Taiwan plans to allow imports of Japanese beef taken from cows aged 30 months or younger. It hopes to remove the embargo as early as in September, after soliciting opinions from the public.

Taiwan banned beef imports from Japan following the outbreak of the fatal brain-wasting disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, in the country in September 2001.

Currently, imports, mainly from the United States and Australia, account for 94 pct of beef consumed in Taiwan.

With Japanese beef popular among Taiwanese people, however, smuggled beef from the country is often seized at airports and other facilities in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese authorities also showed plans on Monday to remove the import bans on beef from the Netherlands and Sweden. (Jiji Press)