December 29, 2009
US beef sales to South Korea still lacklustre
After more than a year of re-entering South Korea, US beef has yet to regain consumer trust as sales there continue to lag behind Australian beef.
US beef imports during the first 11 months of 2009 totalled 53,000 tonnes, compared with 116,500 tonnes of Australian beef, according to a new report by the Korea Customs Service.
In terms of value, US imports reached US$245.02 million, compared with US$388.03 million for Australian imports. During the January-November period, US beef imports accounted for 26.3% of the total import market of 201,016 tonnes.
Industry experts said the main reason for sluggish US beef Seoul and Washington agreed to limit shipments of beef from cattle less than 30 months old after the full-scale resumption of US beef imports caused public outcry that turned violent in South Korea last year amid fears of mad cow disease.
