S Korean Constitutional Court endorses US beef imports
Sunday, 28 December 2008
SEOUL, Dec 27 (AFP): South Korea's Constitutional Court today turned down a petition against US beef imports, citing the lack of evidence for increased risks of mad cow disease.
Some 96,000 people signed a petition filed in June by a group of activists who claimed that the government's decision to resume US beef imports greatly increased health risks.
The activists said the move was in breach of the government's constitutional obligation to protect public health.
"In light of international standards and scientific findings, there is little evidence that the government failed to protect the people's lives and health" with the resumption of beef imports, it said.
South Korea was once the world's third-largest market for US beef, with imports worth 850 million dollars a year until these were suspended in 2003 after a US case of mad cow disease.
Last year authorities briefly resumed imports of boneless beef from cattle aged under 30 months, but these were suspended after banned bone chips were found in some shipments.
In hopes of pushing ahead with a wider free trade deal, the Seoul government in April agreed to resume imports of most cuts of US beef. But the pact sparked months of mass street protests, ostensibly over fears of mad cow disease.
The sometimes violent rallies subsided only after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for the meat. Sales resumed on July 1.
Some 96,000 people signed a petition filed in June by a group of activists who claimed that the government's decision to resume US beef imports greatly increased health risks.
The activists said the move was in breach of the government's constitutional obligation to protect public health.
"In light of international standards and scientific findings, there is little evidence that the government failed to protect the people's lives and health" with the resumption of beef imports, it said.
South Korea was once the world's third-largest market for US beef, with imports worth 850 million dollars a year until these were suspended in 2003 after a US case of mad cow disease.
Last year authorities briefly resumed imports of boneless beef from cattle aged under 30 months, but these were suspended after banned bone chips were found in some shipments.
In hopes of pushing ahead with a wider free trade deal, the Seoul government in April agreed to resume imports of most cuts of US beef. But the pact sparked months of mass street protests, ostensibly over fears of mad cow disease.
The sometimes violent rallies subsided only after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for the meat. Sales resumed on July 1.