S. Korea to export pork to Hong Kong starting next week

SEOUL, Jan 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will begin commercial exports of pork to
Hong Kong for the first time ever starting next week, the government said
Wednesday.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Hong Kong has
agreed to import pork from South Korean meat processing companies that meet its
quarantine inspection rules, starting on Monday.
The agreement came after Seoul provided Hong Kong with a list of 49 local
companies that want to ship pork and by-products to China's special
administrative region in advance.
The two sides have been engaged in talks to permit shipments of Korean pork from
2008 with a provisional pact being reached last year.
"Under the terms of the agreement, exporters must not only meet quarantine
requirements but provide the names of Hong Kong-based companies that will
distribute and sell their products on the market," said Chang Ki-yoon, head of
the ministry's quarantine division.
He said to ensure food safety and quality, local meat processors will also have
to receive oversight from the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service
prior to the products being exported.
The ministry, meanwhile, said that if commercial exports begin in earnest, the
Hong Kong market can help local pig farmers find new outlets for their products.
It said most exports are likely to be pig by-products such as fat and intestines
that can be used as base materials to make other food.
South Korea in the past only shipped out small "sample" quantities of pork to
Hong Kong with none being exported on a large commercial scale.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)

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