June 28, 2007

South Korea to conduct on-site inspections of US beef industry
 

South Korea said Thursday (Jun 28) it would conduct on-site inspections of beef industry facilities in the United States this weekend ahead of talks about further easing Seoul's restrictions on imports of American beef.

An eight-member government delegation will visit cattle ranches, slaughter houses and animal feed facilities to check the sanitary condition of American beef from Saturday through Jul 8, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said in a statement.

The inspection is part of an eight-stage risk assessment South Korea has conducted in a possible step towards resuming imports of meat attached to bone, which is currently banned.

Seoul has said the process could be wrapped up by September if things go smoothly.

South Korea shut its doors to American beef in December 2003 after an outbreak of mad cow disease in the US. It partially reopened its market last year, but agreed to accept only boneless meat from cattle under 30 months old, which are thought to be less at risk of carrying the illness.

In May, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ruled that the US was a "controlled risk nation," a category that means countries can export beef irrespective of the animal's age. Washington has since urged its trading partners to reopen export markets to the full spectrum of US cattle and beef products.

South Korea "plans to hold consultations with the US on whether to revise the current terms of importing US beef," the ministry said.

South Korea was the third-largest foreign market for American beef, after Japan and Mexico, before it banned US beef imports.