Issue of bone fragments is key focus at S. Korea-U.S. beef talks: Official ( 07/02/09 ) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part | Charger | kyj | date | 07/02/09 | |
Korean and U.S. negotiators are discussing how to deal with bone fragments in U.S. beef shipments that have prevented the sale of American beef on the local market, a senior government official said Wednesday (Feb. 7).
"Korea's stance on only allowing de-boned beef into the country remains unchanged, yet there is room for ideas to be exchanged on how to handle packages found to contain bone fragments," said Vice Agriculture Minister Park Hae-sang.
Park said the two sides are also exchanging views on Korea's testing for harmful substances that resulted in the detection of dioxine in a package of beef on Dec. 22, but he did not elaborate.
Negotiators from the two countries are engaged in a two-day-long talks in Seoul that are expected to run until Thursday.
Seoul, citing health concerns, had rejected entire shipments of U.S. beef after finding a single bone fragment. Three separate shipments totaling 22.3 tons of beef have been sent back so far.
The United States maintains that this policy impedes legitimate trade and that de-boned beef can include small bone fragments.
They have also said that if the beef import issue is not resolved, ongoing free trade agreement talks could be jeopardized.
Under a pact ironed out by Seoul and Washington in January 2006, Korea permits imported boneless beef from cattle under 30 months old to be sold in the country. Seoul banned American beef in late 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was reported in the U.S.
"The American officials are calling on their Korean counterparts to discontinue complete inspection on all American beef entering the country, and revert to the more conventional sample testing used to check agricultural products," an Agriculture Ministry official said.
The four-person team led by Charles Lambert, deputy undersecretary of agriculture, arrived in Korea on Tuesday to take part in the technical meeting.
quoted from www.korea.net
|
|||||
file | 0개
(전체저장 버튼 클릭 시 압축파일로 저장됩니다.)
|
||||