U.S. wants South Korea to stop playing beef games
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
Agri News staff writer
DES MOINES -- The U.S. cattle industry has had enough of South Korea's games, says Colin Woodall, director of legislative affairs with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Speaking at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association Winter Conference in Des Moines last week, Woodall said the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is prepared to stop a free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States until it follows scientifically-based trade protocols related to beef.
"Korea wants a free trade agreement so bad they can taste it, but NCBA and the U.S. beef business are in a position to make sure that doesn't happen," Woodall said.
The United States has sent three shipments of beef to South Korea, and all three have been rejected. The South Koreans say bone fragments that have been described as ranging in size from "half a grain of rice to half a peanut" are to blame Woodall said.
"We sent a letter to the president complaining about this situation because it's quite obvious Korea doesn't want a commercially viable beef trade with the United States," Woodall said. "If they did, all three shipments would have been accepted. All U.S. beef is BSE-free and should not have been turned down."
Woodall said NCBA told the president, the secretary of agriculture and the U.S. trade representative to hold Korea accountable. The organization asked ag secretary Mike Johanns to pull the export certifications for Korea.
"If we continue to send load after load of beef to Korea, we should be prepared to have load after load rejected, and every time a load is rejected, we look bad in the face or our other global trade partners," Woodall said.
On a more positive note, response from Japanese consumers to resumption of beef trade has been tremendous, Woodall said.
"Japanese retailers can't keep beef on the shelves," he said.
Because Japan will only accept beef from cattle under 20 months of age, restaurants can't get enough beef.
"Now that we have proven that the Japanese consumer wants our product, the focus will be to get Japan to agree to accept cattle 30 months and younger," Woodall said.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
Agri News staff writer
DES MOINES -- The U.S. cattle industry has had enough of South Korea's games, says Colin Woodall, director of legislative affairs with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Speaking at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association Winter Conference in Des Moines last week, Woodall said the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is prepared to stop a free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States until it follows scientifically-based trade protocols related to beef.
"Korea wants a free trade agreement so bad they can taste it, but NCBA and the U.S. beef business are in a position to make sure that doesn't happen," Woodall said.
The United States has sent three shipments of beef to South Korea, and all three have been rejected. The South Koreans say bone fragments that have been described as ranging in size from "half a grain of rice to half a peanut" are to blame Woodall said.
"We sent a letter to the president complaining about this situation because it's quite obvious Korea doesn't want a commercially viable beef trade with the United States," Woodall said. "If they did, all three shipments would have been accepted. All U.S. beef is BSE-free and should not have been turned down."
Woodall said NCBA told the president, the secretary of agriculture and the U.S. trade representative to hold Korea accountable. The organization asked ag secretary Mike Johanns to pull the export certifications for Korea.
"If we continue to send load after load of beef to Korea, we should be prepared to have load after load rejected, and every time a load is rejected, we look bad in the face or our other global trade partners," Woodall said.
On a more positive note, response from Japanese consumers to resumption of beef trade has been tremendous, Woodall said.
"Japanese retailers can't keep beef on the shelves," he said.
Because Japan will only accept beef from cattle under 20 months of age, restaurants can't get enough beef.
"Now that we have proven that the Japanese consumer wants our product, the focus will be to get Japan to agree to accept cattle 30 months and younger," Woodall said.