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(LEAD) S. Korea will not discriminate between Canadian, U.S. beef: official
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from para 3)
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea does not plan to discriminate between Canadian and U.S. beef in ongoing import talks, a government negotiator said on Thursday.
In the first day of talks aimed at establishing new import sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) conditions, negotiators from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry made it clear that Seoul will be even-handed in beef import issues.
"We stressed that when it comes to beef imports, there will be no difference in the way South Korea deals with Canada and the United States," said Kim Chang-seob, the ministry's chief veterinary officer.
He added that Seoul wanted the talks, which run through Friday, to help resolve all outstanding issues, but also made it clear that there have been continuous reports of mad cow cases in Canada that raise concerns about health and the ability of Ottawa to prevent animals from contracting the deadly disease, which can be transmitted to humans.
In response, officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) led by Gary Little allocated considerable time to elaborating on actions taken in the past few years to enhance beef safety.
They also said that Canada wants South Korea to lift all restrictions on beef imports, as recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in late May.
The OIE gave Canada a "controlled risk" classification in regard to mad cow disease, which technically allows it to export all beef parts with the exception of certain specified risk materials (SRMs).
A "controlled risk" classification by the OIE technically permits Canada to export most beef parts with the exception of certain SRMs, like tonsils and parts of the intestines, that may run the greatest risk of transmitting the deadly disease to humans.
South Korea banned Canadian beef in May 2003 after the confirmation of a case of mad cow disease. Canada was previously the fourth-biggest exporter of beef to South Korea, behind the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. In 2002, it exported 16,400 tons worth US$37.4 million.
In June, Ottawa formally requested a resumption of talks through the CFIA. Seoul has since conducted an import risk analysis evaluation, which is a right of World Trade Organization members. Of the eight-tiered risk analysis process, the country is currently at the fourth level after having completed on-site inspections of Canada's animal sanitary, quarantine and feed systems.
The Agriculture Ministry has maintained that it will respect internationally accepted guidelines, but that it intends to push for the retention of SRM import limits while easing rules on importing ribs and other bone parts.
Seoul held similar talks with U.S. in mid-October, but made no headway.
Washington has been insisting on the lifting of all restrictions, while Seoul said it wants to hold onto the 30-month age limit and the ban on certain SRMs.
South Korea and the U.S. reached a revised SPS pact in January 2006, and customs inspections resumed in late April of this year. All U.S. beef imports, however, have been halted since last month after the discovery of backbones in one shipment.
Officials said there will be no further American beef imports until a new SPS deal is signed.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
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