including whole cows can be brought into Vietnam.
French beef will have to compete with other foreign beef products from the US, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Vietnam is also importing live cows from Australia.
In return, French government has accepted Vietnamese mango and lychee.

July 29, 2015
Source: Talk Vietnam