USMEF seeks to beef up South Korea market

USMEF seeks to beef up South Korea market    The U.S. Meat Export Federation said Wednesday it will use $1 million in competitive cost-share grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Market Access Program to augment efforts to increase sales of beef and beef products in South Korea.
   USMEF said it would also seek an additional $10 million in MAP funding this year to implement a five-year strategy to further expand U.S. beef exports to Korea, which used to be the No. 3 export market for the U.S. beef industry.
   “The U.S. meat industry has faced unprecedented and unscientific technical barriers to trade that, in the name of food safety, have unnecessarily restricted U.S. exports,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and chief executive officer. “These new resources will enable us to expand and intensify our efforts with a goal of the complete restoration of the beef market in Korea.”

Seng

   South Korea was the United States’ third-largest beef export market in 2003, prior to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the U.S. South Korea imported 246,595 metric tons of U.S. beef, valued at $815 million, that year. In the seven years since then, Korea has imported a total of 253,738 metric tons of product, with much of that coming in 2010. Export levels in 2010 still remained half that of pre-BSE levels.
   The USMEF said it would reach out to key stakeholders in South Korea and rebuild Korean consumer confidence in U.S. beef by educating consumers and retailers about U.S. beef safety assurance and inspection systems.
   “This integrated strategy will support and complement the ongoing efforts of the U.S. government to convince Korea as well as governments throughout North Asia to open their markets to U.S. beef on the basis of science-based international standards,” Seng said.
   Seng added the proposed U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement would dovetail perfectly with the enhanced initiative. The goal is to help the United States regain the position as the No. 1 imported beef in Korea, reaching and potentially exceeding the peak imported beef market share of 68 percent attained in 2003.
   If approved, the FTA would reduce duties on U.S. beef from 40 percent to zero over 15 years, making it more affordable for a broader range of Korean consumers.