Gov`t Announces New U.S. Beef Import Rules

The government announced new import guidelines for U.S. beef on Thursday, allowing the quarantine process and importation to resume eight months after the suspension in October 2007.

Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun held a press conference at the Gwacheon Government Complex and said that he has requested new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules for U.S. beef imports be published to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

The request, made by the agriculture minister, asks for the publication of the notification in the government gazette. The Agriculture Ministry added that the notification will take effect as it is published on the gazette around June 3.

The right to suspend imports in case of a mad cow disease outbreak, guaranteed by the United States in supplementary negotiations, and the equalized SRM standard for both the meat for U.S. consumption and Korean imports will be reflected in the additional provision of the announcement.

When the notification comes into force, a full resumption of U.S. beef imports based on the new sanitary conditions will begin.

Around 5,300 tons of U.S. beef have been stored in customs warehouses in Busan since Korea stopped quarantine inspections last October. The move came after bone chips, which were banned at the time, were found in U.S. beef shipments. The resumption of U.S. beef imports is likely to allow the stored beef to be distributed from early June.

In addition, U.S. bone-in beef such as “LA galbi” intestines and other by-products, which were suspended since December 2003, are expected to be distributed to domestic customers starting July, considering the time for meat processing operation and freight delivery in the United States.

The Agriculture Ministry also announced a variety of measures to strengthen the quarantine and inspection against U.S. beef, assist Korean cattle farms and come up with safe management of domestic livestock. The ministry fortified its quarantine measures including extending the inspection rates in the early stage of U.S. beef imports and dispatching Korean inspectors to the United States.

swon@donga.com savoring@donga.com