South Korea is gradually removing decades-long trade restrictions on European beef, but restrictions remain in place in several EU countries.
South Koreans will soon be able to indulge in the classic French delicacy boeuf bourguignon but will have to wait longer for a slice of bresaola, the traditional Italian cured beef.
The Republic of Korea officially opened market access for beef from France and Ireland earlier this month, putting a stop to an import ban in place since 2001 after the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) – so-called ‘mad cow’ disease.
The restrictions were a source of friction in the 2000s while the bloc and South Korea were negotiating their free trade agreement (FTA) – eventually brokered in 2011 and formally ratified in December 2015.
In September 2019 South Korea began lifting the beef ban, first only for producers from the Netherlands and Denmark, as a sign of goodwill toward the bloc.
It took another five years for a similar normalisation with Ireland and France, and a further eight large beef-exporting countries, including Italy and Poland, are still waiting in line.
An EU executive spokesperson told Euronews that other member states will soon follow in being able to export beef to South Korea.
“We consider that this trust in beef from the EU will soon lead to market access of beef from the remaining EU member states, which have had applications pending for several years,” the spokesperson said.
But European producers eager to know when exactly the remaining restrictions will be lifted have no clear answer.
A source in the EU’s farmers lobby Copa Cogeca appeared confident that all countries would benefit “in the near future” from accessing the Korean market.
Last year the Commission lifted a ban on imports from South Korea of ginseng chicken soup samgyetang – prohibited since 1996 due to concerns over hygiene standards.
The EU executive denies any connection between the beef and the chicken soup.
Korea’s first shipment of 8.4 tons of precooked samgyetang from the port of Busan to Germany was greeted by the presence of several government officials as well as South Korea’s food producers.
Trade in food between the bloc and South Korea increased in just ten years since the FTA entered into force from a 5.4% share of the EU’s total food exports to 7.6%.
