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Food News Clipping

March 24, 2011

2011.03.24

FAS/Seoul Monitoring of Media Reporting on Agricultural Issues
Today's Date:   March Thursday 24, 2011
For Coverage:  March 23 - 24, 2011
 
 
1. ECONOMIC ISSUES
 

Korea increases market access for selected agricultural products [Korean: BYK]

http://www.moneytoday.co.kr/view/mtview.php?type=1&no=2011032314070035388&outlink=1

Summary: Korea allocated an additional market access for sows and breeding chicks to meet the surge in demand arising from FMD and AI outbreaks that resulted in the culling of many breeding stocks.  It also increased the market access amount for corn (seed purpose), feed supplements, green pea, sesame seed, pepper, soybean (crushing), starch and potatoes.  This market access is valid up to the end of 2011.
 

  

4. LIVESTOCK ISSUES

 

Local Cattles Are Raised in ¡®Honeycomb¡¯ Cells ¡¦ 2/3 of a Sheet of A4 Paper Space for a Chicken ¡¦ 2 Sheets of A4 Paper Space for a Swine ¡¦ Vulnerable to Epidemic Diseases [Korean, OSY]

http://news.donga.com/Society/New/3/03/20110324/35832556/1

Summary: Reporters¡¯ visits to local livestock farms revealed terrifying living environment of local cattle.  Most of the livestock animals raised in Korea are kept in honeycomb like tight cells with minimal access to sun lights and fresh air.  To prevent diseases under this unnatural living environment, animals are given vaccines and anti-bacteria shots on a regular basis.  The whole system is vulnerable to epidemic disease outbreaks.  It is likely that Korean government will introduce new measures that will promote better living environment for the animals and consequently help prevent disease outbreaks.

 

Livestock farms refusing to give up mass breeding [English, CSY]

http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=020000&biid=2011032464868

Summary : National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, National Plant Quarantine Service, and National Fisheries Product Quality Inspection Service will be merged into one organization to strengthen quarantine capabilities.   The government, however, is known to have excluded a plan to limit the number of raised animals for fear of strong objections from livestock farms and difficulty in implementation.   A government source said, ¡°Mass breeding is a serious problem, but with the size of most livestock farms smaller than the legal requirement, the plan has many obstacles.¡±

 

In a survey of 651 livestock farms nationwide conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Institute in October last year, more than half of the farms said they will not introduce an animal welfare-oriented breeding system or had interest in it. Sixty-five percent of pig and chicken farms that use mass breeding were also against the new system.   A pig farm owner told Dong-A, ¡°Under the current livestock product distribution structure, animals cannot be sold for more money even if they¡¯re raised in an environmentally friendly way,¡± adding, ¡°Requiring us to reduce the heads of livestock is like asking us to die.¡±

 

Who is telling the truth about shot gun pellet [Korean: BYK]

http://www.sisaseoul.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=39252

Summary: The story about finding shot gun pellet in imported beef being sold at a franchise restaurant is raising questions about who is telling the truth.  The customer that claims of finding this in beef that he was eating got offended when he did not receive any apologies or compensation from the franchise owner and reported this to NVRQS.  However, the franchise company is stating that the pellet is thicker than the sliced meat and also that the meat had been marinated in sauce that contains 10 percent salt but that the status of the pellet was too clean to have been sitting in such condition.  NVRQS is keeping its mouth closed about the origin of this beef.
 

 

 

U.S. had plans to push for Over-thirty-month (OTM) beef  [Korean: BYK]

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/economy/economy_general/469632.html#

Summary: According to a report put out by CRS of the U.S. Congress (Embassy comment: We think the article is referring to OIG), the USG had plans to pressure the ROKG to get a firm promise for full liberalization of U.S. beef if the import volume of U.S. beef increases in Korea.   To fulfill this plan, the USG set up ¡°4 detailed conditions¡± in August 2009.  This seems to be a reflection of what happened in April 2008 when it ran up against strong protest from the Korean consumers when both countries agreed to a full market opening without any conditions.  The conditions lay out detailed points on what could be considered as the time when confidence for U.S. beef has recovered, such as resume beef imports from OTM if there is no further BSE case found in the United States for 3-5 years, or if the market share of U.S. beef goes above a certain level, etc.

 

3. MARKETING ISSUES

 

Korean food firms flooded with orders from Japan [English, CSY, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2011/03/24/37/0501000000AEN20110324004900320F.HTML

Summary: South Korean food makers have been swamped with orders for bottled water and instant noodles from Japan following radiation leaks from an earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant, the companies said Thursday.    The flood of orders comes as concerns over the safety of food and drinking water are mounting in Japan following the detection of radioactive iodine exceeding the permissible level for infants in Tokyo's tap water.

 

Survey shows Internet-savvy S. Koreans spend more time online [English, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/03/23/0200000000AEN20110323003300315.HTML

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans now spend more time online and on mobile phones than five years ago, a survey said Wednesday, the latest sign that the Internet has become a daily necessity for many people in one of the world's most wired countries.

South Koreans surf the Internet for an average of 37 minutes during weekdays, up 25 minutes from 2005, according to the findings of a research institute of KBS, a major public television broadcaster in Seoul.

 
4. OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
 

S. Korea unable to check radiation levels of Japanese imports [English, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/03/23/0200000000AEN20110323009400320.HTML

Summary: SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea cannot check radiation levels of imported Japanese products because it does not have necessary scanners at seaports and air cargo terminals, officials said Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said that while passengers and luggage are being checked, no screening takes place for manufactured goods.

2011/03/23 18:10 KST

 

Gov't to freeze imports of Japanese food in case of radiation fears [English, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/03/23/0200000000AEN20110323011100315.HTML

Summary: SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will temporarily freeze imports of Japanese food when there is a fear of serious radioactive contamination, the government said Wednesday.  The decision was made in the first meeting of a government committee tasked with devising food safety policies, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik.

 

Lee says incentives more useful than regulations for forest development [English, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/03/23/0200000000AEN20110323008000315.HTML

Summary: SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak said Wednesday his government should provide local authorities with incentives for eco-friendly land development, rather than resorting to regulations, to improve urban scenery and give people more places to rest. "Government officials should acknowledge that moving toward the direction of giving incentives can be more effective than strengthening regulations," Lee said

 

Strong earthquake hitting Korea cannot be ruled out: expert [English, OYS]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/03/23/0200000000AEN20110323006900320.HTML

Summary: SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The possibility of a potentially destructive earthquake occurring on the Korean Peninsula cannot be ruled out in light of its geological features and historic data, a local seismologist said Wednesday.
Chi Heon-cheol, a researcher at the state-run Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources (KIGAM), said that while there is very little chance of a major quake hitting the country, a tremor with a magnitude of 6.5 or higher could take place.

 

 

The information in this report was compiled by the Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. The press summaries contained herein do NOT reflect USDA, the U.S. Embassy, or other U.S. government agency official policy or view point. U.S. food exporters can learn more about market opportunities in South Korea by reviewing ATO Seoul¡¯s Exporter Guide and other reports available at www.fas.usda.gov by clicking on ¡°attaché reports¡±.

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Agricultural Trade Office, U.S. Embassy - Seoul
Tel: 82-2-6951-6848 Fax: 82-2-720-7921
Email: atoseoul@state.gov