No Changes in US-Korea Beef Agreement

The accidental reprinting of a two-year-old news article announcing the beef access agreement between the United States and South Korea has created some confusion regarding the status of that agreement.

The article, originally printed in Ag Weekly in the spring of 2008, has been reprinted in recent days by a variety of news outlets, causing some to speculate that the agreement between the U.S. and South Korea has changed.  In fact, there have been no changes to the agreement.

U.S. beef sales to Korea continue to rebound.  For the first three months of 2010, total beef (muscle cuts plus variety meat) exports are up 24 percent in value and 11 percent in volume versus 2009.  In March alone, the value of exports topped $28.5 million, a 112 percent increase over March of last year while volume hit 6,026 metric tons (13.3 million pounds), a 58 percent jump.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.