November 8, 2006

South Korea farmers demand DNA test for cattle

The head of a South Korean local cattle growers' group recently demanded tighter inspections on US beef imports.

The latter was banned in South Korea in late 2003 following BSE outbreak. The imports were resumed earlier this year.

Nam Ho-kyung, chairman of the Hanwoo Association, raised concern about the effectiveness of government plans to conduct sample searches on only 5 percent of beef imports from the US.

Many cattle ranchers were sceptical of the government's stance of sending back or destroying beef that included bone parts, he said.

The first shipment of US beef arrived and would be sold after a thorough screening by the South Korean government for bone fragments and other unauthorised parts. Also, after conducting a complete search on the first shipment, Seoul would cut back on the shipments it would screen to about 5 percent.

Local farmers wanted the government to conduct DNA tests on all cows grown in the country, said Nam. Screening the 2-million head of meat producing cattle was not impossible, he pointed out since it would not only assure people of locally grown beef being safe, but also increase South Korea's bargaining position with beef exporters.

They could always say that since they were conducting DNA tests on their own animals, exporters should do the same, he said.

Further, DNA tests would raise the level of tractability of premium beef from so-called Hanwoo cattle, the latter being an indigenous cow catering to 20 percent of local demand.