WASHINGTON - The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has urged the Clinton administration to fully probe South Korea's claim that 18 tonnes of frozen beef imported from the United States was tainted with a potentially deadly strain of the E. coli bacteria.
In letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman that was also sent to key members of Congress, the cattlemen took offense at how South Korea has handled the issue so far and asked the administration "to closely evaluate if the Koreans are being obstructionists and using this issue as a means to reduce demand for U.S. beef and to slow trade."
South Korea is typically either the third or fourth largest export market for U.S. beef, depending on the year.
U.S. beef exports to South Korea dipped to $255 million in 1996, from $333 million the previous year, NCBA Chief Economist Chuck Lambert said.
But U.S beef exports to South Korea "have increased substantially" so far in 1997, he said.
South Korea committed to increasing beef imports under the 1995 Uruguay Round trade pact and separate bilateral agreements.
But low domestic beef prices prompted South Korea to request relief from those market access committments earlier this year, Lambert said.
On Friday, South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture announced through a written statement that inspectors had detected the H7 strain of the O-157 E. coli bacteria in 18 tonnes of frozen beef imported from the United States.
In their letter to Glickman, the NCBA complained that South Korea acted "outside the standards of common courtesy and normal relations between long-time trading partners" by announcing the matter publicly instead of first going through "normal diplomatic channels."
Lambert emphasized that the NCBA is not "accusing (South Korea) at this stage" of lying about the contamination.
But the NCBA is upset that South Korea has so far refused to meet with U.S. Agriculture Department aides on the issue or to permit retesting of the frozen beef, he said.
"They're bad-mouthing our products," Lambert said. "We want to make sure the facts are the facts."
In addition to verifying the test results, the cattlemen want the Clinton administration to:
- press South Korean to demonstrate that beef produced in South Korea and imported from other countries is being held to the same stringent standard as U.S. beef.
- secure a committment that an upcoming South Korean tender for U.S. beef will not be canceled or delayed and that South Korea will fulfill all its import committments under existing trade pacts.
- express "grave disappointment" that South Korea chose to publicly announce its concerns prior to communications through customary diplomatic channels.
- reassure South Korea consumers of the safety of U.S. beef processing and inspection methods.
The South Korea incident coincides with the recent detection of E. coli in about 40-60 pounds of fresh ground beef sold by a grocery store in Southern Virginia.
That beef originated in Beef America Co. plant in Norfolk, Va. The beef shipped to South Korea came from an IBP Inc. plant in Dakota City, Nebraska.
Agriculture Department officials were unavailable Tuesday to comment on the Beef America or the South Korea case.
The department has sent a compliance officer to the Norfolk plant to check the company's records and determine where other beef handled the same day as the contaminated beef was shipped.
Both episodes follow last month's recall of 25 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties by Hudson Foods Inc. because of suspected E. coli contamination. That beef recall was the largest in U.S. history.
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