Majority of S. Koreans think Canadian beef unsafe: poll

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Most South Koreans think Canadian beef is unsafe to
eat, a poll conducted by a state-run think tank said Thursday.
The poll surveyed 800 people nationwide early last month and showed only 2
percent of the respondents believed Canadian beef is safe, the Korea Rural
Economic Institute (KREI) said.
Of those surveyed, 75 percent claimed meat from Canadian cattle is unsafe to eat,
while slightly more than 23 percent said safety levels were "average."
Of the total, just 15 percent said they would buy Canadian beef if it were
available.
"The number of people who said they will buy Canadian beef stood 11 percentage
points lower than a similar poll in January about willingness to purchase U.S.
beef," an official said.
South Korea blocked all beef imports from Canada in May 2003 after the first
confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was reported by Ottawa.
The country has since reported 15 cases of cattle that have contracted mad cow
disease.
The ban has been maintained despite Canada's designation in 2007 as a "controlled
risk" country for BSE, otherwise known as mad cow disease.
The two countries are currently tying to iron out differences over the beef trade
issue, with Ottawa having formally filed a complaint with the World Trade
Organization.
The KREI report, in addition, showed that consumers are willing to pay less for
Canadian beef than U.S. beef.
"Respondents said they would pay 5,096 won per 600 grams of boneless Canadian
beef compared to 5,913 won for U.S. beef and 7,000 won for Australian beef," the
official said, adding that the difference reflects consumer confidence and views
on the quality of the meat.
For locally raised beef, consumers said they were willing to pay 19,050 won for a
600 gram cut.
KREI's latest report, meanwhile, speculated that even if Seoul opened its market
to Canadian beef, the move would have little impact on local cattle and beef
prices.
It said that with such marginal domestic demand, the size of any future imports
would be limited, especially since Australian and U.S. beef effectively control
the domestic imported beef market.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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