September 21, 2007

 

South Korea to hold details on US beef ban

 

 

The South Korean government on September 20 said it will not disclose reasons on banning the quarantine inspections on US beef last month.

 

The Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Agriculture said that releasing information in public could be detrimental to national interests and could adversely affect South Korea's negotiation with US on beef trade.

 

Seoul is expected to hold working-level meetings on easing American beef import restrictions in the coming weeks, which follows Washington's official request for a re-writing of the rules in late May.

 

South Korea banned US beef imports after a case of mad cow disease was discovered at a US ranch in late 2003.

 

The United States has hinted its lawmakers will not ratify the free trade agreement (FTA) it signed with South Korea on June 30 unless Seoul eases its beef import rules.

 

The Agriculture Ministry said it did not have to make public a detailed version of Washington's assurances that it would prevent the shipment of banned beef products because the document has been given a "secret" classification.

 

Seoul halted all quarantine inspections and effectively stopped American beef from reaching consumers on August 1 after finding a box containing cow backbones that are currently classified as specified risk materials (SRMs). SRMs, including skulls, backbones, brain matter and certain intestines and organs, are banned because they run the highest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans.

 

South Korea's action was in agreement with a deal reached in January 2006 for the resumption of beef imports from United States on the condition that the beef is boneless and from cattle under 30 months old. The government said at that time that it would halt the imports indefinitely if it found any SRMs in future shipments.

 

However, Seoul lifted the ban on August 27, saying it accepted US assurances to take more stringent steps to prevent exports of beef products that are banned in South Korea.

 

Washington said it would place more inspectors to check export shipments, introduce weight measurement protocols to better detect large bones in outbound beef packages, and hold meat destined for South Korea in separate storage areas to prevent the shipment of banned products.

 

Local civic and farmers' groups that have opposed the FTA with the United States said the government needed to explain why it backpedalled on its stance to ban all imports if a beef shipment containing SRMs is found.