After 20 years of embargo, Korea reopens its borders to French and Irish beef

5 months ago 25

South Korea is reopening its borders to French and Irish beef, after closing them in 2001 following the “mad cow” scandal, the European Commission announced on Thursday (13 June), calling it a “significant development” at a time when EU beef market is stagnating.

This agreement is “proof of trust in our high food safety standards. Good news for French and Irish beef producers, who now have access to this major meat market!” the Commission said on X.

In 2001, South Korea closed its market to beef from 15 EU member states because of outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

This disease, which first appeared in the UK in 1996, has affected hundreds of thousands of cows fed on animal meal. It also caused a variant of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and killed 224 people worldwide.

But over the last ten years or so, with the disappearance of mad cow disease, Europe’s partners have reopened their markets to European beef. The United States did it in 2013 and China five years later.

Negotiations

The European Commission said it was delighted at a “positive result” obtained with the Republic of Korea, the result of negotiations conducted over several years under the free trade agreement (FTA) signed with this partner in 2011.

“This shows that FTAs deliver real benefits for EU producers,” commented Valdis Dombrovskis, the executive vice-president of the Commission who is also the trade commissioner.

He was in Seoul last November to defend the idea to Korean ministers and parliamentarians.

The Commission said in a press release South Korea had recognised “the high level of safety provided by the EU’s harmonised food safety control measures”.

Before France and Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands obtained the right to export their beef to Korea already in 2019.

Market of 50 million consumers

This development is linked to growing demand for beef in Korea, which produces only a third of its needs: 10% in 2020, and 4% in 2021.

At a time when beef production and demand in Europe have been steadily declining for several years, the opening up of a market of 50 million consumers is a welcome development for the French and Irish beef industries.

The Republic of Korea is one of the largest beef import markets in the world.

According to the Commission, other member states “will soon follow in being able to export beef to the Republic of Korea”.