By Kim Tae-gyu
Canada is threatening to resume its complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) should Korea fail to begin importing Canadian beef next year as previously agreed.
A source familiar with the issue said Wednesday that Canada is ready to return to a WTO dispute settlement panel because Korea’s National Assembly may not approve imports of Canadian beef due to a partisan standoff.
Korea promised to lift its eight-year ban on Canadian beef imports in June, which started due to mad-cow disease outbreaks there in 2003. In return, Canada dropped its complaint with the WTO.
``Korea pledged to import Canadian beef products from cattle aged less than 30 months, which are regarded as safe, from next year. But the country might not comply with the promise due to parliamentary wrangling,’’ the source said.
``In this climate, Canada has reiterated its willingness via various diplomatic channels to resume WTO procedures unless the Assembly keeps the Dec. 31 deadline.’’
The source expressed concern that Asia’s fourth-largest economy might suffer a host of problems.
``We might have to import beef from cattle older than 30 months or materials we agreed not to import regardless of age. And we have to remember that the European Union is keeping an eye on the Canadian case as a benchmark,’’ he said. Under the Korea-Canada contract, brains, eyes, spinal cord and other specified risk materials (SRM) are not supposed to be traded between the two nations irrespective of the age of cattle because they are believed to be more susceptible to carrying the disease.
``The hitch is that lawmakers worry too much about public sentiment since the mad cow row in 2008 involving U.S. beef imports. In addition, the ongoing partisan bickering is aggravating the issue.’’
The Lee Myung-bak administration agreed with the United States back in 2008 to restart imports of U.S. beef, which generated a nationwide uproar including months of candlelit protests because of worries about mad cow disease.
This prompted many lawmakers not to proactively deal with the Canadian beef issue.
On a far more negative note, the governing Grand National Party unilaterally passed the controversial free trade agreement with the U.S. last month, prompting opposition parties to boycott any other parliamentary discussions.
When contacted, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) admitted that it is concerned about the possibility that the Assembly may fail to keep the deadline.
Yet, the ministry refused to confirm whether the Canadian government officially threatened to return to WTO action.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/12/123_101326.html
1 comment:
Korea promised to lift its eight year ban on Canadian beef imports in order to make Canada to drop its complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, with the nearing deadline and no movement to remove the ban, Canada threatens to resume the threat of a complaint. Many protests in Korea due to an agreed restart of imports with U.S. beef after the outbreak of mad cow disease makes lawmakers uneasy about a deal with Canada. Canada is already losing out to the U.S. as they have the Korean market to themselves. However, Canadian governments are once again being proactive in making sure that promises made are kept. Still, it is unlikely that Korea will lift the ban before the deadline.
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