Beef row threat to Taiwan-US trade talks. Concerns are growing that trade talks between Taiwan and the United States could be shelved amid fears Washington has taken offence at the island's decision to pull drug-tainted US beef from shelves. [News Source]

Meat plant denies breaking disposal rules. A former employee of a B.C. meat plant alleges workers there allowed waste that may have been contaminated with mad cow disease to be be spread on farmers' fields. But the plant in Pitt Meadows, east of Vancouver, said the accusations come from a disgruntled employee, bent on shutting the plant down. [News Source]

Meat plant denies breaking disposal rules A former employee of a B.C. meat plant alleges workers there allowed waste that may have been contaminated with mad cow disease to be be spread on farmers' fields. [News Source]

Germany seeks support for dioxin action plan. Ilse Aigner, Germany's agriculture minister, will call on her EU counterparts to back tougher controls on the animal-feed industry, in the wake of the dioxins scare that saw contaminated eggs and meat from Germany going to six neighbouring countries. [News Source]

Taiwan discovers muscle-growth drug in more U.S. beef. The health authorities found small amounts of residue of drugs used to promote leanness in livestock in more beef imported from the United States and Canada Thursday, as well as in local goose meat. [News Source]

Dying to leave a lower carbon footprint. As some Americans push ever harder to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the environment, the funeral industry is taking a new step to help us go even more gently into that good night. [News Source]

BSE Pathogens Can Be Transmitted By Air Airborne prions are also infectious and can induce mad cow disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disorder. This is the surprising conclusion of researchers at the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Zurich and the University of Tübingen. They recommend precautionary measures for scientific labs, slaughterhouses and animal feed plants. The prion is the infectious agent that caused the epidemic ... [News Source]

US beef withdrawn after banned drug found. Taiwanese health authorities Saturday ordered stores to remove US beef products found to contain residue of a banned chemical, despite reassurances from the US that its beef products are safe. [News Source]

Drug-tainted US beef removed from Taiwan markets. Three shipments of US beef have been pulled from Taiwan's shelves after they were found to contain controversial drugs to promote leanness in animals raised for meat, an official said Sunday. [News Source]

Tests confirm banned drugs in US beef. The Department of Health said two supermarkets, Costco and RT-MART, had removed U.S.-imported beef products from the shelves Saturday, after they were found to contain small amounts of banned drugs a day before a regular check. [News Source]