S. Korea bans Chinese heat-processed duck meat

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- Import of Chinese heat-processed duck meat has been
suspended after the discovery of a antimicrobial substance that can cause a fatal
condition known as aplastic anemia in humans, the government said Monday.

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said it found 1.0
parts per billion of Chloramphenicol in a 3.8 ton shipment of meat from a Chinese
meat exporter.
It said the ban will be imposed until Henan Huangchuan Huaying Poultry
Corporation-Meat Products Co. can determine the exact cause of the contamination
and ensure that tainted meat is not shipped to South Korea in the future.
Because the meat packer is the only company that ships heat-processed duck meat
to South Korea, the ban will effectively halt all imports of the product. The
company shipped 363 tons worth of duck meat this year.
NVRQS added that for products that are already in transit, no quarantine
inspections will be carried out, while the 190 tons that are held in customs must
undergo detailed examinations to check for any traces of the drug.
Chloramphenicol is used to treat human patients, but has been banned from
livestock use since 1991 because it can cause aplastic anemia and childhood
leukemia on rare occasions.
Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough
new blood cells. There is no known cure for the condition.
It is almost always fatal and can affect people weeks and months after having
been exposed to the drug.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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