SOUTH Korea has announced it will inspect only a sample of US pork shipped to the country and will lift a ban on US swine, restrictions that were established last spring in the wake of the A/H1N1 influenza outbreak in the US and other parts of the world.
NPPC president Don Butler says the council has been working closely with government officials in the US and other countries to restore trade that was disrupted by the H1N1 outbreak.
He also suggested that the agreement should "reignite enthusiasm" for the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement that, when fully implemented, has the potential to make Korea the largest market for US pork and add $10 per head to US hog prices.
The US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) greeted the decision as "good news" for US pork producers in light of the importance of the Korean market.
And at a time when US producers are experiencing extensive losses - now estimated at $21 per head since September 2007.
Korea last year was the sixth-largest export market for US pork but a market that this year was down 10pc in volume and 7pc in value through May, according to NPPC. It also is a major market for US swine breeding stock, NPPC says.
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