March 3, 2011

South Korea's beef consumption rises 30% in four years

South Korea's beef consumption rose slightly over 30% in the past four years, making the country rely more on imports to meet local demand, government data showed Wednesday (Mar 2).

The farm ministry data said South Koreans consumed 434,000 tonnes of beef in 2010, or an average of 8.9 kilogrammes for each person living in the country. This is a noticeable gain from 6.8 kilogrammes worth of beef consumed in 2006 and reflects the rise in income levels that have triggered demand for greater variety in food.

In 2008 and 2009 per capita beef consumption stood at 7.6 kilogrammes and 8.1 kilogrammes, respectively.

Of the total consumed, 189,000 tonnes were provided by locally raised cattle, with the rest coming from abroad. The steady increase in demand has effectively caused local beef  to lose market share, with self-sufficiency reaching 43.5% in 2010, down from 50% reached in 2009.

The numbers are also the lowest reached since 44.2% tallied in 2004.

"Three separate outbreaks of FMD that hit the country in January, April and November played a role in lowering local production numbers," a official source said.

The last outbreak, which has yet to be contained, compelled the government to cull a record 3.45 million heads of pigs, cattle, goats and deer so far, at an estimated cost of around KRW3 trillion (US$2.6 billion).