Govt destroys 120 tons of beef

Govt destroys 120 tons of beef

BEKASI: Customs authorities burned 120 tons of decaying beef
illegally imported from the U.S. on Friday evening, but no stern
measures have been taken against the importers.

The incineration took place at the Husbandry Quarantine Center
in Rawa Benteng, Bekasi.

"The five containers of beef worth Rp 1.2 billion (US$134,831)
were imported by two companies," said Soedirman A Ghani, acting
head of the customs office at Tanjung Priok Port I.

Aside from implementing the government ban on imports of
ruminant animals as well as their derivatives from the U.S. due
to mad-cow scare, the decision to destroy the U.S. beef was made
because the meat had begun to rot, he said.--JP