March 17, 2006

South Korea to delay US beef imports until May

US beef imports will be delayed until at least early May, a South Korean government official said Friday.

Kim Chang-seob, the Agriculture Ministry's chief veterinary officer said that earlier news reports by US veterinarians confirming the age of the dead cow is inadequate and if more information arrives, it will take at least a week for local experts to look at.

He said South Korea might also ask the United States for more information if required.

The US Department of Agriculture confirmed the discovery of the mad cow case on Monday.

South Korea imposed an import ban after a mad cow case was confirmed 3 years ago. It had signed an agreement in January to re-open the market and was about to allow US beef imports to resume when the latest case occurred.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has also confirmed it is putting off sending inspectors to the US to conduct on-site inspections.

Since South Korea can import beef only after checking all butchering facilities and processing centres, American beef imports will be delayed.

Inspectors may need about two weeks or longer to check the 33 facilities on its list. The Agriculture Ministry said this did not mean the ban is still in existence, since the mad cow case discovery did not violate agreements signed between the two countries in January.

An agreement reached earlier this year allows South Korea to impose a ban if a  cow born after April 1998 contracts mad cow disease. 1998 was the year when the US banned animal parts from being used in cattle feed as it was suspected as the chief cause of mad cow disease. The US claimed the infected cow was born before then.