Beef exports to Korea back on, but with quarantine provision

U.S. exports of beef to South Korea are set to begin again today, though with a quarantine provision as Seoul's beleaguered administration fights to win back trust from the South Korean public.

The months-long saga over the allowance of U.S. beef into the South Korean market took a twist last week, when president Lee Myung-bak apologized for pushing through a trade deal with the United States that unconditionally allowed U.S. beef exports into South Korea.

Trade officials from the two countries hurriedly met to amend the deal in the hopes of saving it, this time adding language that prevented older cattle -- those deemed most at risk of carrying mad cow disease -- from being sent to South Korea.

A letter from U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer this week expressed satisfaction that the voluntary commitments made by Korean importers and U.S. exporters to trade only U.S. beef from cattle less than 30 months of age, the Korea Herald reported Thursday.

According to the new agreement, U.S. beef exporters must go through an age-verification quality assessment, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Seoul is also entitled to inspect U.S. slaughterhouses which are suspected of violating the agreed safety measures, the Korea Herald report said. If a U.S. meat producer violates the new safety conditions more than twice, it will not be allowed to send beef shipments to Korea at the request of the Seoul government.

Source: American Shipper