rechtub we are not far apart this issue.
But it clearly is my understanding dead cattle ,with mad cow, went in to that meat meal.
As a young kid I first on being sent to Sydney, worked recycling butchers waste, bones fat, and a lot of free meat pies, one sold meat to them we ate the left overs.
Meat meal plants, we have many send it all up the shoot into the grinders together.
And such waste as you know has value.
Yes farmers do hide the truth, some of them[having worked for some] are as miserable with a cent as you can believe.
Some, most are the salt of the earth honest and true you can not find better.
But three generations breed those cattle, if diary maybe more, they know every one.
See in each one a lifetime of commitment to heard improvement.
That more than anything makes them fear telling anyone, but tell they must.
I ask that posters truly look at the almost non existent danger, none in my view then consider the damage to our trade if we block it.
Australia can best fight American using trade self protection tactics by being honest on this issue.

Of course we can't trust other countries to conform to the standards. Recent testing has shown that imported olive oil certainly does not meet standards. A quote from ABC's Landline program:

"There's one oil that we've found that's been very bad it's contained both canola oil, refined oil and also what we call pomace oil. Pomace oil is the waste product which is extracted from the olives after the oil's been extracted, so this is pretty bad quality product."

Story here: http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2010/s2825830.htm

China is known for it's shadow industry 'technique' to appear to meet export standards.

Suze, Rusty Catheter and Cornflower echo my feelings so won't repeat all their already fine arguments.

I was going to start a seperate thread on this but probably sits well here. There is currently a Joint COAG/NZFRMC undertaking an independent review of food labelling - submissions due by 14 MAY 2010.

There are also some national public forums from 17 March - 7 May.

Details at:
http://www.foodlabellingreview.gov.au/internet/foodlabelling/publishing.nsf/Content/home

Labelling of imported beef and GM labelling would be hot issues in regard to consumers' right to know.

I am not surprised we found a way to delay imports in fact just maybe that was always the intention.
And a re think has taken place, you can bet this meat will be branded in a way it can be traced.
We Will not import beef from China, we may from America and Argentina in time.
Trade is two way, we are not without sin, Kangaroo has been exported as beef.
Wool pack big prices paid, are seeing binding rope and other rubbish packed in side and ruining whole materials.
True or false wheat has been barred because of contamination.
Sheep too.
Dread full to think of but in time, you can bet on it, world trade may become a target for terrorism.
So lets check and double check all trade coming and going but let us understand boxing shadows is unproductive.

The incubation period for BSE is four years. It could be much longer than that before cases come to the notice of health authorities in exporting countries. Then we have to assume that the governments of exporting countries wouldn't be optimistic about the safety of the meat they have on the docks for export. Such decisions are usually based on politics not the health and well-being of consumers in importing countries.

There is no proposal to label meat and meat products for trace back and freeze them for over four years before distribution to ensure there is no BSE in the meat.

Despite assurances, the recommended necessary actions following the last outbreaks have not been fully implemented in the countries concerned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy

All I asking for is adequate food labelling so that I can make an informed choice when purchasing meat and meat products. It is only politics that prevents proper labelling and that can be fixed at the next election and the one after that if necessary.