South Korea | Korean Officials Want Certificates To Say Beef Is From Native U...
South Korea
Korean Officials Want Certificates To Say Beef
Is From Native U.S. Animals
Today, May 29, 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was notified by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of a request for a change in Export Certificate 9035-3. The current certificate indicates that animals that were imported to the United States from Canada were inspected by United States quarantine officials and that the animals resided within the United States for at least three months. The Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has asked that the certificate be changed to a statement which says that all meat products were derived from animals which originated within the United States.
South Korea's National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) has instructed its field inspectors not to inspect any meat products from the United States without this revised certificate after June 9, 2003.
USMEF is seeking clarification as to whether June 9 refers to the date of landing in Korea. The Foreign Agricultural Service and the Food Safety Inspection Service are currently working in an attempt to extend this deadline.
Japanese officials will be meeting with USDA next week to discuss possible alternative certification measures. There is hope that a favorable outcome from the meetings with the Japanese will have a positive influence on the situation with Korea.
This process will be time consuming, but USDA and USMEF are working quickly to find a suitable solution to this issue.
British Publication To Publish Article Claiming
BSE Likely In U.S.
A report to be released in next Saturday's issue of the British publication New Scientist claims an occurrence of BSE in U.S. cattle herds is likely, according to Just-Foods.com. The New Scientist report concludes this on the basis of the open trade border between the U.S. and Canada and the occurrence of the disease in apparently indigenous Canadian beef.
The article also reportedly states that the U.S. and Canada test so few animals that low levels of BSE might escape undetected. The article insists that other countries that have increased their testing for BSE have found many more cases in their herds.
USMEF vigorously disputes such erroneous speculation, especially since the U.S. has remained BSE free for 15 years through diligent testing and a triple-firewall defense of U.S. herds. This includes import restrictions, a ban prohibiting the import of ruminant animals from countries with confirmed cases since 1997, and active surveillance since 1990 at four times the level recommended by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). In fiscal year 2002, the U.S. tested approximately 20,000 cattle using a targeted surveillance approach designed to test the highest risk animals with an eight-day turnaround time for all lab results. This strict inspection system is applied to every animal entering the U.S. system, regardless of source; all U.S. cattle are inspected by a veterinarian before going to slaughter.
In 2001, Harvard University published a landmark three-year risk analysis of the U.S. cattle industry concluding that the likelihood of a BSE occurrence in the U.S. is “highly unlikely.” The Harvard report added: “Measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country.”
South Korea
Korean Officials Want Certificates To Say Beef
Is From Native U.S. Animals
Today, May 29, 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was notified by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of a request for a change in Export Certificate 9035-3. The current certificate indicates that animals that were imported to the United States from Canada were inspected by United States quarantine officials and that the animals resided within the United States for at least three months. The Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has asked that the certificate be changed to a statement which says that all meat products were derived from animals which originated within the United States.
South Korea’s National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) has instructed its field inspectors not to inspect any meat products from the United States without this revised certificate after June 9, 2003.
USMEF is seeking clarification as to whether June 9 refers to the date of landing in Korea. The Foreign Agricultural Service and the Food Safety Inspection Service are currently working in an attempt to extend this deadline.
Japanese officials will be meeting with USDA next week to discuss possible alternative certification measures. There is hope that a favorable outcome from the meetings with the Japanese will have a positive influence on the situation with Korea.
This process will be time consuming, but USDA and USMEF are working quickly to find a suitable solution to this issue.
British Publication To Publish Article Claiming
BSE Likely In U.S.
A report to be released in next Saturday’s issue of the British publication New Scientist claims an occurrence of BSE in U.S. cattle herds is likely, according to Just-Foods.com. The New Scientist report concludes this on the basis of the open trade border between the U.S. and Canada and the occurrence of the disease in apparently indigenous Canadian beef.
The article also reportedly states that the U.S. and Canada test so few animals that low levels of BSE might escape undetected. The article insists that other countries that have increased their testing for BSE have found many more cases in their herds.
USMEF vigorously disputes such erroneous speculation, especially since the U.S. has remained BSE free for 15 years through diligent testing and a triple-firewall defense of U.S. herds. This includes import restrictions, a ban prohibiting the import of ruminant animals from countries with confirmed cases since 1997, and active surveillance since 1990 at four times the level recommended by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). In fiscal year 2002, the U.S. tested approximately 20,000 cattle using a targeted surveillance approach designed to test the highest risk animals with an eight-day turnaround time for all lab results. This strict inspection system is applied to every animal entering the U.S. system, regardless of source; all U.S. cattle are inspected by a veterinarian before going to slaughter.
In 2001, Harvard University published a landmark three-year risk analysis of the U.S. cattle industry concluding that the likelihood of a BSE occurrence in the U.S. is “highly unlikely.” The Harvard report added: “Measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country.”