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Monday October 29, 8:55 AMTop U.S. Farm Negotiator Urges South Korea to Import More BeefSEOUL, Oct 29 Asia Pulse - The top U.S. agricultural negotiator urged South Korea to open its market to "all types of American beef" under a May ruling by the World Organization for Animal Health that states the U.S. can export the meat irrespective of mad cow disease, South Korean officials said Saturday.Lifting a three-year import ban on U.S. beef prompted by the discovery of a mad cow case at a U.S. ranch, South Korea in 2005 agreed to allow in only boneless meat. Bone-in meat and intestinal parts are known to have a higher risk of spreading the brain-wasting animal disease. As part of its agreement with Washington earlier this year, South Korea has been studying whether it is possible to expand imports from the U.S. Before the 2003 import ban, South Korea was Washington's third-largest beef market in the world, with annual purchases reaching US$850 million. U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator Richard Crowder delivered the message to South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon during his three-day visit here, the South Korean ministry said in a statement. "Crowder emphasized the importance of beef issue and urged South Korea to import all ages and parts of U.S. beef under the OIE ruling," the statement said, referring the ruling in May this year by the World Organization for Animal Health. In response, Kim reiterated the two sides would resolve the issue throughout "technical consultation." Crowder's visit was part of his tour for beef sales in Asian nations, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong, according to the statement. Officials at the South Korean ministry weren't immediately available for comment. His visit came at a sensitive time as South Korea and the U.S. ended their latest negotiations for new rules, under which South Korea may be forced to expand its import of American beef, without a deal early this month. Scientists say mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is spread when farmers feed cattle with recycled meat and bones from infected animals. It is thought to cause the human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which causes fatal illness such as memory loss and dementia as the brain turns "spongy." American trade officials have said the beef issue is highly important for the U.S. government to win a congressional approval for a free trade agreement with South Korea. South Korea and the U.S. signed the trade pact, billed as the biggest such deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, in June after nearly a year of sometimes acrimonious negotiations. The agreement needs to be approved by the South Korean National Assembly and the U.S. Congress. The South Korean trade minister served as Seoul's top negotiator in free trade talks with the U.S. (Yonhap) |
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