Seoul Finally Resumes U.S. Beef Imports

Import of U.S. beef will resume next week as the Korean government yesterday took the final administrative step amid widespread public opposition.

Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun announced the new import conditions in a news conference, in which he pledged that the government will do its best to protect public safety.

“If there is any case of a mad cow disease report from the United States, the government will immediately ban U.S. beef imports,” Chung said in Gwacheon. The government apologized for causing public concern.

Last week, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon announced that Seoul will have the right to ban U.S. beef imports if they pose health risks and the right to clarify the definition of risk material. The agreement also acknowledged Seoul’s right to take necessary measures if the shipments do not satisfy import regulations.

In a move to alleviate public fear about food safety, Minister Chung said that the government will toughen regulations on the local cattle industry and will support the local livestock industry.

“The government will cut the borrowing rate on feed loans to support farmers. In order to do so, the government will expand the fund to 1.5 trillion won from the current 1 trillion won,” Chung said.

The minister holds the right to request the posting of the new sanitary standards to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. The new rules take effect as soon as they are published on the government gazette. The administrative process usually takes two or three days, government officials said.

The new sanitary conditions replace the current standards established by Seoul and Washington in January 2006 that limited imports to boneless beef from cattle under 30 months old.

Under the new agreement reached between the two countries on April 18, Korea is allowing all parts of beef imports except for two specified risk materials — tonsils and the distal ileum, a part of the small intestine — from animals 30 months or younger. Imports of SRMs — brains, eyes, spinal cords and other organs — from animals older than 30 months will also be banned.

The government also plans to strengthen the country-of-origin labeling rules for beef sold by local retailers, restaurants and catering services, regardless of size.

On Monday, the ministry delayed the official posting of new rules, saying they need more time to draw up plans to support the local cattle industry.

Minister Chung also reported on the result from the on-site inspection of U.S. meat-packing plants by a team of Korean government officials and quarantine inspectors. The team visited U.S. slaughterhouses that produce beef for sale to Korea to check if they maintain proper sanitary standards.

If the new rules go into effect, quarantine inspection starts for some 5,300 tons of U.S. beef stored in container yards in Busan and Yongin since last year.

American beef is expected to reach the local market around the second week of June as the inspection process takes another three to four days, officials said.

Experts say if the government conducts a detailed examination for some parts of U.S. beef imports, the inspection will take at least two weeks to complete.

New shipments of U.S. beef including ribs, T-bone steak and intestines are expected to enter the local market at the end of June.

Korea started importing U.S. beef in the 1970s, but banned all shipments in December 2003 after mad cow disease was discovered in a Canadian-born cow in the U.S. state of Washington. Korea was the third-largest market for American beef before it banned shipments in 2003.

Seoul resumed imports in April 2007, but suspended imports after vertebrae were found in a shipment.

Last week, President Lee Myung-bak apologized for triggering public concern over mad cow disease.