By So where are the anti-Canadian beef protesters at?:
Ottawa has taken its complaint against a Korean ban on Canadian beef to the World Trade Organization, a government official said Tuesday. Eight other countries have agreed to arbitrate on the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body.
They are the U.S., the EU, Brazil, Argentina, China, India, Japan and Taiwan. The panel’s decision is binding on WTO members.
There is speculation that the panel will favor Canada because the U.S., the EU, Brazil and Argentina are major beef exporters. If so, Korea will face pressure to resume imports of Canadian beef, which were stopped after an outbreak of mad cow disease in Canada in 2003.
Korea has upheld the ban although Canada was classified by the world organization for animal health (OIE) as a “controlled risk” country for BSE, citing a new case of BSE in May. Canada says this breaches international trade norms. [Chosun Ilbo]
11:03 am on September 25th, 2009 1
They've given Canada little choice. Someone in the Korean government has been staling the negotiations to lift the ban.
The funny thing is that they lifted the ban on night time protests recently…Is the government hoping that, just for once, the mad cow hysteria won't be directed at Lee Myung Back?