Beef News
S. Korea suspends quarantine inspections of U.S. beef
By Tom Johnston on 8/2/2007 for Meatingplace.com
The U.S. Meat Export Federation says it's a critical distinction that South Korea has suspended inspections and not trade of U.S. beef following the discovery of banned spinal tissue in a Seoul-bound shipment of the product.
However, USMEF spokesman Lynn Heinze told Meatingplace.com, the next several days are going to be crucial as more and more U.S. beef collects at Korean ports and warehouses.
"A lot of product has landed, cleared, and is still on the way," he said. "It's a matter of resuming quarantine inspections so that product can move."
Meantime, Washington is working to meet Korea's demand for an explanation of how pieces of vertebral column found their way into a box of U.S. beef that arrived in Seoul on July 29. Seoul also is asking that U.S. officials take measures to prevent future such infractions.
Mark Klein, spokesman for Wichita, Kan.-based Cargill Meat Solutions, told Meatingplace.com the processor shipped to Seoul 41,128 pounds of beef labeled beef chuck eye roll, including a 37.6-lb. box containing a single cut of bone-in short loin. Seoul has suspended imports from Cargill's Friona, Texas, beef plant.
"Cargill currently is investigating how this might have happened," Klein said, noting that the company is cooperating with USDA and South Korean officials as they conduct their own investigations.
Definition discrepancy
Heinze said it's important that Korean quarantine officials emphasize to local media that U.S. product that has cleared inspection is safe, and noted there is a discrepancy between how Seoul and OIE define specified risk materials. In this case, the spinal cord had been removed; only the bone remained, he noted.
"That's another important distinction," Heinze said. "The problem is that at the time our current agreement was approved in March, there was still debate about how to properly define SRMs. According to Korean officials, the spinal column qualified as an SRM. But, as indicated by the quarantine service's statements, they recognize the OIE definition is very different from theirs and they're working on adopting OIE standards.
"We need to move away from the boneless standard, because it's virtually impossible to meet," he added.
South Korea's National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said it also suspended imports from three other U.S. beef plants on July 31 after discovering bone-in short rib from three boxes that arrived sometime between July 22 and July 27.
However, USDA Deputy Press Secretary Corinne Hirsch told Meatingplace.com, "I don't think that's been confirmed. We haven't heard that at all."
Steve Norton, spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative, told Meatingplace the latest incident shouldn't stick a fork in the KORUS free-trade agreement.
"It doesn't change the big picture, which is that Korea's president has committed to adopting import protocols that reflect OIE standards," he said. "And I think Korea knows full well that Congress is unlikely to approve the FTA so long as its beef market remains inappropriately closed to U.S. beef."
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=18567
STANLEY PRUSINER NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER ON THE PRION SLAMS USDA ON BSE
US AG SEC AND LAYCRAFT
"nothing ELSE matters, except beef from canada under 30 months bones beef
product, that's ALL THAT MATTERS!"
STAN THE MAN
question for stan ;
is this a demonstrated threat to public health safety ?
stan states ;
yes i think they (prions) are bad to eat, and you can die from them.
http://maddeer.org/video/embedded/08snip.ram
TSS