Consumption on the Rise

Beating the Barrier
Canada restores beef market access with South Korea.
EIGHT YEARS AFTER BSE was detected on an Alberta
farm, leading to a major blow to Canada’s beef export
industry, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International
Trade Minister Ed Fast on June 27 announced a
breakthrough in restoring long-awaited access to the
lucrative South Korean beef market.
Canada and South Korea are working to finalize a sciencebased
agreement to export Canadian beef, under 30 months
of age, back into South Korea – the last key Asian market
still imposing a trade ban on Canadian beef since the 2003
outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
“After almost a decade, Canadian beef producers are on
track to gain access to the lucrative South Korean market,
making our industry and entire economy stronger,” Ritz
stated. “The high quality of our beef products combined
with the effectiveness and transparency of Canada’s control
system is precisely the reason why South Korea can be
confident in the safety of Canada’s beef.”
The ministers said Canada and South Korea have resolved
technical issues and will continue to collaborate until the
commercially viable agreement is fully implemented.
“South Korea, as one of Canada’s most important trade
and investment partners in the Asia-Pacific region, offers
tremendous opportunity for workers and businesses
in important sectors across Canada,” added Fast. “This
important step towards restored access is welcome news. On
behalf of Canadian producers we will be closely monitoring
South Korea’s domestic process.”
The Canadian Beef Export Federation (CBEF) estimates
that the agreement could mean more than $30 million for
Canadian producers by 2015. In 2002, South Korea was
Canada’s fourth biggest beef market and remains a key
market for the Canadian agriculture sector.
Ritz noted he travelled to South Korea twice to push for
the removal of this trade barrier, which led to Canada’s
“controlled BSE risk” status from the World Organisation
for Animal Health (OIE).
In August 2009, Canada requested the establishment of
a WTO panel to negotiate access to South Korea. Although
confident in its WTO case against South Korea, Canada
continued to negotiate a possible bilateral settlement
that would provide commercially viable access to South
Korea. With this agreement now achieved, Canada will
formally request a suspension of the ongoing WTO Panel
proceedings once South Korea submits the import health
requirements for public consultation on June 28.
20 Canadian Meat Business July/August 2011 meatbusiness.ca