Discovery of dioxine in U.S. beef unlikely to affect future imports ( 06/12/24 ) | |||||
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Part | Charger | kyj | date | 06/12/24 | |
The discovery of dioxine in U.S. beef will not result in South Korea imposing a ban on future imports, a government official said Friday (Dec. 22).
Lee Sang-kil, head of the agriculture ministry’s livestock bureau, said that at present only the meat-processing plant responsible for shipping the beef will be penalized.
"Taking steps to ban all beef imports will be taking the matter out of context," the official told reporters. The higher dioxine levels could have been caused by a problem with the feed, or the animal might have ingested some paint from its enclosure fencing, he said.
The official said Seoul has asked Washington for explanations as to why the meat was contaminated with dioxine in the first place.
The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said it found higher than permitted dioxine levels in a meat package belonging to a 10.2 ton shipment that arrived in the country on Dec. 1. The dioxine level was tested at 6.26 picograms. This is larger than the 5 pg limit set by Seoul. One picogram is equivalent to one trillionth of a gram.
The toxic compound can damage the human immune system and cause cancer, but rarely if ever at the level detected.
The director general said that because several bone fragments were found, the beef was in the process of being sent back and there was no risk of it reaching the market.
The United Stares has also asked Seoul for more details of the test conducted by the quarantine service.
The two countries had agreed to allow American back beef into the country, but only in the form of "de-boned" meat. This clause has allowed South Korea to send back three shipments of beef since last month.
Agriculture ministry officials said that while a loose definition of "de-boned" could in theory allow small fragments to enter the country, other countries that import U.S. beef had no such provisions and there was no need for South Korea to do so either.
Korea banned American beef after a mad cow case was reported in the U.S. in late 2003.
Deputy Finance Minister Kim Sung-jin stressed earlier in the day that the issue needs to be approached in a sensible manner.
He said on a radio talk show that sending back entire shipments when only a small fragment of bone was found could be hard to explain, and this could collide with international practices.
"We need to consider the health concerns of our citizens, but the country also needs to approach this matter rationally," he said, indicating that the Ministry Finance and Economy may be willing to negotiate on the matter.
Kim said that local cattle ranchers’ rights must be balanced with consumer interests, given that the price of local beef sold in South Korea is currently 5-10 times more expensive than comparable prices in other markets.
"Just as it is important to help ranchers, the rights of consumers must also be protected," the deputy minister said.
- quoted from : www.korea.net
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