By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter


The government will have to face the issue of the resumption of U.S. beef imports during President George W. Bush’s visit to South Korea in November.

Bush will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan (Pusan), the nation’s second-largest city, on Nov. 18-19 and concerns are rising on the part of farmers regarding the prospects of U.S. pressure during his visit.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MOAF) plans to hold a panel discussion on animal disease quarantine next month without specifying the date but is said to be considering holding the talks before or after the APEC summit.

The ministry is anxious that farmers may see a sign to lift its ban on U.S. beef as a concession.

Major agricultural groups representing farmers’ interests are threatening to stage rallies, if the government decides on the ban lifting, without guarantees that U.S. beef is free from mad cow disease. An additional case of mad cow disease was reported in the U.S. early this year.

The Korean government is feeling the pressure as Japan is considering resuming beef imports from North America in a few months.

Japan is expected to ease its two-year ban on U.S. and Canadian beef imports before the end of this year as an expert panel sees risks related to mad cow disease between Japanese and North American beef as extremely small, major Japanese media reported on Monday.

A draft recommendation report compiled by the Prion research group will be given to the Food Safety Commission, which will hold a public hearing for about a month before finalizing its recommendations.

Depending on the recommendations, the Japanese government will decide whether or not it will resume imports of Canadian and U.S. beef but it is widely believed that the resumption is a matter of timing.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr