Cayman Islands issues temporary ban on US meat products

Saturday, December 27, 2003

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: A temporary importation ban covering live ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) from the US, as well as ruminant bone-in meats and processed ruminant meat products from the States, was issued Wednesday by the Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture (DoA). 

The decision follows the report from the US Department of Agriculture of a presumed case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), better known as "mad cow disease," in an adult dairy cow in Washington State, explains the DoA's Chief Agricultural and Veterinary Officer Dr. Alfred Benjamin.

"Although the risk posed to the local population appears low, the department is acting in accordance with established international protocols to ensure the maximum safety of our residents," Dr Benjamin said. "The DoA will review this decision as more information becomes available and we are able to ascertain the extent of the risk. However, the department will take the most appropriate actions to safeguard our agriculture and protect the health of the local population."

Under this temporary restriction only fresh (chilled or frozen), boneless ruminant meat from the US will be allowed entry into the Cayman Islands.

At the same time, an existing import ban on Canadian meat products has been partially lifted, allowing Cayman consumers to purchase certain Canadian meat products of "ruminant" origin - in other words, beef, veal, mutton, lamb and goat's meat (chevron).

According to DoA officials, the Cayman Islands Cabinet took the action after learning the results of Canada's investigation into an outbreak of BSE, Similar to the Cayman government's response to BSE in the UK, the ban on Canadian products has been lifted only for products that present minimal risks for disease transmission.

Products again eligible for importation are:

• boneless beef derived from animals that were younger than 30 months old at the time of slaughter; 

• boneless sheep and goat meat derived from animals that were younger than 12 months old at the time of slaughter; 

• veal derived from animals that were younger than 36 weeks old at the time of slaughter; and 

• fresh or frozen bovine liver. 

The partial lifting of the ban applies only to commercial shipments of ruminant meat and does not apply to meat for personal consumption.

Canadian meat products still banned in the Cayman Islands are: 

• ground meat; 

• finely textured meat (FTM) or advanced recovery meat, and products that contain FTM such as meatballs and meat patties; 

• mechanically separated meat (MSM) and products containing MSM such as sausages; 

• bone-in meat, including salted beef; and 

• processed ruminant meat products that do not meet the specifications outlined in the list of products eligible for importation. 

Many countries banned Canadian products of ruminant origin following the May 2003 discovery by Canadian officials of a cow infected with BSE, said the DoA's Veterinary Officer Dr. Mark Trotman. 

According to Canada's investigation results, the cow likely acquired BSE by eating feed that itself contained ruminant ingredients. This occurred prior to 1997, when Canada banned this kind of feed for animals. Once the BSE case was detected, all cattle in contact with the infected cow were slaughtered; however, there is still a chance that other animals were also given this feed prior to the ban. 

Therefore, since BSE has an incubation period of six to eight years, a minimal risk of infection remains, Dr. Trotman noted. "To reduce that risk for Cayman consumers, meat from animals over a certain age will not be allowed entry, as BSE is found only in older animals," he said. 

In addition, certain tissues - such as brain, spinal cord and other nervous tissue, tonsils and parts of the small intestine - tend to contain the BSE agent and may transmit the disease. That is why food products containing these parts also cannot be imported into Cayman, Dr. Trotman explained.  

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