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Ukraine will ban import of US beef "automatically"
A representative of Ukraine's veterinary inspectorate has stated that Ukraine will "automatically" stop imports of American beef, as soon as it gets official confirmation of the "mad cow disease" case, detected in the country, web-server Korrepondent.net has informed. The import will be suspended immediately on receipt of official notification from the US authorities about detection of spongiform encephalopathy in the United States, the veterinary inspector said.
The same position is also held by Russia.
US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman informed Tuesday about a suspected case of "mad cow disease" in a slaughtered animal from a farm in Washington state.
Import of American beef has already been banned by Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. The closure of the borders against the American beef supplies is also being considered by the EU.
The occurrence has already inflicted much of the damage to the United States. The stocks of beef producing companies and also those of restaurant and cafe networks are falling in the stock market. Experts say the country is at danger of a serious financial crisis if the situation worsens.
An official of US Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday that the meet of the ill cow might have been consumed, perhaps, in the form of hamburger.