South Korea | Quarantine Inspections To Resume Monday | South Korea will resu...
South Korea
Quarantine Inspections To Resume Monday
South Korea will resume quarantine inspections on U.S. beef shipments next week after effectively halting them earlier this month, a South Korean government official said Friday (Aug. 24). The official indicated quarantine inspections will resume Monday for newly-arrived beef shipments from the United States as well as for 6,832 tons that have been held in customs.
"While quarantine inspections on American beef are to start again, the current ban will be maintained on the four meat processing centers that shipped ribs, while Seoul has revoked its export permit from the one that shipped backbones," said Lee Sang-kil, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) livestock bureau. Lee said a ban on a processing plant that exported a beef package containing higher-than-permitted traces of dioxin late last year, will be lifted. This leaves 31 U.S. meat processing plants that can export beef to South Korea.
USMEF-Korea has continued to maintain a proactive approach in the market, working with key accounts, thought leaders, media and others to prepare for the arrival of additional U.S. beef shipments. Consumer acceptance was running high and many major retailers had begun to stock U.S. beef products prior to the latest interruption in trade.
“USMEF stands ready to support our trading partners and loyal South Korean customers,” said USMEF President and CEO Phil Seng. “We look forward to the day when we can once again supply safe, high-quality U.S. beef without interruptions.”
Meanwhile, Lee said, if more bone-in beef and specific risk materials (SRMs) are found in future shipments, Seoul would take a "two-track" approach to ensure that sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) negotiations can move forward regardless of any future discovery of ribs or backbones. Lee explained if non-SRMs are found in future packages, the offending plant would be barred from shipping meat until a new SPS agreement is reached, while a company sending SRM material would have its export permit revoked and a blanket ban could be reinstated under the two-track approach.
He said, however, that negotiations on a new SPS will not be put on hold even if no American beef reaches consumers. For bone chips, only the packages that have them will be sent back, he said. He noted that Korea has no immediate plan to conduct on-site inspections of U.S. slaughterhouses to ensure safety; however, he hinted that a visit may be arranged before a new import arrangement is signed.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service today announced that U.S. companies are required to strengthen their quality management systems by including an additional process control to ensure only boneless product is included in beef shipments to Korea. All U.S. beef companies eligible to export product to Korea must read, review and implement this process control. See the EV Program for Korea - Clarification Statement for more information.
South Korea
Quarantine Inspections To Resume Monday
South Korea will resume quarantine inspections on U.S. beef shipments next week after effectively halting them earlier this month, a South Korean government official said Friday (Aug. 24). The official indicated quarantine inspections will resume Monday for newly-arrived beef shipments from the United States as well as for 6,832 tons that have been held in customs.
"While quarantine inspections on American beef are to start again, the current ban will be maintained on the four meat processing centers that shipped ribs, while Seoul has revoked its export permit from the one that shipped backbones," said Lee Sang-kil, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) livestock bureau. Lee said a ban on a processing plant that exported a beef package containing higher-than-permitted traces of dioxin late last year, will be lifted. This leaves 31 U.S. meat processing plants that can export beef to South Korea.
USMEF-Korea has continued to maintain a proactive approach in the market, working with key accounts, thought leaders, media and others to prepare for the arrival of additional U.S. beef shipments. Consumer acceptance was running high and many major retailers had begun to stock U.S. beef products prior to the latest interruption in trade.
“USMEF stands ready to support our trading partners and loyal South Korean customers,” said USMEF President and CEO Phil Seng. “We look forward to the day when we can once again supply safe, high-quality U.S. beef without interruptions.”
Meanwhile, Lee said, if more bone-in beef and specific risk materials (SRMs) are found in future shipments, Seoul would take a "two-track" approach to ensure that sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) negotiations can move forward regardless of any future discovery of ribs or backbones. Lee explained if non-SRMs are found in future packages, the offending plant would be barred from shipping meat until a new SPS agreement is reached, while a company sending SRM material would have its export permit revoked and a blanket ban could be reinstated under the two-track approach.
He said, however, that negotiations on a new SPS will not be put on hold even if no American beef reaches consumers. For bone chips, only the packages that have them will be sent back, he said. He noted that Korea has no immediate plan to conduct on-site inspections of U.S. slaughterhouses to ensure safety; however, he hinted that a visit may be arranged before a new import arrangement is signed.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service today announced that U.S. companies are required to strengthen their quality management systems by including an additional process control to ensure only boneless product is included in beef shipments to Korea. All U.S. beef companies eligible to export product to Korea must read, review and implement this process control. See the EV Program for Korea - Clarification Statement for more information.