24 July 2009

2 minute read

Asia

According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in introducing its request for a panel, Canada said that Korea maintained a ban on the importation of bovine meat and meat products from Canada allegedly to protect against risks arising from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and that it had also adopted measures that placed unjustified restrictions on the resumption of imports of bovine meat and meat products from Canada.

For more than six years Canada had been trying to restore access for its beef to Korea based on science, said Canada. Despite Canada's efforts to restore access through the submission of technical documents as well as discussions with its Korean counterparts, the import ban remained without justification, said Canada.

Canada noted that in May 2007, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognized Canada as a controlled risk country for BSE, and that the OIE reconfirmed this status in 2008 and 2009.

On 7 May 2009, consultations were held but did not resolve the dispute, hence Canada's request for a panel,says the WTO.

Korea expressed disappointment that Canada had chosen to proceed with a request for panel establishment and said that whilst it had never detected BSE in its territory, 16 outbreaks had been reported in Canada including two recently, in November 2008 and in May 2009.

Korea urged Canada to reconsider its decision to proceed to panel establishment and to instead engage in thorough bilateral consultations. Korea was not in a position to accept panel establishment at the present time.

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