S. Korea-EU FTA does not call for Seoul's beef market opening: gov't

SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- The planned free trade pact between South Korea and
the European Union (EU) does not oblige Seoul to automatically open its beef
market, the government said Wednesday.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that issues
surrounding beef imports require additional negotiations on food safety, while
the free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated outlines commitment to World
Trade Organization guidelines, sanitary and sanitation conditions.
Most cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease were
reported in Europe, with Britain confirming over 183,000 cases so far. Eating
certain cuts from sick animals has been blamed for causing the fatal variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
Of the 27 EU members, 23 countries such as Britain, Belgium, France and Germany
are classified as "controlled BSE risk" or "negligible BSE risk" countries by the
Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health. The two designations
technically permit those countries to export beef without restrictions, although
actual trade is determined after negotiations between governments.
"There have never been any negotiations on specific items in the South Korea-EU
FTA talks," a ministry official said.
He pointed out that any decision on beef imports will be determined after all
variables are checked under an eight-tiered review process, with South Korea
reserving the right to stipulate additional conditions.
The official, in addition, stressed that an FTA does not translate into beef
market opening.
"South Korea maintains FTAs with Chile and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, but it does not buy beef from those countries," he said.
Others in the farm ministry said many EU countries do not have much price
competitiveness in beef, making it unlikely that South Korean companies will
order meat even if Seoul agrees to allow imports.
After eight rounds of talks, the two sides have effectively ironed out
differences on most outstanding issues, with the exception of South Korea's duty
drawback scheme. The scheme allows import tariffs to be returned to companies
that use imported materials to make products for export.
Seoul officials hope to wrap up the deal in May.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)