 991243 Mexico Drops Ban on Some U.S. BeefDecember 20, 1999 Washington - Mexico has agreed to temporarily allow 17 American plants to resume shipments of meat and chicken while Mexican and U.S. officials attempt to resolve a dispute over food-safety regulations. Mexico banned imports from the facilities Nov. 26 following visits to the plants by its inspectors. In a letter released by the Agriculture Department Tuesday, the Mexican government agreed to allow shipments to resume until the end of January. The letter insisted that there are “serious concerns for the deficiencies of good hygiene practices and preoperational sanitary procedures” in the plants. USDA officials contend that the plants are safe. The problems the Mexicans cited included high bacteria levels, poor supervision, puddles of water in the plants and lack of equipment for workers. The 17 plants includes facilities in Texas, Arkansas and Kansas owned by some of the country's biggest meat processors, including IBP Inc, ConAgra Inc., Excel Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. They are among 1400 U.S. facilities eligible to ship meat and poultry products to Mexico. The Mexican action followed a USDA ban on meat imports from three facilities in Mexico.
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