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By Sen. Ben Nelson It’s been 5 years since South Korea banned beef imported from America because one U.S. cow tested positive for mad cow disease. Our interlocking system of safeguards discovered the cow before the meat ever went to market but the South Korean government reacted unreasonably and banned all U.S. beef from their country. Before the ban, South Korea was the third-largest market for U.S. beef with imports worth $850 million a year. It was Nebraska’s second largest beef market importing $108 million of Nebraska beef annually. In 2006, U.S. negotiators from USDA and USTR reached an agreement by which Seoul lifted the ban partially but only under terms that contained severe restrictions that were not commercially viable. Korea got the U.S. to agree that only meat from cows less than 30 months old and that contained no bones would be accepted. Over the next few years Korea arbitrarily reinstated their ban any time a shipment containing bone-in meat was sent by mistake or if they found a tiny bone fragment in some of the meat. Although the beef was known to be perfectly safe, Korea unilaterally determined that the shipment violated the agreement and they’d respond by shutting down all beef trade. There was nothing fair about this arrangement. Delicious Irony The irony was as thick and delicious as a Nebraska steak recently during Korean Ambassador Lee Tae-sik’s visit to Nebraska . At a luncheon he was able to enjoy a big juicy steak that was firmly attached to a large bone. During the Ambassador’s visit, he indicated that his government was leaning toward fully reopening their markets to U.S. beef. A couple of weeks later the official announcement came that they would agree to resume full importation of U.S. beef. Although this is a good sign, I remain skeptical because we’ve been down this road before. My Main Concern The Administration believes it has a deal with South Korea by which South Korea has agreed that they will soon fully comply with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines. However, our cattlemen have been hurt by Korea’s unfair trade practices these last 5 years and they deserve nothing less than a complete resumption of the beef trade. That means permitting the entry of all cuts of beef and all ages of cattle consistent with OIE standards. I will gladly accept that this deal has been reached when trade has fully resumed and U.S. beef is on the shelves in South Korea. Free Trade = Fair Trade Getting a Korean Free Trade Agreement through Congress will be very difficult so long as Korea continues to rely upon arbitrary and unreasonable restrictions on the U.S. beef they will import. As I have told the ambassador, free trade also means fair trade and the improper use of food safety concerns cannot be considered fair trade practices. The Fundamental Issue Korea claims that food safety is their concern, but this contradicts the well-known fact that U.S. beef is the safest in the world. However, under the old export agreement the Koreans hold all the cards and have been able to do whatever they want--food safety notwithstanding, -- and the Department of Agriculture has been unable to stop them, while compounding the problem through incompetent oversight and inspection of shipments going to Korea. If South Korea wants that free trade agreement it will have to completely open its beef market just as they have promised. When they start playing fairly, then we can consider the free trade agreement. |
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