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Egypt did not ban Brazilian beef

Make that five countries which have banned beef from Brazil after a 13-year-old cow tested positive for atypical BSE. Initially Brazil said Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China, South Africa, South Korea and Japan banned their beef but apparently Egypt did not. Brazil’s agriculture ministry says there was a misunderstanding and Egypt never banned Brazilian beef.

The 13-year-old cow did not die from the disease, atypical BSE can occur spontaneously in aged cattle. Brazil did not lose its “negligible risk” classification from the World Animal Health Organization and is threatening WTO action if the other five countries do not lift their bans by March.