March 22, 2006

South Korea expected to accept USDA's assurances on BSE case

South Korea is certain to accept US assurances that the latest case of mad cow disease in the US is not a result of weak cattle-feed safety measures, US Department of Agriculture officials said Tuesday (Mar 21).

The USDA, responding to concerns laid out by South Korea, has sent a report with photographs to Seoul, detailing dental examinations of an Alabama cow that tested positive for mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), last week.

South Korea was in the final stages of a process to resume beef imports from the US when the USDA reported finding the third US BSE case on an Alabama farm.

The photographs sent to Seoul, a USDA official said, show in detail the cow's teeth, which can be read to give an estimate of the animal's age.

It's very clear the animal was over 10 years old, said the official, who spoke on terms of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of trade talks between the US and South Korea. That would mean the cow was born and possibly infected before the US cattle feed safety rules were implemented in 1997.

If the animal was young enough to have been born after US cattle feed safety rules were in place, it could cast doubt on the effectiveness of a key US safeguard against the spread of BSE.

South Korea banned US beef in December 2003 after the USDA announced finding the first BSE case in the US. Before the ban, the US exported US$815 million worth of beef to South Korea in 2003, according to USDA data.

A South Korean delegation was scheduled to arrive in the US this week to inspect the safety of beef packing plants--part of the country's process to resume trade, but that has been delayed in order for South Korea to scrutinise new information on the age of the BSE-infected cow, US government and beef industry officials said.