Special Report
Ambassador says Korea FTA passage likely
Korean Ambassador Han Duk-soo told reporters at AgConnect Expo Saturday that ratification of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) appears imminent. He says his hope is that it will be in place no later than this June. President Obama strongly supports the agreement.
The ambassador says the agreement will bring a seismic change to Korea’s ag trade structure. He says Korea’s average tariff on ag products is 48 percent and the level of protection is also high.
While the deal leaves in place Korea’s ban on beef cattle 30 months of age and older, Ambassador Han says the amount of US beef being imported to Korea continues to steeply climb. He says the age issue is a BSE-safety related issue and is commercially small, representing only three-to-five percent of total beef export from the United States. He hopes the “safety problems” won’t be any hindrance to passage of the FTA.
The ambassador spoke at a town hall forum sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation co-located with AgConnect Expo in Atlanta.
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