March 14, 2007

 

South Korea to fully review OIE's mad cow risk assessment for US beef
 

 

The South Korean government said Tuesday (March 13) that it will thoroughly examine the mad cow risk assessment findings made by the global animal health body that could compel the country to open its market to U.S beef.

 

It said official findings reached by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) technical committee were received by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Monday (March 12).

 

According to set procedures, Seoul has 60 days to scientifically challenge the claim. If no tangible objections are raised by the global body's 170 members, the assessment will be accepted as a new guideline at the organisation's general conference planned for Paris in May.

 

The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Chile, Brazil and Switzerland all have "controlled risk" status. This rating technically allows the export of all beef from cattle under 30 months old that do not contain specified risk materials (SRM). The ranking is the second in a three-tiered system of safety level assessment. The highest is a "negligible" rating, while the lowest is the "undetermined" level.

 

SRMs pose the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans and include such parts as head bones, brain, vertebral column, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglion and certain internal organs.

 

Agriculture ministry's chief veterinarian Kim Chang-seob said a special team will be designated to analyse the OIE findings and will compile their own report highlighting Seoul's concerns.

 

Seoul and Washington signed an agreement in January 2006 that permitted the domestic sale of boneless American beef from cattle under 30 months old.

 

The United States, however, has since insisted that South Korea allow the sale of most beef products.

 

Failure by the two sides to see eye-to-eye on this issue has caused US policymakers to link the beef talks to ongoing free trade agreement talks.

 

If the OIE concludes that American beef is safe for consumption, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said, Seoul will insist on a new round of talks to discuss specific import conditions.

 

Before South Korea banned US beef in late 2003 following the discovery of a mad cow case, the United States exported about 200,000 tons of beef to South Korea per year. Of this, around 60 percent was bone-in meat, such as ribs.

 

South Korea and the United States plan to hold another high-level meeting to address the agricultural issues that are slowing down the FTA talks early next week.