South Korea continues fight against Canada's beef dispute in WTO

South Korea will actively counter Canada's demand for beef market access currently being reviewed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Seoul will make known its stance during the ongoing dispute settlement talks using scientific data and legal arguments.

Local media reports about South Korea opening its market to Canadian beef next year were false, the ministry added.

The WTO panel was formally launched on August 31 with representatives from Singapore, Chile and Iceland being selected to review claims by both sides.

South Korea banned imports of Canadian beef in May 2003 due to mad cow disease. Canadian beef has a "controlled risk" classification from the OIE in 2007, allowing Canada to export all beef parts except for certain specified risk materials (SRMs), but South Korea remains reluctant to lift the ban as a result of repeated occurrences of the disease in Canada.

Prior to the ban, Canada was the fourth largest beef supplier to South Korea after the US, Australia and New Zealand. It exported 16,400 tonnes of beef to South Korea worth US$37.4 million.