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Canada cows complicate US, Seoul beef trade: source
Reuters
Washington Post
July 6, 2006
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Korea has told the Bush administration it will not resume beef trade until U.S. slaughterhouses segregate Canadian beef products, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
South Korea closed its borders to U.S. beef in December 2003 after the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was reported. The United States has since brought into effect a number of food preparation safeguards but South Korean government officials are concerned about the effects of mingling U.S. and Canadian beef.
Canada, which confirmed its sixth home-grown case of mad cow disease on Tuesday, ships cattle and beef from animals under 30 months old into the United States. It has seen twice as many cases of mad cow as the United States, which has a much larger herd.
"The Korean audit team found problems in U.S. slaughter procedures, such as the (lack of) segregation of Canadian beef," the source said. "Seoul is discussing and waiting for the U.S. to take measures on that issue. Any time the issue is solved (it will) start importing U.S. beef."
No-one from the U.S. Agriculture Department was immediately available for comment.
Last month South Korea's ambassador to the United States said inspectors from his country had discovered a few minor problems at about seven of the 37 meat packing facilities they had inspected in preparation for re-opening their market to U.S. beef. But Ambassador Lee Tae-fik maintained that South Korea was close to re-opening its market.
The Bush administration has lobbied hard to re-open markets for U.S. beef since 2003, when along with South Korea, No. 1market Japan closed its doors. Progress has been slow. Both countries agreed recently to start receiving beef imports again but differences over packaging and preparation procedures has prevented any new trade.
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a fatal brain disease in cattle. Scientists believe people can contract a similar fatal brain disease by eating material from infected cattle.
"It is clear that Canada's BSE problem is making it more difficult for U.S. beef to get back into the markets of South Korea and Japan," said Chuck Kiker, president of U.S. ranchers group R-CALF USA.
"We need to be able to differentiate high-quality U.S. beef from Canadian beef to gain full resumption of U.S. exports."
washingtonpost.com
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We also need to differentiate US beef from all imported beef for our loyal US consumers...USDA needs to implement the M-COOL law and stop the FRAUD being perpetrated upon consumers...
Reuters
Washington Post
July 6, 2006
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Korea has told the Bush administration it will not resume beef trade until U.S. slaughterhouses segregate Canadian beef products, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
South Korea closed its borders to U.S. beef in December 2003 after the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was reported. The United States has since brought into effect a number of food preparation safeguards but South Korean government officials are concerned about the effects of mingling U.S. and Canadian beef.
Canada, which confirmed its sixth home-grown case of mad cow disease on Tuesday, ships cattle and beef from animals under 30 months old into the United States. It has seen twice as many cases of mad cow as the United States, which has a much larger herd.
"The Korean audit team found problems in U.S. slaughter procedures, such as the (lack of) segregation of Canadian beef," the source said. "Seoul is discussing and waiting for the U.S. to take measures on that issue. Any time the issue is solved (it will) start importing U.S. beef."
No-one from the U.S. Agriculture Department was immediately available for comment.
Last month South Korea's ambassador to the United States said inspectors from his country had discovered a few minor problems at about seven of the 37 meat packing facilities they had inspected in preparation for re-opening their market to U.S. beef. But Ambassador Lee Tae-fik maintained that South Korea was close to re-opening its market.
The Bush administration has lobbied hard to re-open markets for U.S. beef since 2003, when along with South Korea, No. 1market Japan closed its doors. Progress has been slow. Both countries agreed recently to start receiving beef imports again but differences over packaging and preparation procedures has prevented any new trade.
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a fatal brain disease in cattle. Scientists believe people can contract a similar fatal brain disease by eating material from infected cattle.
"It is clear that Canada's BSE problem is making it more difficult for U.S. beef to get back into the markets of South Korea and Japan," said Chuck Kiker, president of U.S. ranchers group R-CALF USA.
"We need to be able to differentiate high-quality U.S. beef from Canadian beef to gain full resumption of U.S. exports."
washingtonpost.com
---------------------
We also need to differentiate US beef from all imported beef for our loyal US consumers...USDA needs to implement the M-COOL law and stop the FRAUD being perpetrated upon consumers...
