Korea has found bone fragments in a second shipment of U.S. beef and decided to return or destroy it, only a week after it made the same decision over the ill-fated first lot of beef that arrived here when the import ban was lifted. The National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service (NVRQS) on Friday said it discovered three bone fragments while inspecting 3.2 tons of beef imported from the U.S. on Nov. 23. ¡°We believe the bone fragments did not come from parts with a high risk of spreading BSE like the spinal cord, but we did not pass it according to an agreement with the U.S.¡± that allows only import of boneless meat. The Ministry of Agriculture will cancel the export license to Korea of the plant in Nebraska that processed the beef in question.
The decision will add to tensions between Korea and the U.S. over trade as the next round of free trade agreement negotiations on Dec. 4 looms. Already U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Nov. 28 criticized Korea for applying ¡°invented¡± standards. ¡°They found a small piece of cartilage, rejected the whole shipment, notwithstanding the fact that this is not a threat to anyone. They acknowledge it¡¯s not a threat to anyone,¡± he said. ¡°South Korea has been, until this arose, pretty straightforward to deal with, but you can¡¯t trade under these circumstances.¡±
 |
|
A bone fragment discovered in imported U.S. beef during inspection on Friday (above). An inspector measures the bone fragment.
|
 |
|
NVRQS chief Kang Mun-il said Korea¡¯s standards are if anything less strict than those of other nations. ¡°Taiwan also returned U.S. beef products after it discovered a bone fragment in April,¡± he added. A ministry official also warned against putting the cart before the horse. ¡°The reason we keep discovering bone fragments in U.S. beef is that U.S. processing plants are not as careful in inspecting their products as they should be because they want to cut costs,¡± he said.
Korea and the U.S. agreed in January that Korea can renew its ban on all U.S. beef imports if parts linked to a high risk of BSE are found in shipments, and stop individual U.S. meat processing plants from exporting to Korea if proscribed parts are found in their beef.
A third shipment of 10 tons of beef awaits inspection in quarantine in Yeongjongdo.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
