CHINA LAST week agreed to lift its ban on the import of South African live animals and animal products. The ban has been in place since 2000 when it was imposed worldwide following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in KwaZulu Natal. While the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) lifted the ban in July 2002, China chose not to follow suit since it was not a member of OIE. According to commentators, South Africa’s ban on the import of poultry from China following the outbreak of avian flu in Asia may have contributed to the delay in lifting the ban.
