Rumours linking animal disease with US FTA bewilders Seoul
Ghana News Agency | 11th January 2011
Rumours linking animal disease with U.S. FTA bewilders Seoul
The government on Tuesday berated rumour mongers claiming quarantine officials were intentionally allowing a highly contagious animal disease to spread, calling them irresponsible and an affront.
More than 1.34 million livestock have been culled since the first case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed on Nov. 29. The government has sought help from the military and other available volunteers to assist quarantine officials battling to contain the illness, the most severe among such outbreaks in the country so far.
Internet postings said the government may not be trying hard to prevent the spread of FMD since the culling of livestock could help boost sales of American beef.
South Korea and the U.S. agreed to a revised free trade agreement (FTA) on Dec. 3 after months of negotiations. Although beef was not included in the trade pact, Washington pressed hard for a wider South Korean market opening for the import of American beef.
"The government must be trying to spread the disease to kill cows and pigs and make up for the meat supply shortage with U.S. beef," an Internet user wrote on a bulletin board of a Web portal, citing the fact that the time of the FMD outbreak overlapped with the conclusion of the FTA.
Some even charged that U.S. beef exporters have spread the virus of the contagious disease to promote sales of their product.
"I heard that there are malicious rumours that the government has been purposely passive in dealing with FMD to promote the import and sales of U.S. beef, but that’s absolutely groundless," government spokesman Park Sun-kyoo said in a briefing.
"These rumours discourage livestock farmers and quarantine officials who are doing their best to prevent the spread of the contagious disease," he said. "Comments like this really sadden people like them, and I hope (the comments) do not reappear."
South Korea restricts imports of American beef according to the age of the cattle due to fears of mad cow disease. An earlier government decision to resume U.S. beef imports led to weeks of streets rallies in 2008.
