Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: Trade with Korea now delayed more than a month

TSCRA Daily News Update, June 20, 2008

Trade with Korea now delayed more than a month

More than a full month has now passed since the originally announced date (May 15) for resuming beef trade with South Korea. Due to protests and political unrest in Korea, the market opening has been postponed several times – with no clear timetable in sight for resumption of trade.

News reports this week suggest that Korean President Lee Myung Bak has pledged a prohibition on beef imports from cattle more than 30 months of age – an outcome that appears to be growing more likely by the day. But with discussions set to continue between the two countries June 20, no changes have been officially announced to the terms agreed upon in April.

This agreement proposes to open the Korean market to beef from cattle of all ages, as long as specified risk materials are removed. However, the overwhelming majority of beef shipped to South Korea in the past was from cattle less than 30 months of age, even though no age restrictions were in place prior to 2003.

Regardless of the age of the cattle from which it is derived, U.S. beef is absolutely safe.

This is ensured by a system of interlocking firewalls that include: the 1989 ban on imported meat and bone meal from ruminant animals; the 1997 ban on feeding ruminant meat and bone meal to ruminant animals; the enhanced surveillance program of high-risk animals that proved BSE was essentially non-existent in the U.S. herd; and the fact that specified risk materials are removed from every bovine animal processed inthe United States.

These steps are in accordance with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines, and this is why BSE poses no health threat whatsoever to consumers.