A fifth Australian abattoir has been suspended from selling beef to China, as trade relations continue to sour, ABC News reports. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud confirmed Chinese authorities suspended Queensland abattoir John Dee Beef from selling its meat to China. But Littleproud said there was nothing malicious about the ban, which was imposed after a "naturally occurring element" called chloramphenicol was found in the meat supplied to China from John Dee. Littleproud estimated the John Dee abattoir would typically sell about 30–40 per cent of its beef to China. Earlier this year, four Australian abattoirs were suspended from selling beef to China over labelling breaches just days after Beijing slapped hefty tariffs on Australian barley.

Source: The Standard August 28, 2020 03:00 UTC