South Korea lifts Canadian beef imports ban

Canadian cattle farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief after South Korea lifted a ban it had imposed on beef from the North American country nine years ago during  the height of the ‘mad cow’ disease outbreak.

This announcement was made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Friday. Under the new agreement,Canada will be allowed to sell beef not exceeding 30 months of age.

According to Canada Beef Inc., the Canadian Cattlemen Association’s marketing division, beef producers in the country will rake in 30 million Canadian dollars (about US$ 29.61) by 2015 thanks to the agreement. Harper said that the agreement signed between his country and South Korea will help create a favorable climate and bolster trade relationship between the two countries.

The signing of the agreement is a culmination of a series of negotiation meetings that were initiated by Canada in June last year on the lifting of the ban that was imposed in 2003. South Korea banned beef from Canada after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was reported in the western part of the country.

The disease, which had affected cattle herds on Europe in 1990s, can infect humans as well. Canadian International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz the government had a hard time trying to convince South Korean government that beef fromCanadais safe.

Canada had also petitioned World Trade Organization (WTO) against South Korea’s decision since according to them, the Asian nation no scientific facts to back their decision.

South Korea agreed to drop the case in the summer of 2011.