South Korea's FMD outbreak not a threat to local meat consumption

The latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Korea is not an immediate threat to domestic consumption, according to the Korean government.

 

The outbreak has not triggered any panic among consumers, so there has been no sudden drop in meat consumption here at home, said Kim Dong-il, an official at the livestock management division of the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

 

The government on Thursday (Jan 14) said it confirmed a second foot-and-mouth disease outbreak at a cattle farm in Pocheon, 45 kilometres north of Seoul.

 

The Pocheon farm is located 3.5 kilometres away from the site of the first outbreak, which was reported last week. The number of destroyed animals from 30 farms has totalled 2,981 since the first confirmed outbreak last Thursday.

 

There is no reason for consumers to panic, and the outbreak has not yet affected the prices of meat or their supply, Kim said.

 

Kim Sang-min, a spokesman for Shinsegae Co., operator of discount store chain E-Mart and Shinsegae Department Store, also concurred with the ministry's view, stressing that the market was not in panic in spite of the Lunar New Year holiday coming up next month.

 

There has not been a drop in meat sales nor have consumers expressed concerns, he said.

 

Shipments of meat to Korea's main export markets have all been suspended, Chang Jae-hong, deputy director of the labeling, quarantine and inspection division of the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

 

However, the volume is not big enough to pose as a threat to Korea's overall exports, he stressed.

 

Chang said pork and beef made up most of the country's meat exports. Japan and Southeast Asia are the main export destinations for both raw pork and processed pork products.

 

Overseas demand for Korea's pork and processed pork products is estimated at only about US$11 million, the official said.