Seoul, Washington to start talks on resuming U.S. beef imports

Negotiations between Korea and the United States on conditions for importing U.S. beef will soon begin, serving as the preliminary step to Seoul deciding whether to lift the import ban, the government said yesterday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said it will discuss the safety standards for consumption of the meat with the U.S. government before substantial negotiations begin early next year.

Seoul and other countries banned U.S. beef in December 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the U.S. state of Washington. Another confirmed case this June then further impeded plans for starting negotiations on lifting the import ban.

Some experts say that serious negotiations could actually be postponed to the second half of 2006. Some of the issues to be negotiated include the age of the cattle to be consumed and whether bones should be removed from the meat. The age limit is important because infection levels from mad cow disease are believed to be more serious with age.

A panel of civilian and government experts, including consumer groups and cattle ranchers, submitted its recommendations on American beef to the Agriculture Ministry last week.

"The recommendations underline that if our safety conditions are stricter than international standards, then there should be no health hazards with beef imported to Korea," said Kim Chang-seob, the chief veterinary officer at the ministry.

Last Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns proposed the removal of Seoul`s ban on its beef to Agriculture Minister Park Hong-soo.

Until the ban, Korea had been among the top five consumers of U.S. beef. In 2003, the country shipped in 293,653 metric tons of beef, of which 68 percent, or 199.443 tons, came from the United States, according to government figures.

(sohjung@heraldm.com)



By Yoo Soh-jung