A batch of mince contaminated with E.coli discovered in South Carolina may have come from Australia, amid revelations that up to 13 shipments of Australian meat has been rejected by the US in the past year.
The rejected shipments were rejected because they contained faeces or other matter that posed a potential health risk, according to the ABC.
E.coli bacteria was detected in three shipments of Australian beef exported to the US, the Australian federal government has confirmed.
The ABC’s Lateline program has now obtained emails between senior officials in the US Agriculture Department.
Up to 13 separate Australian shipments of meat were rejected over the past year, the emails show.
Among those loads rejected, nine were loads of mutton contaminated with faeces.
Three shipments of beef from three abattoirs which became contaminated with a dangerous form of E. coli were also rejected by the US.
New inspection system introduced last October, which removed much of the government involvement in the regulation of meat, in favour if a more self-regulatory system, is a major part of the problem, according to safety monitors.
The US is the biggest importer of Australian lamb and the second largest for beef, with total annual imports worth over $1 billion for Australia.
The US is Australia's second-largest beef export market and largest lamb export market.
The industry says the annual exports are worth more than $1 billion.
Independent MP and former cattle farmer, Bob Katter warned that the regulatory system introduced last year is not good enough and will risk the export arrangements with the US.
"A meat inspection system that is self-policing is no policing at all," he said.
"It's like you're asking Al Capone 'Would you mind ensuring that you police so that no-one is selling sly grog?'"
"They're just as likely to cut off the entire trade. This is a $4,000 million [sic] a year trade," he said.
Food and Water Watch's Tony Corbo agreed with Katter’s comments, saying Australia needs to lift its game.
"There is concern that the Australian meat inspection system is not catching the microbiological contaminants in the meat supply of exports to the United States," he said.
He said the suspension of Australia’s meat export agreements with the US is possible, and would spell trouble for the industry.
"They've done it with other countries where there've been contaminants found in meat that has been exported to the United States where they've suspended importation of all meat from that country," he said.