South Korea decides to talk with United States on resuming beef imports

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea said Monday it would begin talks with the United States to resume beef imports following a two-year ban sparked by fears of mad cow disease. The decision would mark the first step in reopening what had been the third-largest market for American beef. It follows last week's announcement by an advisory committee that banned U.S. beef could be considered safe to eat if stronger inspection and quarantine measures are taken.

"We notified the U.S. of our decision today," said Chang Ki-yoon, an official at the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry. "It's up to the U.S. when the talks will begin."

The U.S. undersecretary of agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services, J.B. Penn, will discuss scheduling the beef talks Tuesday during a stopover in Seoul on his way back from a World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong, officials said. Penn is to meet South Korean Vice Agriculture Minister Lee Myung-soo.

At the planned talks, the two countries will discuss specific import conditions, such as designating U.S. slaughter houses allowed to process beef going to South Korea, officials said.

South Korea slapped the ban on U.S. beef imports in December 2003 after a Holstein cow in the U.S. state of Washington tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease. South Korea has so far rebuffed repeated U.S. requests to end the ban, citing health and safety concerns.

Before the ban, South Korea had been the third-largest market for U.S. beef exports. In 2002, the country imported 193,000 tonnes of U.S. beef worth $610 million US, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Japan, which had a similar ban, eased its ban on U.S. and Canadian beef Monday last week after two years of negotiations and a lengthy approval process.

© The Canadian Press, 2005