South Korea imposed increased inspection requirements on U.S> supplied beef following the finding of an atypical BSE case in South Carolina. Atypical cases occur spontaneously and, importantly, rarely. The U.S. remains in the category of being a negligible risk for BSE according to World Organization for Animal Health criteria and therefore it should not change trade related measures. However, beef imports in countries like South Korea are a highly political matter and officials felt compelled to take some form of action. While South Korea’s beef imports have grown and now represent over half of domestic market consumption, its own production has increased despite the onslaught. A similar dynamic has occurred in Japan where import...

TAGS – Livestock, Asia