Seoul, South Korea ? South Korea said today it would suspend imports of U.S. beef from a Kansas slaughterhouse after government inspectors found a tiny piece of bone in a shipment.

In a statement, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said that the shipment containing the bone originated from Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, a slaughterhouse and meat packer in Arkansas City.

Kim Chang-seob, the ministry’s chief veterinary officer, said beef imports from facilities in other states will not be affected.

South Korea, which had banned U.S. beef for almost three years over mad cow disease fears, in September said it would allow shipments under strict regulations, including only allowing boneless cuts of beef.

In January, South Korea agreed to resume American beef imports on a limited basis – boneless meat only from cattle younger than 30 months old because of beliefs that some material inside bones could be dangerous to consume and the younger animals are safer from mad cow disease.

The ministry designated 36 U.S. slaughterhouses to handle meat for export to South Korea after ensuring that they met required sanitary and safety measures.

The first shipments of beef arrived last month, though so far none of the U.S. meat has appeared on store shelves as it goes through a rigorous quarantine process.

The ministry said the bone discovered in a shipment that arrived on Oct. 30 was found detached from the meat and was not considered as SRM, or specified risk material.

SRM is material that can carry mad cow disease, such as the vertebral column, or backbone, brain, skull, eyes, spinal cord and other nerve tissue.

Still, the ministry said the beef would either be returned to the U.S. or discarded because the bone, measuring 10 millimeters (0.4 inch) in length, was found in a shipment of beef.