Agricultural Negotiations Round 2... U.S. Quarantine 'Priority' Changes and 'Barter' Possibility

Korea has blocked the import of U.S. rice and beef in negotiations with the United States, but with plans to improve agricultural quarantine procedures, attention is focused on the future direction of consultations. Agricultural experts predict that the priority quarantine items among U.S. agricultural products, such as potatoes and nectarines (cheondo-boksunga), may be adjusted. It is also predicted that the two countries may continue discussions on quarantine negotiations using a barter method for agricultural products they each wish to export.
 According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 4th, it is not possible to skip quarantine procedures artificially for the import of U.S. agricultural products under the Plant Protection Act.
 Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, regarding Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol's statement on the 1st that 'there will be no additional market opening for agricultural products but consultations on improving quarantine procedures will take place,' said, "The term 'improvement' related to quarantine procedures means strengthening communication and emphasizing the enhancement of scientific capabilities in the 8-step quarantine procedure."
 According to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, there are currently 10 items of U.S. agricultural products undergoing Plant Import Risk Analysis (IRA).
 The IRA procedure progresses from step 1 (receipt of export country request) to step 8 (announcement and enforcement of import approval standards). The most advanced stage currently is △step 6 (drafting of import approval standards) for potatoes from 11 states. △Step 5 (drafting of risk management plan) for nectarines △Step 4 (individual pest risk assessment) for baby carrots △Step 3 (preliminary risk assessment) for Western pears △Step 2 (initiation of import risk analysis procedure) for apples and blueberries △Step 1 for peaches, apricots, plums, and strawberries.
 The core of the IRA is the risk assessment in steps 3 and 4, and step 5, which involves mutual consultation, is considered the last line of defense for foreign agricultural product quarantine.
 The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated that the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has prioritized the quarantine procedures for potatoes and nectarines from 11 states at the request of the U.S. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency does not conduct IRA quarantine in the order of U.S. agricultural product submissions. Regardless of the timing of quarantine requests for 10 items, the procedure begins with the items prioritized by the U.S. Due to the need for continuity in scientific verification work and limitations in manpower, it is difficult to proceed with all 10 items simultaneously, so focus is placed on one or two items. This is why apples submitted in 1993 remain at step 2, and potatoes from 11 states submitted in 2007 are at step 6.
 An official from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency said, "Every year, items of interest to both countries are prioritized in the IRA procedure. Therefore, items in the later stages of the procedure can be seen as those that have been relatively deprioritized in bilateral consultations."
 Agricultural experts believe that the U.S. may demand quarantine priority for agricultural products with high export and production volumes.
 Seo Jin-kyo, director of GS&J Institute, said, "Quarantine negotiations between developed countries are conducted through the exchange of scientific data. Due to the large amount of data required for risk assessment, it takes an average of about 8 years. In the case of cherries from China, which had the fastest quarantine completion, it took about 44 months," and "The U.S. may also request expedited inspections for certain items."
 There is also the possibility that Korea and the U.S. may continue discussions on quarantine negotiations using a barter method. Previously, in June last year, the Quarantine Agency announced that quarantine negotiations for the export of Korean ginseng to the U.S. and the import of Texas grapefruit from the U.S. had been finalized. This was a case where the IRA procedure was followed in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and quarantine negotiations were concluded based on mutual interests. It was a strategic balance achieved by exporting ginseng in exchange for importing grapefruit.
 A former senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "Quarantine negotiations between the two countries can be conducted based on strategic judgment."


junjun@fnnews.com Choi Yong-jun Reporter