SKorea panel to discuss safety of US bone-in beef

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

SEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) A South Korean panel will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to fully open the country's market to US beef, after South Korea ended its latest ban on the meat amid pressure from Washington.

US lawmakers have said it would be difficult for them to approve a sweeping bilateral free trade deal struck in April if South Korea does not allow more U.S. beef into the country.

South Korea, once the third-largest importer of U.S. beef, accepts only boneless beef from US cattle less than 30 months of age.

South Korea had blocked US beef imports from store shelves by halting quarantine inspections earlier this month after finding a prohibited spinal column in a shipment. The country resumed inspecting imports on Monday.

An 18-member animal quarantine advice committee, which includes veterinarians, professors, government officials and members of the general public, will discuss the safety of US beef and make recommendations, a government agriculture official said today.

The panel said last month it needed more time to make a decision, questioning whether the United States can completely follow guidelines in exporting beef.

''We cannot guarantee that the panel will make a decision this time on resuming bone-in beef,'' said the official. ''But the final decision depends on the government, not the panel.'' South Korea accepted in April the first shipment of boneless meat into the country for sale since December 2003, when it imposed a ban after mad cow disease was found in the United States.

Washington has asked Seoul to fully open its market to US beef after the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in May gave the United States a ''controlled risk'' status for beef safety.

Beef with ribs, used in a popular Korean dish, had made up a hefty portion of the 199,000 tonnes of U.S. meat imported into South Korea in 2003.

REUTERS SV ND0908

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