Taiwan lawmakers vote to ban some US beef imports, reversing deal with Washington

The legislature's move to reinstate a ban on U.S. ground beef and offal reflects public concern that Taiwanese health officials lack sufficient safeguards to prevent mad cow disease. Mad cow disease is a brain-wasting disease in cattle, which in humans can cause a variant form, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

While the U.S. voiced its disappointment with Taiwan's move, it is unlikely to have serious consequences for relations between the sides — including American arms sales to the island.

Taiwan purchased $128 million in beef products from the United States in 2008. In 2002 — the last full year that the banned beef items were sold on the island — they constituted about 13 percent of total U.S. beef imports.

Long-running negotiations between the sides to drop the partial U.S. beef ban were concluded in October. Influential congressional representatives from beef-producing states had pressed Taiwan to allow all kinds of U.S. beef to enter the island.

But after the ban was reversed, protesters staged rallies in Taiwan to denounce the move, and the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party exploited fear of mad cow disease to undermine support for the government of President Ma Ying-jeou during local elections in December.