SAUDI Arabia has banned the import of beef from South Africa because of concerns over “mad cow disease” despite assurances from South Africa that its beef is safe. The Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted the commerce ministry on Tuesday as saying that the ban came under government directives halting any beef imports from countries where mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) had spread. The London-based daily gave few details. South Africa’s government says that the country has never been affected by the disease, which came to prominence in 1996 when beef from Britain was banned globally after an outbreak there.