April 20, 2007

 

South Korea, Canada to hold FTA talks next week

 

 

The South Korean government announced Thursday (April 19) it will hold its 10th round of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with Canada from April 23 to 25 in Seoul.

 

The discussions will centre on agricultural issues, including the exchange of initial offers on farm produce as well as outlining the extent and timetable on tariff removal for a freer trade, the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said.

 

The two countries held their first FTA talks in July 2005.

 

Ministry officials said Canada may make a strong demand to gain access to South Korea's beef, pork and barley markets.

 

Park Chang-yong, head of the ministry's FTA division, said they expect Canada to make a strong demand to gain access to South Korea's beef, pork and barley markets.

 

In a countermovement, Seoul will explain the difficult situation of local farmers and request Canada to respect the need to protect sensitive items, he said.

 

Other government officials said beef could become a key issue since the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is expected to classify Canada as a mad cow "controlled risk" country in late May.

 

This declaration of the OIE will technically allow Canada to export all non-specified risk materials (SRM) meat products, including bone-in beef, regardless of the age of the cow. SRMs have been pointed as the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans, and include head bones, brains, vertebral columns, spinal cords, the dorsal root ganglion and certain internal organs.

 

Before Seoul banned Canada's beef in 2003, the country has been the fourth largest beef source of South Korea with beef exports totalling 16,400 tonnes worth US$37.4 in 2002. The United States, Australia and New Zealand were the usual beef suppliers to the South Korean market.

 

Seoul concluded talks on an FTA with the US on April 2, and is moving to seal a similar deal with the European Union.

 

It currently has FTAs with Chile, Singapore and the European Free Trade Association, made up of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.