 991210 Mexico Confirms "Reciprocal" U.S. Meat BanDecember 1, 1999 Mexico City - Mexico's Agriculture Ministry confirmed it had banned imports of meat from 17 plants in the United States and said up to four Mexican plants could not ship to the U.S. as part of a reciprocal agreement. "Mexico has not accepted imports from 17 companies, but the U.S. also took measures and has suspended exports of Mexican produce -- I think it's three or four companies," an Agriculture Ministry spokesman said. Mexico was the second-largest importer of U.S. beef and the third-largest importer of U.S. poultry last year. The spokesman declined to name the Mexican companies involved, adding this was part of a routine process of checking health and quality standards. He could not give further information about the companies. "It's a normal process of checking the industrial plants that intend to export, just as much as from the U.S. to Mexico as from Mexico to the U.S.," said the spokesman. Mexico banned poultry and beef imports from 17 U.S. meat plants, halting some sales from the largest U.S. meat processing companies to buyers south of the border, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. The agriculture ministry spokesman said the suspension would last until "certain irregularities" were corrected related to health and production processes. He said this could take months, depending on the severity of infractions. "Its an agreement related to the bilateral agreement between the governments of Mexico and the United States," he added. Mexico told the U.S. it found various violations at the 17 plants, which are owned by companies including Tyson Foods, Inc., the world's largest poultry producer, and IBP Inc., the world's largest fresh meat processor. Government officials regularly travel abroad to make sure that safety and sanitary standards in plants in other countries are up to par. Those reviews often turn up minor violations. But to find 17 violations during a single tour is very unusual, U.S. officials said. Other U.S. companies involved in Mexico's ban include Conagra, the nation's second-largest food processor, Farmland Industries, Inc., the largest farmer- owned cooperative in the U.S., Excel Corp., a unit of agribusiness giant Cargill Inc., and poultry companies Pilgrim's Pride Corp. and Sanderson Farms Inc. The Mexican Agriculture Ministry spokesman denied the ban had anything to do with meat preliminary export tariffs of up to 215% Mexico slapped on U.S. meat imports on Aug
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