Korean Agency Claims Consumers Overwhelmingly Reject U.S. Beef
By Richard Smith
SEOUL, South Korea — More than 70 percent of South Korean housewives have no intention of buying U.S. beef due to BSE fears and other negative images, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Sunday.
Yonhap reported a survey, commissioned by South Korea's ministry of agriculture and fisheries, showed 70.2 percent of housewives aged 30 to 40 said they "won't buy," or "would not prefer to buy" U.S. beef, compared to 10.6 percent who answered that they "have an intention to buy" it.
MAF said the survey of 1231 housewives was conducted by Korea Gallup, Yonhap reported.
Asked what image they have of U.S. beef, 35 percent of the respondents picked BSE. About 10 percent described their image of U.S. beef as untrustworthy, and 7.8 percent answered poor quality. Yonhap said MAF officials were not available for comment that day.
Yonhap said the survey was released at a critical time, as South Korea and the U.S. were due to hold talks Monday and Tuesday to resolve a prolonged row over Seoul's repeated rejection of U.S. beef shipments.
(Isn’t it convenient that a “survey” commissioned by a Korean government agency hell-bent on maintaining a ridiculously transparent non-tariff trade barrier finds overwhelming public disapproval of the product being blocked? Let’s face it, 70 percent opposition to U.S. beef is a lot to swallow. If there were a shred of truth to such a figure, the agency wouldn’t be fighting to block imports of U.S. beef because no one would be willing to import it in the first place. — Ed.)
South Korea resumed imports of U.S. beef in October, after lifting a three-year ban because of BSE. A few tiny bone fragments were found in the shipments. Bone is forbidden under a South Korea-U.S. agreement.
The meat came from Creekstone Farms of Arkansas City, Kansas, Premium Protein Products of Hastings, Nebraska, and Pacific Processors of Des Moines, Iowa.
The beef talks would focus on redefining the word "deboned" used in the latest agreement to allow South Korea to resume U.S. beef imports, Seoul's government officials reported earlier, Yonhap said.
But the talks were canceled because the U.S. did not reply to Seoul's invitation, a Yonhap editor told Livestock Weekly Tuesday.
"It is believed the talks will be held during the FTA negotiations (between South Korea and the U.S. in Seoul) starting January 15," said the editor, who asked not to be identified.
Yonhap reported January 1 that the U.S. was expected to request South Korea import "bone-in" beef, depending on the size of the bones, during the canceled Monday and Tuesday talks.
But MAF officials said the request would not be accepted, given the prevailing public sentiments against U.S. beef, with bone fragments discovered in the shipments so far, Yonhap reported.
Yonhap News said the beef issue has emerged as one of the major hurdles in FTA talks between South Korea and the U.S. While the beef matter is not technically a subject of the talks, Washington's trade officials and U.S. meat industry groups have pressed Seoul to ease what they call strict quarantine rules.
Contrastingly, the country's ministry of finance and economy frowns on the policy of banning shipments because of minor infractions, the Seoul English-language daily newspaper The Korea Herald reported December 23.
The Herald reported Sung-Jin Kim, deputy minister for MFE's international affairs division, said on a local radio returning all the U.S. beef imported to South Korea based on the finding of a small bone fragment during a thorough inspection is unwarranted.
"Public health is very important, but we need a more rational and balanced approach of dealing with the issue of U.S. beef," Kim said, the Herald reported. This is the first time a high-level ministry official has criticized the government as "irrational" and puts MAF and MFE at odds, the newspaper said.
The Herald reported Kim criticized MAF's "unreasonable approach" and the country's quarantine measures. "It is not right to impose standards on the pretext of upholding public health if they go against the consensus of the international community," Kim said.
The Herald said Kim further expressed disapproval toward South Korea's beef prices, criticizing the fact they are five to 10 times higher than the international average. "Protecting the income of our livestock farmers is important, but I also think the rights of consumers are also important," he said, the newspaper reported.
Farmers of Asia's third-largest economy oppose more competition for fear of losing their livelihoods as a result of cheaper, high-quality U.S. produce and livestock, the Herald reported January 3.
The U.S. and South Korea also traded questions after the third rejected shipment was found to have included levels of the toxic chemical dioxin exceeding South Korea's norm, media in the country reported.
The 10.2-ton shipment from Pacific Processor arrived in South Korea December 1, AP reported.
Seoul has asked Washington to explain why the beef contained the dioxin, said a South Korean MAF official. The official refused to give his name, a common practice among the country's government officials, who will not otherwise provide information, AP reported.
AP reported an official at the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, who also refused to give his name, and a MAF statement both said 6.26 picograms of dioxin was found December 21 in one gram of fat.
South Korean standards limit dioxin content to no more than five picograms per gram of fat. A picogram is equivalent to a trillionth of a gram. The World Health Organization's daily dioxin consumption safety limit is one to three picograms.
NVRQS senior researcher Mee-Kyung Kim said dioxin is sometimes found in beef due to environmental pollution in the food chain. She said dioxin testing is carried out at random on about 100 samples of imported beef a year, AP reported.
AP reported a U.S. government official, speaking December 22 on condition of anonymity, defended the safety of U.S. beef and said the USDA was working on a request seeking details on South Korea's testing methodology.
By Richard Smith
SEOUL, South Korea — More than 70 percent of South Korean housewives have no intention of buying U.S. beef due to BSE fears and other negative images, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Sunday.
Yonhap reported a survey, commissioned by South Korea's ministry of agriculture and fisheries, showed 70.2 percent of housewives aged 30 to 40 said they "won't buy," or "would not prefer to buy" U.S. beef, compared to 10.6 percent who answered that they "have an intention to buy" it.
MAF said the survey of 1231 housewives was conducted by Korea Gallup, Yonhap reported.
Asked what image they have of U.S. beef, 35 percent of the respondents picked BSE. About 10 percent described their image of U.S. beef as untrustworthy, and 7.8 percent answered poor quality. Yonhap said MAF officials were not available for comment that day.
Yonhap said the survey was released at a critical time, as South Korea and the U.S. were due to hold talks Monday and Tuesday to resolve a prolonged row over Seoul's repeated rejection of U.S. beef shipments.
(Isn’t it convenient that a “survey” commissioned by a Korean government agency hell-bent on maintaining a ridiculously transparent non-tariff trade barrier finds overwhelming public disapproval of the product being blocked? Let’s face it, 70 percent opposition to U.S. beef is a lot to swallow. If there were a shred of truth to such a figure, the agency wouldn’t be fighting to block imports of U.S. beef because no one would be willing to import it in the first place. — Ed.)
South Korea resumed imports of U.S. beef in October, after lifting a three-year ban because of BSE. A few tiny bone fragments were found in the shipments. Bone is forbidden under a South Korea-U.S. agreement.
The meat came from Creekstone Farms of Arkansas City, Kansas, Premium Protein Products of Hastings, Nebraska, and Pacific Processors of Des Moines, Iowa.
The beef talks would focus on redefining the word "deboned" used in the latest agreement to allow South Korea to resume U.S. beef imports, Seoul's government officials reported earlier, Yonhap said.
But the talks were canceled because the U.S. did not reply to Seoul's invitation, a Yonhap editor told Livestock Weekly Tuesday.
"It is believed the talks will be held during the FTA negotiations (between South Korea and the U.S. in Seoul) starting January 15," said the editor, who asked not to be identified.
Yonhap reported January 1 that the U.S. was expected to request South Korea import "bone-in" beef, depending on the size of the bones, during the canceled Monday and Tuesday talks.
But MAF officials said the request would not be accepted, given the prevailing public sentiments against U.S. beef, with bone fragments discovered in the shipments so far, Yonhap reported.
Yonhap News said the beef issue has emerged as one of the major hurdles in FTA talks between South Korea and the U.S. While the beef matter is not technically a subject of the talks, Washington's trade officials and U.S. meat industry groups have pressed Seoul to ease what they call strict quarantine rules.
Contrastingly, the country's ministry of finance and economy frowns on the policy of banning shipments because of minor infractions, the Seoul English-language daily newspaper The Korea Herald reported December 23.
The Herald reported Sung-Jin Kim, deputy minister for MFE's international affairs division, said on a local radio returning all the U.S. beef imported to South Korea based on the finding of a small bone fragment during a thorough inspection is unwarranted.
"Public health is very important, but we need a more rational and balanced approach of dealing with the issue of U.S. beef," Kim said, the Herald reported. This is the first time a high-level ministry official has criticized the government as "irrational" and puts MAF and MFE at odds, the newspaper said.
The Herald reported Kim criticized MAF's "unreasonable approach" and the country's quarantine measures. "It is not right to impose standards on the pretext of upholding public health if they go against the consensus of the international community," Kim said.
The Herald said Kim further expressed disapproval toward South Korea's beef prices, criticizing the fact they are five to 10 times higher than the international average. "Protecting the income of our livestock farmers is important, but I also think the rights of consumers are also important," he said, the newspaper reported.
Farmers of Asia's third-largest economy oppose more competition for fear of losing their livelihoods as a result of cheaper, high-quality U.S. produce and livestock, the Herald reported January 3.
The U.S. and South Korea also traded questions after the third rejected shipment was found to have included levels of the toxic chemical dioxin exceeding South Korea's norm, media in the country reported.
The 10.2-ton shipment from Pacific Processor arrived in South Korea December 1, AP reported.
Seoul has asked Washington to explain why the beef contained the dioxin, said a South Korean MAF official. The official refused to give his name, a common practice among the country's government officials, who will not otherwise provide information, AP reported.
AP reported an official at the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, who also refused to give his name, and a MAF statement both said 6.26 picograms of dioxin was found December 21 in one gram of fat.
South Korean standards limit dioxin content to no more than five picograms per gram of fat. A picogram is equivalent to a trillionth of a gram. The World Health Organization's daily dioxin consumption safety limit is one to three picograms.
NVRQS senior researcher Mee-Kyung Kim said dioxin is sometimes found in beef due to environmental pollution in the food chain. She said dioxin testing is carried out at random on about 100 samples of imported beef a year, AP reported.
AP reported a U.S. government official, speaking December 22 on condition of anonymity, defended the safety of U.S. beef and said the USDA was working on a request seeking details on South Korea's testing methodology.