May 25, 2009
US beef sector backs South Korea FTA
The US beef industry is fully behind the confirmation of the pending free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, despite its ban on beef from older cattle.
Joel Haggard, senior vice president of the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF), said the FTA offers access and benefits for US meat products.
He said he is unaware of any effort to ask South Korea to reopen the beef agreement that banned shipments of beef from cattle older than 30 months.
Seoul and Washington agreed to limit shipments of beef from cattle less than 30 months old, after the resumption of US beef imports caused public outcries in South Korea last year on health concerns.
US officials have called on South Korea to lift the ban but so far little have been achieved. But Haggard said US beef exporters are now focusing on re-establishing consumer confidence in the South Korean market after a 2003 occurrence of mad cow disease in the US, which led to the suspension of US beef exports to South Korea until mid-2008.
Despite decent exports to the reopened market, progress to date is substantial, according to Haggard.
South Korea and the US had an agreement to reopen the market to beef from cattle older than 30 months once consumer confidence is rebuilt.
South Korea's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and trade has approved the pact, signaling possible ratification during a plenary session in June.
