Korea holds plenty of potential for U.S. beef producers despite some lingering resistance. That was the conclusion of a U.S. trade group returning recently from a week-long mission to South Korea and Japan . U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Vice Chairman Keith Miller of Great Bend said continuing to educate Korean consumers about the safety of U.S. beef will be the key to further growth.
“If we can get consumer sentiment turned around, I think we can recapture even more of the market,” he said.
Korea began accepting U.S. beef in 2008, nearly five years after implementing a ban based on the December 2003 discovery of BSE in Washington state. Korean activists staged vocal and sometimes violent protests when U.S. beef was re-introduced last year.
Members of the trade mission visited a Korean cattle operation, where all of the corn used to finish cattle was imported and costs of gain were relatively high. Miller said this confirmed the dramatic advantages held by U.S. beef producers and the prospects for increased trade as Korean consumers gain confidence in U.S. beef.
The trip was funded by the Kansas Corn Commission (KCC), a long-time financial supporter of U.S. beef and pork exports through USMEF. Miller, several KCC leaders and WIBW-Kansas Ag Network farm broadcaster Greg Akagi were part of the contingency touring the Pacific Rim countries