On November 4th last year, Chef Park Jin-yong cooks with French beef at the event ‘French Beef, Taste of Terroir’ held at the French Embassy in South Korea, celebrating the resumption of French beef imports./Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

Eight months after the resumption of imports of French beef, imports have been suspended. The ambitious plan announced last November to penetrate the Korean market now seems to be in vain.

According to industry sources on the 2nd, imports of French beef were banned from the Korean market in 2000 due to the mad cow disease (BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy) issue and resumed in November of last year. This was the first time in 24 years. At that time, Philippe Bertoux, the French ambassador to South Korea, said, “French beef has entered Korea again. It has been a long-awaited development, following the agreement of the leaders of the two countries.”

The suspension of imports of French beef eight months after their resumption is due to the outbreak of lumpy skin disease in France. Lumpy skin disease is classified as a type 1 legal infectious animal disease under the Animal Infectious Disease Prevention Act, which signifies it as one of the most dangerous infectious diseases. While it does not infect humans, it can cause mass deaths among livestock.

If the route for French beef to enter Korea is blocked, penetrating the market will be difficult for a while. For exports to resume, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must conduct multiple inspections and declare that the situation is unrelated to the occurrence of mad cow disease or lumpy skin disease.

As the situation has developed this way, some hotel dining establishments and restaurants claiming to offer fine dining have begun removing dishes that used French beef. A fine dining industry official noted, “Earlier this year, we used French beef in an experimental sense, and there were traces left on some menus, but we plan to remove them.”

In fact, the volume of French beef imported into the country is relatively small. From January to May this year, the total amount of French beef that entered the country was only about 20 kg. This is why large supermarkets and meal service providers have remained quiet despite the news of the suspension of French beef exports. Initially, the French side had stated that they would not compete in the mass market.

In reality, French beef has targeted certain hotel dining venues and fine dining restaurants rather than distribution channels that require price competitiveness, such as large supermarkets or meal service providers. This decision is based on the belief that the natural farming environment of French beef makes it suitable for consumers who are sensitive to value consumption rather than just price.

The taste also differs from other beef. This is due to different breeds in various regions of France and the different methods of raising cattle compared to the United States or Australia. An official from the restaurant industry remarked, “Since French beef is raised in pastures, it has a distinctive flavor. We were contemplating whether to include it for some consumers who enjoy fine dining,” adding, “While there are consumers who prefer French beef, their options will disappear again for a while.”

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