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(2nd LD) S. Korea effectively opens its market to U.S. beef
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States agreed to revise Seoul's import sanitation rules, effectively opening the local market to most U.S. beef cuts, the government said Friday.
The deal made in Seoul closely mirrors recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that set standards to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
In the past, ministry officials claimed that OIE standards are not binding, and that each member state has the right to ask for more safeguards and assurances to protect the health of its citizens.
OIE guidelines include rules on the age of butchered animals and specified risk materials (SRMs), which are parts like the brain and certain internal organs that pose the greatest risk of causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly called mad cow disease, in humans.
Under the new import conditions that will go into effect early next month, South Korea has agreed to lift all restrictions on non-SRM parts for meat from U.S. cattle under 30 months old, the ministry said.
The age limit as a guideline had been a stumbling block in the past because most animals that contract BSE are older than 30 months.
"If the meat is from an animal under 30 months old, only tonsils and distal ileum, a small portion of the small intestine, will be banned, along with processed food like sausages made from such parts," said Assistant Agriculture Minister Min Dong-seok.
South Korea's chief negotiator to the talks added that all bone-in beef, such as ribs and T-bone steak, are to be imported without restrictions, along with intestines, various internal organ, tails and legs, which are used in many traditional Korean recipes.
The first shipment of beef under the revised rules will be imported around mid-May, the official said.
South Korea first halted imports of U.S. beef in late 2003 after Washington confirmed its first case of mad cow disease. The country reopened its market in April 2007, but stopped all quarantine inspections in early October after U.S. exporters repeatedly violated regulations on shipments of bone-in beef.
The assistant minister then added that if the U.S. makes an official pledge to strengthen its control and monitoring over the manufacture and sale of protein-based feeds, Seoul will permit meat from animals over 30 months old, as long as additional SRMs are removed.
"Under guidelines set by the OIE, the U.S. only needs to remove the brain, eyes, skull, spinal cord marrow and vertebrae from older animals," he pointed out, hinting that Seoul is not in a position to reject Washington's requests on this issue.
Protein feed made from cloven-hoofed animals has been cited for causing BSE in cattle, and has been banned. The U.S. does not give such feed to cattle, but there have been lingering concerns of feed meant for other animals going to cattle.
The expert, however, conceded that while the U.S. has pledged to make changes to upgrade its animal feed regime, allowing the import of meat from animals over 30 months old is not contingent on enforcement of these standards.
Washington pushed for strengthened feed requirements in 2005, but made no headway because of opposition from the business community.
"The negotiations were tough and every effort was made to push for balanced interest gains," Min said, adding that Seoul, as a member of the OIE, was obliged to follow guidelines set by experts in the field.
Since May 2007, the U.S. has been classified as a "risk controlled" country in terms of mad cow disease, and has called on Seoul to make changes to its import standards accordingly.
The classification technically allows U.S. meat producers to export beef with almost no restrictions, and with minor limits with regard to SRMs. The country currently exports beef to 117 countries, of which 96 impose few or no conditions.
Under the revised rules, South Korea will not be able to halt quarantine inspections even if a suspected mad cow case has been reported, said the assistant minister.
The only time a ban can be imposed is if the U.S. loses its current OIE status, or fails to meet key criteria set by the organization.
Seoul can, however, can send back shipments of beef from meat processors that send SRMs or beef parts contaminated with harmful materials, and could stop imports from the exporter if problems persist.
Min, meanwhile, said that accusations that Seoul made concessions to convince U.S. lawmakers to ratify the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that was signed in June are pure speculation.
He said that the FTA and the summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-balk and U.S. President George W. Bush did not impact the talks during the last eight days.
The former diplomat then said that Washington agreed to look favorably upon lifting regulations that would allow the export of Korean ginseng chicken soup and premium Korean beef to the U.S.
The new rules, whose full texts will be released next week, will replace the present sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) reached in early 2006. The old rules allowed the U.S. to export boneless beef from animals under 30 months old, with the exceptions of SRMs and internal organs.
Seoul also reserved the right to halt quarantine inspections, which effectively stopped imports in the past.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
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