South Korea has agreed to accept American beef products from cattle of all ages by mid May.
Where that leaves Canada remains to be seen, said John Masswohl of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
“It appears it could be very good news for Canada,” he said.
“Our understanding has been that Canada and the U.S., for the past several months have been going through the formal Korean process, which started when Canada and the U.S. got the formal OIE controlled-risk status,” he said.
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That means the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) has determined both countries have BSE but the disease is under control because they have a working feed ban that removes animal material suspected of harbouring infectivity.
The South Korean government agreed to accept U.S. beef and beef products from cattle of all ages, which is consistent with OIE guidelines.
U.S. beef will be allowed back in two phases. The first phase permits bone in and boneless beef from animals younger than 30 months. The second phase expands the list of products to beef from older cattle providing the U.S. implements an enhanced feed ban, said Masswohl.
“If the U.S. has agreed to that, I have to wonder if the U.S. is going to proceed and implement its proposal for its enhanced feed ban,” he said.
Canada and the U.S. announced a ban on specified risk material being allowed in the food or feed chain in 2004. The U.S. also added that it would ban the use of restaurant waste and poultry litter in animal feed, but its law has been languishing in the Office of Management and Budget ever since.
Canada’s ban came into effect last year and it has resulted in higher than expected costs for separation and disposal of risk materials, leaving the processing industry awash in red ink.
With the discovery of BSE in 2003, Canada and the U.S. lost a large market in South Korea. It was a costly blow for the U.S. with lost sales estimated at up to $4 billion in the last five years, reports the U.S. Meat Export Federation. It said the reopening has cleared a major obstacle to the free trade agreement the two countries signed almost 10 months ago but which has yet to be passed by Congress.
In 2003, the U.S. exported nearly 250,000 tonnes of beef and beef variety meats to South Korea. In 2007, it exported about 25,000 tonnes although shipments were limited to boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months.
The border closed again in October 2007 over disputes about incorrect beef products being shipped.
In 2002, Canada exported 16,440 tonnes to South Korea. Exports stopped in May 2003 but in the four months before that, it exported 8,066 tonnes, according to the Canada Beef Export Federation.
