Bloody ridicilous, but it doesn't surprise me.

I understand the FDA/USDA will not allow the importation of UK beef to the US - which is being overly reactive in an attempt to 'protect' the US; however, for the MRE's they should at least be able to make an exception, especially since the US Govt had asked for them.

As far as I'm concerned, UK beef is just as safe as US beef. I'm sure most of us on here who travel overseas have eaten UK beef - I've eaten it in London when I travel to England. I'm sure when I eat beef on flights from the United Kingdom to the United States (and other countries) the beef is from the UK.

I'm sure the evacuees from Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, who have lost everything and need to eat would be happy to eat the beef in the MREs, be it American, Canadian, or British.

/Rant On While somewhat off-topic, but related, US Customs & the federal bureaucracies here in the United States can make things difficult when it comes to simple things.

Two Examples:

(1) I just received a document-only package from Australia via an "Express" service which was held in US Customs for over two weeks. Instead of documents, if this package contained essential goods for hurricane relief, the people who need it wouldn't get it in a timely manner.

(2) This one makes even sicker - Two weeks ago I sent some documents from Louisville, KY, US, to Melbourne, Australia, by UPS Express. The package was supposed to take 53 hours (or shorter) for delivery (many people pay a premium for this) - this is from the time I dropped it off to the time it was guaranteed for physical delivery. At ONT, US Customs "Export" Control took possession of the Express Shipment for an "Export Security Check" - US Customs held this Express shipment of documents from being exported for THREE DAYS ...? Why is US Customs interested in an ENVELOPE of documents from being EXPORTED? I could understand if Australian Customs waned to hold/examine it, but US Customs? Thanks to US Customs, it was not only held for a period longer than it would take for delivery from SDF-MEL, but it took 152 hours door to door for delivery - four days late. The US Govt doing what it does best /rant off

In closing, I wouldn't put anything past the federal bureaucracies here. If documents can be held like the above, just think of what could happen to large express shipments of relief items from overseas? Instead of prompt delivery, it wouldn't surprise me if many relief items from overseas are sitting in warehouses awaiting inspection to see if any "problems" can be found so it can either be returned or destroyed.

SDF_Traveler