Canada likely to take S. Korea beef ban to WTO panel: official

SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- Canada is expected to take South Korea's beef ban to
the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) after making
little headway in bilateral negotiations, a senior official said Tuesday.
South Korea's import ban has been in place since May 2003, when the North
American country confirmed its first case of mad cow disease. Ottawa lodged a
complaint with the WTO against the ban in early April.
"If no breakthrough is made by June 9, Ottawa can call for the establishment of
an international panel that could compel Seoul to lift its current ban on
Canadian beef," Agriculture Minister Chang Tae-pyong told reporters.
"When the dispute settlement panel is set up, it will mark the start of official
proceedings that can make binding decisions," he said.
Under WTO rules, formal talks to iron out differences must begin within 30 days
of a country's submission of a complaint. If no agreement is reached within 60
days of the filing, the matter can be forwarded to a dispute settlement panel to
resolve differences with a definitive ruling.
Chang said if Seoul loses the dispute, there may a need to revise the updated
livestock epidemic prevention law that sets tougher standards for importing meat
from countries that have confirmed cases of BSE.
The rules were made last year after the government decided to lift its ban on
U.S. beef that caused a public uproar and forced President Lee Myung-bak to
publicly apologize.
"The revised epidemic prevention law can be construed as hindering free trade,
and the ministry has asked parliament to make necessary changes to avoid being
criticized," he said.
He added that if the WTO calls on South Korea to lift the 30-month age rule for
cattle that can provide meat, the same rule would have to apply to U.S. beef.
At present, South Korea only imports U.S. beef from animals under 30 months old.
In the long run, however, Chang said the maximum age limit rule will probably
have to be lifted.
Canada has been calling on South Korea to lift its ban after the Paris-based
World Organization for Animal Health classified Ottawa as a "controlled risk"
country in terms of mad cow disease. This designation technically allows it to
export its beef without any restrictions if certain risk materials are properly
removed.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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