February 23, 2011

South Korea's US beef imports nearly double in 2010

Imports of US beef in South Korea almost doubled in 2010 against a year earlier basically due to deteriorating concerns over its safety here, the government said Tuesday (Feb 22).

The farm ministry said the country imported 125,681 tonnes of beef from the US last year, up 97% from 63,817 tonnes tallied in 2009.

The total is roughly equal to 63% of the record 199,409 tonnes of US beef imported in 2003. Seoul had banned all beef imports from the North American country in late 2003 after the first case of mad cow disease was confirmed.

The country reopened its market partially to US beef in 2006, and after more negotiations, opted to open its market fully in 2008, although meat can only be provided from animals under 30 months old to alleviate domestic concerns about mad cow disease that can be fatal to humans.

Because of the mad cow scare, there were widespread national protests after Seoul agreed to fully reopen its market, which caused the government to ask Washington for minor modifications to beef trading conditions.

"Initially, consumers stayed clear of US beef, and that hurt sales, but because it is priced much more cheaply than local meat, there has been a steady rise in demand, particularly among restaurants and catering services," a ministry official said.

Reflecting this, in 2006, US beef imports reached 582 tonnes, with numbers going up to 35,343 tonnes the following year and to 68,989 tonnes in 2008.

The official added that the severest outbreak of FMD to hit the country, which forced quarantine authorities to cull and bury 150,000 cattle since late November, may have influenced consumer sentiment to a limited extent.

The ministry, which based its findings on data provided by USDA, also said South Korea was the fourth-largest export market for beef in 2010, following Mexico, Canada and Japan.