December 29, 2003

Korea Requires Certificates On Meat Products

Due to the outbreak of BSE in Canada, the Republic of Korea has changed the type of FSIS health certificates required for exporting meat and processed meat products to Korea, according to a report issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture attache and posted on the Foreign Agricultural Service Web site.

Meat quarantine inspections are very strict in Korea. No meat products will clear Korean Customs without the necessary certificates and required information. Recently, new FSIS Health certificates for importing meat products from the United States have been put in place, in conjunction with the outbreak of BSE in Canada. The current FSIS Forms may undergo another revision, depending on the outcome of the comment gathering process on the draft proposal to allow live cattle imports from Canada. However, the following is the health certificates that are required for exporting meat products into the Republic of Korea at present.

Red Meat Products: Red meat products must be accompanied by the following FSIS certificates (FSIS Form 9060-5 for every shipment and all or one of the FSIS form 9305-4, 9305-5 and/or 9305-6, depending on the type of meat used for producing the final product.):

• FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness (All meats must have this certificate);
   
• FSIS Form 9305-4, Certificate for Export of Beef and Beef Products to the Republic of Korea (For beef and beef products);
   
• FSIS Form 9305-5 Certificate for Export of Pork Meat to the Republic of Korea (For pork and pork products);
   
• FSIS Form 9305-6 Certificate for Export of Sheep and Goat Meat and Sheep and Goat Meat Products to the Republic of Korea (For sheep and goat meat products).

Note: Form 9305-4, 9305-5, and 9305-6 are new certificates replacing Form 9305- 3. The new certificates have been required for unprocessed meat (e.g., cut meat) since October 1, 2003. The new certificates are also required for processed beef, pork, sheep and/or lamb products from December 1, 2003. If the processed product contains more than one ingredient (e.g., beef and pork), then it will be required to be accompanied by the respective certificates (e.g., in the case of beef and pork, 9060-5, 9305-4 and 9305-5).

Additional Information for Processed Meat Products: Processed meat products such as sausages, hamburger patties and ground meat do not need to indicate slaughter information on the FSIS Form (9305-4, 9305-5, and 9305-6). These products are required to indicate only processing information.

Livestock or Dairy Products: To get an exemption from quarantine inspection for livestock or dairy products that have undergone a pasteurization or sterilization process and meet the Korean government standards, one of following documents shall be furnished to confirm the product has been pasteurized or sterilized according to Korean standards:  - Health certificate issued by exporting government

- Manufacturing process verified by exporting government

- Notarized verification document issued by the representative of the manufacturing company In response to the BSE issues, Korea has currently banned all ruminant animals and their products originating from 30 European nations, Japan, Israel, and Canada. Korea now requires certification that the imported ruminant or ruminant product did not originate from the countries listed by the Korean government as BSE outbreak nations. Certification of a US product from "non-BSE origin countries" can be a statement issued by the U.S. government, or by a private entity that is notarized by a government agency, relevant organization or local Chamber of Commerce.

Poultry Products: Poultry products must be accompanied by the following  two certificates:

• FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness;
   
• FSIS form 9305-2A, Certificate for Export of Poultry Meat to the Republic of Korea