August 16, 2010

South Korea beef imports from US double in H1

South Korean imports of US beef reportedly more than doubled in the first half of the year from 2009 making it the 4th largest importer of US beef after Mexico, Canada and Japan.

The USDA says some 57,000 tonnes of US beef were exported to the country in the first six months of this year which is twice more than the 28,000 tonnes that was shipped in the same period last year.

Industry sources predict US beef imports will likely exceed 100,000 tonnes by the end of 2010.

Earlier, South Korea will officially start tracking imported beef starting in December as part of an ongoing programme to enhance consumer rights and speed up product recalls, the government said on August 9.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said under the new rules, beef importers will be required to forward so-called distribution identification numbers of meat they have bought from abroad to the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS).