Korea (Republic of) – Export requirements for meat and poultry products

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1. Eligible/ineligible product

a) Eligible

  • Beef
  • Pork
    • Prepared pork products derived from animals born or raised in Canada for at least three (3) months before slaughter.

b) Ineligible

  • Beef
    • the distal ileum and the tonsils from cattle of all ages
    • brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column from cattle over thirty (30) months of age (OTM) at the time of slaughter
    • brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column (excluding vertebrae of the tail, transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and wings of the sacrum) of cattle under thirty (30) months of age (UTM) at the time of slaughter
    • all mechanically recovered meat (MRM), mechanically separated meat (MSM), and advanced meat recovery products (AMR)
    • ground meat and processed beef products
    • intestines from duodenum to rectum
    • imported meat products
  • Cervidae derived products
  • Sausages produced using casings imported from a third country, including Canadian casings processed in a third country and re-imported to Canada.
  • Poultry meat products

2. Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country

Establishments

  • Establishments (slaughterhouses, processing plants and cold storages) shall be designated by the Canadian government as being eligible for producing beef for export to Korea, and such establishments shall be notified to the Korean government and approved by the Korean government through document review.
  • You may also refer to Annex 1 – List of Establishments Approved to Export to Korea for the list of establishments approved to export beef and not approved to export pork.
  • In order to avoid unnecessary delays at the border or possibly refusals, exporters should confirm, prior to export, that Canadian beef or pork establishments appear in the list of approved establishments published by the Korean authorities.
  • Korea maintain their own list of Canadian meat establishments. In order to avoid unnecessary delays/refusal at the border, exporters should confirm, prior to export, that the Canadian meat establishments appear in the list of approved establishments published by the Korean authorities.
  • The slaughter, processing and cold storage establishments are required to complete the following documents in order to be listed on Annex 1:

3. Product specifications, production controls, and inspection requirements

Operators of establishments, where eligible and non-eligible products are handled, must develop, implement and maintain control programs to ensure that non-eligible products can be distinguished from those that are eligible through receiving, processing, shipping and distribution. The control programs must be reviewed and be acceptable to the inspector in charge and must include monitoring, verification and record keeping activities, deviation procedures and be auditable and effective.

a) Beef and beef products

  • Cattle means domesticated bovine animals (Bos taurus and Bos indicus) that were born and raised in Canada or legally imported into Canada from a country deemed eligible by the Korean government to export beef to Korea.
  • Specified risk material (SRM) means:
    • the distal ileum and the tonsils from cattle of all ages
    • and, the brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column from cattle over thirty (30) months of age (OTM) at the time of slaughter
  • Beef for export includes all edible parts including bones, which are derived from cattle under thirty (30) months of age (UTM) at the time of slaughter. However, beef for export excludes:
    • SRM
    • brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column (excluding vertebrae of the tail, transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and wings of the sacrum) of UTM cattle
    • all mechanically recovered meat (MRM), mechanically separated meat (MSM), and advanced meat recovery products (AMR)
    • ground meat and processed beef products
    • intestines from duodenum to rectum
    • and, imported meat products
  • Food-safety hazard means any biological, chemical or physical property that may cause food to be unfit for human consumption.
  • Serious non-compliance means a food-safety hazard in a shipped product or a food-safety hazard found during a system audit.
  • Canada must be free from foot-and-mouth disease for the past twelve (12) months and from rinderpest, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, lumpy skin disease and Rift Valley fever for the past twenty-four (24) months; and vaccination must not have been carried out against the aforementioned diseases.
  • Cattle to produce beef for export must not be suspected or confirmed BSE cases, or confirmed progenies or cohorts of BSE cases.
  • The age of cattle at the time of slaughter must be verified to be under thirty (30) months of age (UTM) by the documentation authorized by the Canadian government. However, in the event that the identification is not available by the documentation, dentition shall be used to verify the age of cattle.
  • The beef for export shall be derived from cattle that were slaughtered in meat establishments which are approved by the Korean government and that passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection conducted by CFIA inspectors under the supervision of the resident official veterinarian from the Canadian government.
  • The beef for export shall be derived from cattle that were not subjected to a stunning process prior to slaughter, with a device injecting compressed air or gas into the cranial cavity or to a pithing process.
  • The beef for export shall be produced and handled in a manner which ensures that it does not contain and is not contaminated with SRM, mechanically recovered meat / mechanically separated meat (MRM/MSM), and advanced meat recovery (AMR) product.
  • Production, storage and transportation of the beef for export must be handled in such a manner as to prevent contamination by communicable animal disease pathogens.
  • Refrigerator or cold storage rooms on a vessel (aircraft) or container that transports the beef must be sealed by using the seal of the Canadian government or the Canadian government-authorized seal. An official veterinarian of the Canadian government must verify this in accordance with the routine CFIA verification procedures (Export Application Verification Form – Annex H (CFIA/ACIA 5344)) and issue a health certificate.
  • Establishments that produce beef for export to Korea shall have in place and operate proper control programs that include the determination of age, removal of SRM, identification of carcass and offal eligible for export and removal of ineligible parts for export.
  • Operators of establishments where eligible beef and beef products are manufactured for export to Korea must develop, implement and maintain effective and verifiable control programs for ensuring compliance with all additional Korean requirements. Where eligible and non-eligible products are manufactured at the establishment, the control measures must ensure that non-eligible products can be distinguished from those that are eligible through receiving, processing, shipping and distribution. The controls must include monitoring, verification and deviation procedures.
  • The Korean government can conduct on-site inspections and investigate the original records on the establishment for export to Korea, and can take measures including suspension of the export of the establishment if serious non-compliance with requirements listed in this section is found. When the Canadian government informs the Korean government of the completion of the corrective actions for the non-compliance of the relevant establishment, the Korean government confirms whether the corrective actions were taken appropriately through on-site inspection or other means. When the Korean government determines that the result of corrective actions is adequate, the Korean government can lift the suspension of exportation. The Korean government can rescind the approval of the establishment concerned if repetitive incidents of serious non-compliance are identified.
  • As part of the approval procedures, the control programs developed by the operator must be reviewed by and be acceptable to the inspector-in-charge and must include monitoring, verification and record keeping activities, deviation procedures and be auditable and effective. The verification of the implementation and maintenance of the control programs by the operator will be performed using routine inspection procedures. In the event that a serious non-compliance is identified, the CFIA shall immediately suspend the issuance of export certificates for beef of the relevant establishment, and inform the Korean government of reasons and relevant information regarding the matter. Only when the Canadian government determines that the corrective actions are adequate will production be allowed to resume. After completion of the corrective actions by the relevant establishment, the CFIA will inform the Korean government.

Non-compliance

  • In the event that non-compliance with applicable import health requirements is found during the quarantine inspection of beef for export conducted by the Korean government, the Korean government can take the following measures:
    • The Korean government may return the beef for export to its origin or destroy it if any discrepancy against the health requirements of Korea is found.
    • In the case that any SRM is found or any residue designated by Korean government is detected during quarantine inspection, the Korean government can take a measure to suspend the exportation from the relevant establishment, and in that case the Korean government can lift the export restriction through on-site inspections or other means after it is informed by the Canadian government that the corrective actions for the establishment are completed.
    • In the case of serious non-compliance with import health requirements, the Korean government will conduct at least five (5) consecutive inspections (on the quantity totalling at least five (5) times of the quantity of non-compliance) for the beef for export produced in the same establishment. If no additional non-compliance is detected after the increased inspection, the Korean government will return to its normal inspection procedures and rates.
    • If the two cases of serious non-compliance are found in the beef for export produced in the same establishment, the Korean government can suspend the exportation from the relevant establishment until the corrective actions are completed. In this case, the Korean government can lift the suspension through onsite inspections or other means after it is informed by the Canadian government that the corrective actions are completed.
    • In the event of the suspension of the exportation against an establishment, products certified prior to the date of suspension will continue to be eligible for import quarantine inspection.
  • A system-wide failure, such as repetitive incidents of serious non-compliance, may result in the suspension of the import health requirements.

b) Pork

  • Prepared pork products must be derived from animals born or raised in Canada for at least three (3) months before slaughter. Casings imported from a third country, including Canadian casings processed in a third country and re-imported to Canada, must not be used in the production of sausages intended for export to Korea.

4. Labelling, packaging, and marking requirements

  • The beef for export must be packaged with clean and sanitary material.
  • Korea accepts only shipments with official CFIA seal. When the CFIA seal is lost or broken en route to Korea or is replaced under foreign country supervision due to a change of container, this shipment either has to come back to Canada or rerouted to another country.

5. Documentation

Certificate

Note: non pre-printed certificates must be typed on an official government letterhead paper, or exporting firm official letterhead paper in the case of certificate of specifications and certificate of origin.

  • Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 1454)

  • Annex A: Health Certificate for Beef Intended for Export to Republic of Korea

    Note: issuance of certificate must be suspended in the event of a new case of BSE in Canada until advised otherwise by the CFIA.

  • Annex D: Sanitary Health Certificate for Pork Products Exported to the Republic of Korea

    Note: in addition to Annex D, pork meat requires:

    • Certificate of specifications
      Required by some Korean importers and provided by the exporter.
    • Certificate of origin
      Provided by exporter
    • Slaughter dates certification
      Specific dates (month, date, year or month date-date year)
    • Freezing certificate
      Specify the freezing dates (month, date, year or month date-date year), at what temperature (°C), and where (name and address of establishment) the meat was frozen.
    • Weight certificate
      Gross and net weight
  • Annex E: Export Certificate for Products Derived from Bison

  • Annex F: Sanitary Health Certificate for Prepared Meat Products Derived from Swine Export to the Republic of Korea

    Note: Issuance of Annex F requires the same additional certificates as Annex D.

  • Annex F-1: Health Certificate for Sterilized Pork and Poultry Meat Products Exported to the Republic of Korea from Canada

    Note: Once original certification has been issued by the official veterinarian, a photocopy of the CFIA/ACIA 1454 and the accompanying annex must be made and be certified as a true copy of the original certificate by adding the words "Certified as a true copy", and an original official seal with the signature of the official veterinarian who has issued the original certification. Two copies of applicable health certification, the original and a certified true copy, will be required at the time of import inspection by the Korean authorities.

6. Other information

  • In order to avoid unnecessary delays at the border, exporters should confirm that the exporting establishment is properly listed with the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) prior to export. The MFDS list for registered foreign establishments is available through the Imported food inspection system webpage.
    • Please note that when searching for establishments, the country must be inputted as CANADA in the Korean language.
  • Samples of meat and poultry meat products intended for laboratory examination, research, evaluative testing or trade show exhibition are not for human consumption. These products must meet negotiated certification requirements for Korea.
  • Exporters must be aware that Korea implements chemical residue maximum residue limits (MRLs) and microbiological requirements for meat products that may differ from Canadian requirements. Imported products are subject to testing on arrival in Korea and may be rejected when found out of compliance. Specific requirements also apply to the use of tenderizers, ultraviolet rays and ionising radiation in the production of beef and beef products and operators are responsible to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
  • Exporters must also be aware that in the event (an) additional case(s) of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) occur(s) in Canada, the Korean government, upon recognition of the additional case(s) of BSE, will suspend quarantine inspection on the imported beef from Canada. The Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) will lift the quarantine suspension measure without delay when it determines that the beef for export does not pose a public health hazard to its people under the Korean Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Disease. If the Korean government determines that it does pose a public health hazard to its people, it can take measures to suspend the importation of the beef for exportation into Korea to protect health and safety of its people.
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