September 12, 2007

South Korea to revise rules on US beef

South Korea is about to ease regulations against US bone-in beef but will push to keep the current specified risk material (SRM) and age restrictions on animals butchered for the Korean market, government sources said Tuesday (September 11).

This position comes after nine government policymakers and civilian experts held a livestock quarantine consultation committee to exchange views on rewriting the country's import guidelines.

South Korea and the US agreed to lift a ban in January 2006 but Seoul allowed only boneless beef from animals under 30 month old to be imported. SRMs -- including the brain, skull, vertebra, and certain internal organs -- are prohibited under the current deal because of local concerns that they may transmit mad cow disease to humans.

South Korea banned American beef in late 2003 over mad cow disease outbreaks.

A government source, who requests anonymity, said a consensus is brewing that South Korea cannot accept US requests to lift all restrictions. He added that past on-site inspections have shown that the US cannot effectively keep track of all its animals or meat, and that the country's meat processing facilities may inadvertently cause "cross-contamination" between good beef and SRMs during the butchering and packaging process.

However, he said that Seoul would probably allow the import of bone-in beef like ribs and T-bone steak, which has accounted for the bulk of imports in the past.

The US was classified as a mad cow risk-controlled country in late May by the World Organization for Animal Health. The classification technically allows it to export most cow parts, regardless of the age of the butchered animal. It still cannot export high-risk SRMs, but can ship out brains, skulls, and vertebrae of animals less than 30 months old.

Lee Sang-kil, head of the Agriculture Ministry's livestock bureau said Seoul does not plan to intentionally delay holding formal talks to rewrite import conditions should not haste any discussions on the matter.

Another session may be planned to get input from local cattle growers and consumer groups before technical talks with the US begin, since they did not take part in the committee meetings last month, he said.

Talks with the US will probably take place after Chuseok, the Korean traditional harvest moon holiday that falls on Sept. 25 this year, said Lee.