March 23, 2009
Canada calls on South Korea to resume beef trade
South Korea should resume imports of Canadian beef as it is safe, the Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said during a visit.
South Korea banned Canadian beef in May 2003 after a case of mad cow disease. Prior to the ban, Canada was the fourth-largest exporter of beef to South Korea.
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), Ritz said.
SRMs include brains, eyes, tonsils, and intestine parts that have the highest risk of carrying the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease.
South Korea and Canada had a series of talks on lifting the ban on Canadian beef last year, but efforts were dampened in November when Canada reported its 15th case of mad cow disease.
South Korea indicated it would thoroughly investigate what caused the outbreak and Canada's related regulations and facilities before any steps are taken to reopen the market to Canadian beef.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Agriculture Minister Chang Tae-pyong said it is still difficult to lift age restrictions on US beef imports as consumers are worried about US beef products from cattle over 30 months old.
Chang also noted that it has been less than a year since South Korea reopened its doors to US beef.
