According to a list posted on the US Department of Agriculture website, Mexico has suspended meat imports from 30-processing plants in 14-US states, including some of the nation's biggest, such as, Smithfield Packing Inc. plant in Tar Heel, N. C., the world's largest pork slaughterhouse.

As well, another Smithfield plant in Plant City , Fla. that processes pork, beef and poultry, along with three plants operated by subsidiary John Morrell & Co., two in South Dakota and one in Iowa , a Nebraska pork run by subsidiary Farmland Foods Inc. and a Pennsylvania beef plant run by its Moyer Packing Co. unit, have been listed. Six operations run by Tyson Foods Inc. in Iowa , Texas and Nebraska are also on the list.

Among other affected plants are those run by food giants Cargill Inc. and Swift Foods Inc., together with Seaboard Corp. and 11-small private companies in Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Missouri , Oklahoma and Utah .

No warning has been received from Mexico , only shipments are being turned aside at the border. According to published reports, Mexico may be suspending American meat products, in retaliation to U. S. A's new law requiring a country-of-origin label on all imports, and mandates the separation of foreign cattle and pigs in U. S. feedlots and packing plants, including documentation for foreign animals regarding their place of origin, and all cattle must have tags indicating they are free of mad cow disease.

On 18th December, Mexico , joined Canada in opposing the law involving fresh beef and pork, in a complaint to the World Trade Organization. Canadian government in a complaint filed on 1st December says concerns have been raised by U. S. rules that discriminate against Canadian agricultural exporters. Generating a 60-day consultation period between respective governments, the WTO can only step in with an investigative panel after 60-days of receiving the complaints.

Since the American country-of-origin law went into effect, several Canadian farm groups say a growing number of US meat plants have refused to accept Canadian cattle and hogs for processing.

Mexico, a leading buyer of U. S. meat products suspended meat imports for sanitary reasons, but says purchases from affected plants could resume as early as Monday.