Industry 2008/04/21 16:17 KST
(LEAD) Seoul to clamp down on false labelling of beef
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will take steps against the labeling of beef with a false country of origin and provide cash support to enhance production of local high-quality meat, the government said Monday.
In the move announced after Seoul agreed to re-open its market fully to U.S. beef last week, the government said it will increase the number of enforcement monitors from 400 to 1,000 and conduct detailed monitoring of all meat stores and restaurants with floor space of 300 square meters. It added that eateries with floor space of over 100 square meters are to be checked starting in June.
Seoul said Friday that it agreed to new import sanitation rules that give unfettered access to most cuts of U.S. beef, including bone-in beef and byproducts, from around mid-May. This sparked concerns over public health and criticism from farmers who cannot compete effectively with cheap meat from the United States.
"At present, regional governments and the Korea Food and Drug Administration only check for food safety and not country of origin, but this will change under the new rules," said Vice Agriculture Minister Park Deok-bae. He said the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service will be exclusively tasked with checking labeling violations and taking administrative actions.
"If a restaurant intentionally hides the place of origin, owners could face fines of up to 30 million won, jail time of less than three years and suspension of business for up to a month," he said. For retailers, the fine will be raised to under 100 million won, while offenses could result in a maximum prison term of seven years.
It also said that the state plans to give cash incentives of 100,000-200,000 won (US$100-$201) to farmers for the production of superior hanwoo meat mainly through castration of male cows.
Castration affects meat quality, but requires at least six more months of feeding.
Seoul also plans to speed up a nationwide tracking system for all cattle so that after July 2009 no locally raised beef can be butchered without proper identification. Taxes on butchering of cattle at the 106 livestock processing centers will be scrapped in the near future to further reduce costs for farmers.
"The 470 billion won worth of taxes collected by regional authorities through the butchering tax will be compensated by more allotments given out by the central government," the official said.
The policymaker also said that state compensation for the killing of cattle infected with the brucella virus will be increased from the current 60 percent of the animal's price to 80 percent.
In addition, Seoul is to help livestock growers find new export markets.
The ministry said talks have been held with Japan so exports of fresh pork from Jeju Island can resume from December, while exports from the rest of South Korea may take place in 2009 if there are no animal related outbreaks.
Supporting pork exports is important because U.S. beef may only cost marginally more than locally grown pork and cause South Korean consumers to turn to beef.
It said Seoul will set aside 1.5 trillion won in the next 10 years to upgrade cattle farms and production facilities, as well as take steps in the winter to grow barley that can be given to cattle instead of imported feed.
Regarding the decision to resume U.S. beef imports, Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun said no political considerations were involved in the negotiations that resulted in Seoul agreeing to terms set by Washington and the World Organization for Animal Health.
"Issues like the free trade agreement played no role in negotiations," the official told reporters.
He claimed that by allowing U.S. beef into the country and enforcing tougher labelling regulations, Seoul is trying to set a new paradigm to enhance consumer choice and induce farmers to raise more quality livestock.
The official then said concerns of mad cow disease were exaggerated to some extent and that new import rules would be adequate to ensure public health.
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