Korea, Canada strike beef deal

An agreement between Seoul and Ottawa has set the stage for the resumption of Canadian beef imports to Korea, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a press release yesterday. The import of Canadian beef has been banned since May 2003 when mad cow disease was discovered in that country.

The countries will suspend a World Trade Organization dispute settlement process and Canada will withdraw its claim against Korea when imports resume.

Under the blueprint, Korea will permit the import of Canadian beef, including bone, from cattle younger than 30 months of age.

However, the scope of banned materials will be stricter than it is for American beef, and Korea will hold more leverage in implementing contingency measures if mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, breaks out in the country.

Parts still banned from entering Korea include those termed specified risk material, internal organs, processed beef products, ground beef, mechanically recovered meats and advanced meat recovery products. Brain, eye, skull and spinal cord will also keep their ban.

Korea will keep the right to inspect and authorize meat factories in Canada. If the disease breaks out again, Korea can suspend quarantine inspection of Canadian beef.

“The United States is voluntarily exporting beef from younger cattle until Koreans recover their trust in American beef. But with Canada, Korea will only import beef from younger cattle,” said Park Chul-soo, a director general of the ministry. “The conditions of the reimportation deal clearly allow us to suspend quarantine inspection if mad cow breaks out again.”

The measures will be publicized for 20 days before entering discussion at the National Assembly.

Canada was classified as a controlled-risk country by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in June 2007 and had been requesting the Korean government reopen its beef market. Canada filed a case against Korea at the WTO in April 2009.

“Canadian beef only took up 4 percent of Korea’s beef import in 2002 and the resumption of beef imports is not likely to affect the local beef market much,” the ministry said in a statement.

In 2002, 12,000 tons of Canadian beef, which was worth $31 million, was imported to Korea. Canada hopes it can resume beef exports to Korea within the year. Last year, Australia had the highest share of local import beef market, 49.7 percent, followed by the U.S., 37 percent; New Zealand, 12.6 percent; and Mexico, 0.7 percent.

By Limb Jae-un [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]

한글 관련 기사 [중앙일보]

수입금지 8년 만에 … 캐나다 쇠고기 연내 들어온다

미국산보다 금지 품목 많아

이르면 올해 안에 캐나다 쇠고기가 다시 수입된다. 농림수산식품부는 27일 캐나다 정부와 ‘캐나다산 쇠고기 수입 위생조건안’에 협의했다고 밝혔다. 2003년 5월 캐나다에서 광우병이 발생하면서 쇠고기 수입이 전면 금지된 지 8년 만이다.

합의안에 따르면 한국은 30개월 미만 뼈를 포함한 쇠고기를 수입하기로 했다. 수입 금지 부위는 미국보다 넓다. 미국산 쇠고기는 특정위험물질(SRM)과 30개월 미만 소의 뇌·눈·머리뼈·척수를 제외시키고 있지만, 이번엔 ▶뼈에서 긁어낸 고기(선진회수육)와 ▶십이지장부터 직장까지 내장 전체 ▶쇠고기 가공품 ▶등뼈(척주) 등도 수입하지 않기로 했다. 또 ▶캐나다의 수출 육류작업장 전체에 대해 우리 정부가 현지 점검을 통해 직접 수출 승인을 해주고 ▶광우병이 추가로 발생하면 우선 검역 중단 조치를 취한 뒤 위험 여부를 확인하기로 했다. 미국과의 협상보다 검역 주권이 강화된 셈이다.

이번에 마련된 수입 위생조건은 의견 수렴(20일)과 국회 심의를 거쳐 고시된다. 농식품부 박철수 소비안전정책관은 “캐나다 정부는 가능하면 연내에 쇠고기 수입이 재개되길 기대한다고 밝혔고, 우리 정부도 이를 위해 노력하기로 했다” 고 밝혔다.