Quarantine Inspections on U.S. Beef Suspended

U.S. beef imports to South Korea have been temporarily suspended after South Korean authorities found spinal material that may cause mad cow disease in a shipment of beef. The decision may dampen the U.S. beef market in Korea, which has been rapidly growing after the imports were resumed last October. In addition, the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) ratification may be delayed even further.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) said on Thursday, “We found packages of vertebral columns possibly affected by SRM defined in the current import regulations among 18.7 tons (1,176 boxes) of U.S. beef imported on July 29. Quarantine inspections have not been suspended on U.S. beef, but we asked the U.S. for an explanation and to take preventative measures.”

According to current import regulations, specified risk materials (SRM) refer to any beef parts that could cause mad cow disease, such as brains, eyes and spinal cords. If the U.S. fails to remove SRM-contaminated meat or does not take countermeasures, South Korea can stop U.S. beef imports.

Kim Chang-seop of the MAF said, “We temporarily suspended quarantine inspections for the time being. If the U.S. does not take any necessary measures, we will officially halt imports altogether.”

Although trade between private companies can go on, U.S. beef cannot enter the market without quarantine inspections. Regarding existing U.S. beef on the market, the government said, “We didn’t find any health safety problems on U.S. beef already in the market. Therefore, we will not return it or ban distributors from selling it.”

The incident is expected to have a negative impact on the future of the Korea-U.S. FTA since the U.S. Congress requires the beef market to be open in Korea as a prerequisite for the ratification.

Meanwhile, large retailers that sell U.S. beef called an emergency meeting to discuss the issue, including how they will deal with remaining inventory.

imsoo@donga.com savoring@donga.com