November 25, 2011

South Korea's 2011 pork imports rise more than twofold

As of early November this year, the pork imports of South Korea increased more than double compared with the same period last year, the government said Thursday (Nov 24).

The country imported 329,743 tonnes of pork as of early this month, up 117% from the 151,889 tonnes imported during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Imports from the United States more than tripled from 41,888 tonnes to 129,975 tonnes over the same period, making up 39.4% of the total pork imports, the ministry said.

The country's imports of beef also surged with 253,132 tonnes shipped here over the same period, up 20.3% from the same period last year.

The significant increase in the country's imports of pork and beef was largely driven by reduced domestic supply of them after the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. South Korea was forced to cull more than three million livestock, mostly pigs and beef, in an effort to curb the spread of the disease that broke out last November.