Hanwoo beef exports to Hong Kong resume despite lumpy skin outbreak

An owner of a cattle farm in Ulsan vaccinates a cow for lumpy skin disease, Nov. 1. Yonhap

Korea's hanwoo beef exports have made a breakthrough despite the recent outbreak of lumpy skin disease as Hong Kong has agreed to resume importing the Korean product from all regions of the country including areas where infections have occurred, according to the agriculture ministry, Tuesday.

After the first infection case was reported on Oct. 19, exports of hanwoo beef had been limited to regions where the disease has not been detected.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Korea's full-scale hanwoo beef exports will begin once again on Wednesday as eight cities and provinces that have suffered outbreaks as of Monday – Incheon and the provinces of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North and South Chungcheong, North and South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang – will be included in the outbound shipment list.

The deal came after Hong Kong's disease control authority revised its regulations to enable the broader import of hanwoo beef, as Korea has been trying to control the local spread of the disease. The revision resulted from an agreement between the ministry and the Hong Kong authority on Nov. 7.

The agreement, however, will continue to prevent the nation from exporting bovine organs and heads to Hong Kong, lifting bans only for meat. Under the current quarantine regulations in Hong Kong, the barred items remain restricted for export for 12 months from the first confirmed day of infection.

The ministry said it started sharing information as to how seriously the disease was affecting the country with the Hong Kong authority since the first infection of lumpy skin disease was detected.

"As a result of the bilateral agreement, the country's hanwoo exporters no longer need to go through the hardships of seeking new suppliers in North Gyeongsang Province and Jeju Island," said the ministry official, referring to regions that have remained clear of the disease so far and were thus allowed to continue exports.

Hong Kong has been the country's main hanwoo beef importer since 2015 when Korea started exporting the meat. The Chinese city has imported 63.8 percent of this year's entire hanwoo beef exports of 52.6 tons as of Nov. 9, according to the ministry.

Malaysia and Cambodia started importing the meat this year as well.