The one thousand tons of German beef to be imported this year, they say, are safe and milk is not a source of problem. In December 1988, the Tunisian government banned the import of British beef. A similar measure was ordered in 1994 by the ministry of public health to ban the import of pharmaceutical and food products with bovine contents. The list of such products included insulin. A BSE monitoring committee was set up in April 1996 by the ministry of agriculture.
Officials say they maintain stringent control of imported meat.
A State-owned company called Ellouhoum performs the actual import operation. While this is certainly the case for officially imported animals, there have been numerous reports of whole herds entering Tunisia illegally from Algeria and probably from Libya via borders that are a subject of little or no control. Since mad cow disease appeared in Europe, Tunisia has made efforts to increase its self-sufficiency and its ability to produce its own meat. Four years ago, Tunisia imported 7,800 tons. The current scare in France has brought the subject of imported beef into the agenda of the Tunisians.