South Korea's Suspension of US Beef Imports Concerns MCA
US - South Korea’s recent suspension of U.S. beef imports is disturbing news for cattle producers. The concern is not the lost market, but how the Cargill plant could miss such a large piece of BSE specific risk material (SRM) in a box of boneless beef.
9 August 2007
1 minute read
“It is difficult to watch an export market slip away because of the actions of the packing industry.”
Jeremy Seidlitz
“Montana’s ranchers produce some of the finest cattle in the world. We take pride in combining our top notch genetics with generations of know-how to create a quality product,” noted Jeremy Seidlitz, Executive Director of the Montana Cattlemen’s Association. “It is difficult to watch an export market slip away because of the actions of the packing industry.”
South Korea was once the third largest importer of U.S. beef, but banned beef imports due to the fear of BSE in 2003. This ban was lifted in January; however, the South Korean government refused three shipments of U.S. beef when governmental inspectors found small bone fragments in boxes of beef.
“It is abundantly clear that the South Korean government has adopted a zero tolerance policy when it comes to accepting boneless beef from the U.S.,” continued Seidlitz. “For the sake of our industry, I would hope that beef packers and exporters will implement all available technology to ensure that ‘boneless beef’ does not contain bone fragments of any kind.”
Source: Prairie Star
