The World Trade Organization has set up a dispute settlement panel to hear Canada's challenge of South Korea's continuing ban on Canadian beef, AFP reported quoting Canada's trade minister.
"South Korea's continuing ban is not based on international standards or on science," Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day was quoted as saying in a statement. "This is a clear violation of South Korea's WTO obligations."
"This request by Canada demonstrates our ongoing commitment to resolving this issue and defending the interests of Canadian producers," he said.
The request for a WTO panel to rule on the case came after WTO-brokered talks failed earlier this year.
Canadian officials have insisted that in spite of concerns about a case several years ago of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) ― also known as mad cow disease ― Canada's beef is safe.
In May 2003, Seoul banned imports of Canadian beef after BSE was discovered in a Canadian cow.
Before the ban, South Korea was Canada's fourth-largest beef export market, valued at $50 million in 2002.