Vietnam-Beef import restriction.

VIETNAM.

BEEF IMPORTS.

Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tam Dung, will not relent on maintaining his ban of beef imports from cattle aged over 30 months.

This is despite considerable pressure, from the US Senate Finance Committee, in particular Senator Max Baucus, who claims the restrictions are unscientific.

The Senator may well have a very valid point in this statement, however one cannot implement two sets of rules, that is to cow tow, to South Korea and Japan and bully Vietnam.

The Senator who was visiting Vietnam this week said, "Vietnam has one of the worlds largest piracy rates for CD’s and DVD’s and there are important steps Vietnam can take to improve this, greater law enforcement will help, while Vietnam continues to maintain unscientific restrictions on the import of US beef".

Vietnam imports around 15,000 tons of beef a year, mainly from India and Brazil.

Vietnam imposed a ban on US beef in 2003, the same as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, however they lifted the ban, after major financial inducements in trade with the US, however maintaining the 30 month rule.

While the Senator complains about Vietnam and the 30 month age limit, Japan and South Korea have lowered the age limit to 20 months.