South Korea                                 ...

South Korea                                                                               

More Details On Market Reopening Emerge

More details are now available on the beef “initial import protocol” announced last week by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the USDA. 

South Korea will permit “deboned skeletal muscle meat from animals that were slaughtered at less than 30 months of age.” Korea will not allow imports of U.S. beef diaphragm (skirts), offal such as tongue, viscera, trimmings and cheek meat, processed meat products (e.g. sausages and hamburger patties) and ground meat. The agreement, of course, mandates the removal of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-designated specified risk material from all cattle regardless of age. South Korea will send a team to conduct an audit of the U.S. system. The team will inspect a representative sample of U.S. plants, and review USDA Agriculture Marketing Service beef export verification plan procedures and the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) plant inspection system. 

South Korea reserves the right to suspend imports of U.S. beef under certain circumstances. These include cases of BSE being discovered in U.S. animals born after April 1998 (eight months after the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants), a breakdown in U.S. control measures, continued violation of those controls or a change in international scientific belief suggesting that BSE infectivity could occur in muscle meat.

Mexican cattle must be in the U.S. for at least 100 days before slaughter if the meat is destined for South Korea, but this is an existing FSIS rule unconnected with the agreement. Beef from Canadian cattle are not eligible for export to Korea. 

The agreement was reached on January 13. The Koreans expect to take two weeks preparing procedures for its implementation. The procedures will be published in the Korean equivalent of the Federal Register around January 27, and a 20-day comment period will follow. The system audit should then begin around February 16 and could last about two weeks (March 2). Giving the inspectors time to prepare and present their report, the first shipments of U.S. beef to Korea are likely to leave the U.S. in the second or third week of March.

Romania                                                                                       

U.S. Pork Exports To Romania Face 20 Percent Duty After February 15

U.S. pork exports to Romania arriving after February 15 may be charged new import tariffs of 20 percent. Romania is consulting with the European Union (EU) on imposing a 70 percent tariff on poultry imports as well as the 20 percent tariff on pork.

Romania is joining the EU in 2007 or 2008 and shipments with bill of lading dates on or after July 2, 2006 must be certified with revised certification that indicates compliance with European Union requirements. All federally inspected U.S. plants are now eligible to export to Romania, but, effective July 2, 2006, only pork from EU-approved U.S. pork establishments will be eligible for export to Romania. The Foreign Agricultural Service is seeking a delay in implementation of this regulation until Romania becomes an EU member. For more information, see the Export Requirements for Romania in the FSIS Export Library.

Singapore                                                                                    

Singapore Ban On U.S. Beef Ending

The USDA announced that it has reached an agreement with Singapore to end the Pacific nation’s ban on U.S. beef. The online FSIS Export Library of Requirements has not yet been updated to reflect the agreement, but the USDA has announced that the Singapore beef export verification program will allow boneless beef products from animals younger than 30 months of age, excluding such specified risk material as skull, brain, eyes, distal ileum, tonsils, spinal cord, and vertebral column.

South Korea                                                                               

More Details On Market Reopening Emerge

More details are now available on the beef “initial import protocol” announced last week by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the USDA. 

South Korea will permit “deboned skeletal muscle meat from animals that were slaughtered at less than 30 months of age.” Korea will not allow imports of U.S. beef diaphragm (skirts), offal such as tongue, viscera, trimmings and cheek meat, processed meat products (e.g. sausages and hamburger patties) and ground meat. The agreement, of course, mandates the removal of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-designated specified risk material from all cattle regardless of age. South Korea will send a team to conduct an audit of the U.S. system. The team will inspect a representative sample of U.S. plants, and review USDA Agriculture Marketing Service beef export verification plan procedures and the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) plant inspection system. 

South Korea reserves the right to suspend imports of U.S. beef under certain circumstances. These include cases of BSE being discovered in U.S. animals born after April 1998 (eight months after the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants), a breakdown in U.S. control measures, continued violation of those controls or a change in international scientific belief suggesting that BSE infectivity could occur in muscle meat.

Mexican cattle must be in the U.S. for at least 100 days before slaughter if the meat is destined for South Korea, but this is an existing FSIS rule unconnected with the agreement. Beef from Canadian cattle are not eligible for export to Korea. 

The agreement was reached on January 13. The Koreans expect to take two weeks preparing procedures for its implementation. The procedures will be published in the Korean equivalent of the Federal Register around January 27, and a 20-day comment period will follow. The system audit should then begin around February 16 and could last about two weeks (March 2). Giving the inspectors time to prepare and present their report, the first shipments of U.S. beef to Korea are likely to leave the U.S. in the second or third week of March.

Romania                                                                                       

U.S. Pork Exports To Romania Face 20 Percent Duty After February 15

U.S. pork exports to Romania arriving after February 15 may be charged new import tariffs of 20 percent. Romania is consulting with the European Union (EU) on imposing a 70 percent tariff on poultry imports as well as the 20 percent tariff on pork.

Romania is joining the EU in 2007 or 2008 and shipments with bill of lading dates on or after July 2, 2006 must be certified with revised certification that indicates compliance with European Union requirements. All federally inspected U.S. plants are now eligible to export to Romania, but, effective July 2, 2006, only pork from EU-approved U.S. pork establishments will be eligible for export to Romania. The Foreign Agricultural Service is seeking a delay in implementation of this regulation until Romania becomes an EU member. For more information, see the Export Requirements for Romania in the FSIS Export Library.

Singapore                                                                                    

Singapore Ban On U.S. Beef Ending

The USDA announced that it has reached an agreement with Singapore to end the Pacific nation’s ban on U.S. beef. The online FSIS Export Library of Requirements has not yet been updated to reflect the agreement, but the USDA has announced that the Singapore beef export verification program will allow boneless beef products from animals younger than 30 months of age, excluding such specified risk material as skull, brain, eyes, distal ileum, tonsils, spinal cord, and vertebral column.