PROVACUNO travels to South Korea to speed up the opening of this market
At this meeting, which took place on Wednesday 5 March, the PROVACUNO delegation presented the Spanish request to speed up a process that began more than five years ago and has been paralysed for bureaucratic reasons. In addition, interviews were organised in these days with future buyers who have already shown their interest in the product.
South Korea, like Japan, is pursuing the consumption of high-quality meat. The demand for meat from young animals that predominantly consume high-value cereals and oilseeds has become their purchasing priority, and the Spanish product, which meets these requirements and is characterized by its tenderness, juiciness and low fat content, fits perfectly with this demand.
"South Korea has become a thorn in the side of the market opening strategy in Asia. We have been working since 2018, trying to get the Korean authorities to take the necessary steps to open a market that is of high value to our producers. The European Union, which is in charge of maintaining negotiations with this country, has informed us that the continued delay in negotiations is not usual and that the corresponding expressions of disagreement have been forwarded to the Korean authority", explained Javier López, director of PROVACUNO.
The Korean authorities already visited our country in 2022 and although the visit was very satisfactory, the report of this inspection has not yet been received, which focused on verifying that Spain is free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and that management in this regard is effective.
The consumption of quality beef in Korean society, which currently stands at around one million tonnes, is increasing. The country produces around 350,000 tonnes a year and imports around 600,000 tonnes. At PROVACUNO we hope that the activity carried out by the interprofessional organisation under the EU Beef Asia-Nice to Beef You Project, co-financed by the EU, will allow to see beef from Spain on the sales shelves of South Korea.
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