S. Korea to set up new agriculture-food quarantine inspection agency

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to set up a consolidated agriculture-food quarantine and inspection agency within the year to better protect public health and guard against substandard product circulation, the government said Monday.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the new agency,
if established, will be tasked with checking product safety and conducting import
quarantine services on agriculture and fisheries goods. It will also check
livestock brought into the country from abroad.
At present, such work is conducted separately by the National Veterinary Research
and Quarantine Service, the National Plant Quarantine Service and the National
Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service. All three organizations have
inspectors at ports and airports to check imports and conduct separate on-site
screening of products sold on the market.
"The new organization, an amalgam of the three bodies, is expected to improve
overall efficiency and streamline the administrative process which has been cited
for being redundant," a ministry official said.
He said the farm ministry has been reviewing such a move for some time with the
final plan sent to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security last month.
Since the measures call for changes to existing organizations, no parliamentary
approval is required so the merger could take place by year's end.
No layoffs are planned since the quarantine and inspection work involves
different products. A deputy minister-level official is expected to head the new
agency staffed by around 1,300 people.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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