S Korea's Standards for US Beef Trade to Take Effect on Schedule

SEOUL, May 13 Asia Pulse - New import sanitation standards for United States beef are to go into effect within the week in accordance with pre-set schedules, a South Korean agriculture ministry official said Tuesday.

The official who declined to be identified said the changes to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) conditions should be implemented as of Thursday.

After signing a new SPS deal on April 18, that effectively opens the local market to most beef cuts, Seoul made a preannouncement of the legislation two days later.

Under existing rules, the government is obliged to receive feedback during a 20 day waiting period after which the agriculture minister can officially implement the new law.

"We plan to receive feedback from experts by the end of the day and based on this, announce the revised import rules," he said.

He claimed that there is little evidence or scientific proof to hold off on the new import rules.

If it goes into effect the revised SPS will replace the agreement reached in January 2006 that only opened the market to bone-less beef from cattle under 30 months old.

South Korea started importing U.S. beef from the 1970s but had imposed a blanket ban in late 2003 after a bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case was confirmed in the United States. BSE is a fatal illness commonly known as mad cow disease and has caused the death of 207 people in the past. Washington has since been categorized a so-called controlled riskcountry for BSE by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and called on Seoul to rewrite its import rules.

Experts said Seoul need not automatically recognize the pact on Thursday, but if it puts it off, such a move can be interpreted as signaling desire to renegotiate the agreement.

The pact has come under considerable flak because of public concerns that U.S. beef may be unsafe for consumption.

South Korean negotiators have repeatedly argued that the OIE classification given on May 2007 technically allows the United States to export its beef with little restrictions as long as specified risk materials are properly removed.

(Yonhap)

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