On June 29th, a commemorative ceremony for the first official export of Hanwoo to Malaysia was held at Incheon Port.
Despite the domestic outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the export proceeded as planned due to prompt and transparent information provision.
Attendees included Kim Jung-hee, Deputy Minister for Food policy office & coordination in the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, Lee Myeong-heon, Director of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (Acting), Lee Dong-hwal, Chairman of the HanwooBoard, Kim Sam-ju, Chairman of the Hanwoo Association, Ahn Byeong-woo, CEO of the Livestock Economy, Kang Mun-gil, Chairman of the Hongcheon Livestock Cooperative Association, and Ryu Chang-yeol, CEO of Handown FSL.
The significance of this Hanwoo export is tremendous as it has been achieved through the Korean government's diplomatic efforts, despite the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease domestically. When the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak occurred on May 10th at a farm in Cheongju, proactive information regarding the detailed situation and management status was provided to the Malaysian government. Minister Jeong Hwang-geun personally met with Malaysian government officials, actively explaining that all Hanwoo has traceability management, ensuring peace of mind. As a result, on June 19th, the Malaysian government expressed gratitude for our government's prompt and transparent information sharing and officially sent a letter of authorization permitting the import of Hanwoo.
Prior to the official export, on June 8th, three cattle were initially exported as a trial to confirm that there were no issues in transportation, quarantine, customs clearance, and other processes. The first batch of ten cattle to be officially exported will be utilized in developing menus featuring Hanwoo beef in local hotels and restaurants. A tasting event will be held to introduce Hanwoo to Malaysian consumers who may be unfamiliar with it. Local chefs who have tasted Hanwoo have highly praised its unique rich flavor and tender texture, expecting it to receive great attention in the Malaysian market.
With the opening of the pathway for the first-ever Halal-certified Hanwoo export, the number of countries eligible for Hanwoo export has expanded to a total of four. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to promote Hanwoo extensively, including selling Hanwoo in major department stores to coincide with the timing of local food exhibitions in Malaysia, allowing more consumers to experience Hanwoo.
Kim Jung-hee, Deputy Minister for Food policy office & coordination in MAFRA, expressed her expectations that the successful export of Hanwoo to Malaysia, after seven years of negotiations on beef quarantine, will secure a steppingstone towards the 1.9 billion Halal market. She hopes that it will provide some assistance to Hanwoo farms that have been facing difficulties due to supply uncertainties. She also emphasized that as this is the first entry into the Southeast Asian market, efforts will be made to enhance the quality and safety management of Hanwoo to expand further into overseas markets.
This content is provided by Endless Media Enterprise
