Korea reopened to German pork
Deliveries of German pork to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) are now possible again after a two-and-a-half-year ban as a result of the first detections of African swine fever (ASF) in Germany. The first three German slaughterhouses and processing plants were re-approved by the Korean authorities for export to South Korea. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) had made intensive efforts to conclude a regionalization agreement in order to be able to resume trade from the unaffected regions of Germany.
Federal Minister Cem Özdemir explains: "Our efforts to lift the ban on deliveries of German pork to Korea are having an effect! I am very pleased that we have managed to make it clear that we have put in place effective protective measures against African swine fever in Germany. We are working on lifting bans on German pork in other third countries, especially with regard to China, and we will take every opportunity to do so.African swine fever and the following restrictions have dealt our pig farmers a severe blow - and in one Time in which many companies have been faced with further existential challenges and the associated structural breaks for years."
A key sales market in Asia has thus been reopened for German pork. In 2019, the Republic of Korea imported around 106.000 tons of pork from Germany, including around 41.000 tons of pork belly. With almost 298 million euros, Korea was the second largest buyer of pork from Germany among the third countries this year.
Hintergrund:
Due to the difficult negotiating position due to persistent outbreaks, from July 2021 also in domestic pigs, and the negative attitude of the Korean pork producers, the negotiations for a regionalization agreement have been very complex and lengthy. With the support of the EU Commission, which has also campaigned for the recognition of the entire EU's regionalization measures towards Korea, a milestone was reached last September with the formal recognition of regionalization by Korea.
