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Who would have thought? Beef.
With his approval ratings hit hard by mass anxiety about American
beef, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak backed away Tuesday from a
wildly unpopular agreement to resume U.S. beef imports. He had
personally approved the deal less than two months ago.
The South Korean leader's approval rating is down below 20%. Astounding.
"We have lost the public's confidence over this matter," Lee told his cabinet Tuesday, according to a spokesman.
Plunging poll numbers apparently also played a role in Lee's decision.
In office just 100 days, he has seen his approval ratings sink below 20
percent, a historic low so early in a South Korean president's term.
They agreed to a deal to import U.S. beef over 30 months of age.
Mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) does not,
according to some, manifest itself in an animal, so as to be dangerous,
until 30 months. International rules and USDA rules have incorporated
this 30 month rule.
But the US imports beef from animals over 30
months of age from Canada, over protests from R-CALF USA, many cattle
producers and consumer groups. Cargill and Tyson, U.S. based companies,
pressured USDA to do this because of their massive Canada operations
dependence upon sending beef across the border. The USDA has dutifully
pressured other countries to do the same.
South Korea agreeed. At least their leadership did. Now they do not agree, because the public outcry is tremendous.
His government asked the United States on Tuesday to refrain from
shipping beef from animals that were more than 30 months old at the
time of slaughter, which many people here believe raises the risk of
mad cow infection.
Until the U.S. government complies, it appears that all beef imports will remain on hold.
The South Korea FTA is in more trouble. Beef was a major sticking
point, that the USTR thought they had solved. Never mind that the FTA
model is a proven harm to the US economy now.
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