July 28, 2006

South Korea still undecided on US beef
 

South Korea says it remains undecided on when it would reopen its market to US beef imports despite neighbouring Japan announcing it has lifted the ban on US beef Thursday (Jul 28).

The US has yet to offer a its position on concerns raised by South Korean livestock experts, said Park Hyun-Chool, head of the Agriculture Ministry's livestock bureau, referring to previous concerns of US beef slaughter procedures,

South Korea wants US plants to segregate native cattle from Canadian cattle and to use separate sets of slaughter tools for older and younger cattle.

South Korea would accept only boneless beef from animals less than 30 months old and says that using the same tools risks contamination from older cattle, which are at greater risk from mad cow disease.