South Korea is hinting it may lift its eight-year ban on Canadian beef by the end of June.
“I hope it is true and I’ll believe it when the first shipment goes,” said John Masswohl of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
News reports quoting South Korean government officials suggested sweeping changes may come as the country adjusts its import policies for meat and grain products.
Little bilateral negotiating has occurred during the federal election, although a preliminary confidential report is due April 29 from the World Trade Organization’s trade dispute settlement panel.
Masswohl said the parties in the dispute get to decide whether the report is released.
South Korea is still recovering from an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that cost it nearly $2.76 billion.
Canada has been shut out of the Korean market since May 2003 when BSE was discovered in Alberta.
