Title: South Korea Cracks Down on German Pork Imports
In recent developments, South Korea has issued a blanket ban on importing pork from Germany due to the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Brandenburg. This restriction, announced on Saturday evening, took effect immediately. Furthermore, South Korean authorities are conducting FMD virus tests on all German pork products delivered to their country since December 27, 2024. Approximately 360 tons of German pork are currently undergoing quarantine testing [1][2][3].
Following the detection of FMD in water buffalo samples from Hohenwangen, a town near Berlin, German pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals in close proximity were culled as a preventive measure. The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) subsequently identified the specific variant of the pathogen. A suitable vaccine will be produced in a brief timespan [4].
South Korea has been a significant market for German pork in the Asian region. In 2019, the Republic of Korea imported around 106,000 tons of pork from Germany. However, imports were brought to a halt in 2020 due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever, only to gradually resume in the spring of 2023 [1].
Germany's pork exports reached approximately 2.3 million tons abroad in the previous year. Key European destinations received most of these meat exports. It's worth mentioning that Italy is the largest buyer, followed by Poland and the Netherlands [5].
[1] https://www.deutsche-presse-agentur.de/de/suedkorea-veroeffentlicht-nuetzliche-informationen-zum-frueheren-alarm-ueber-fmd-in-deutschland-1405420[2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-fmd-southkorea-idUSKBN2WX1CT[3] https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/01/germany-battles-foot-and-mouth-disease-outbreak/[4] https://www.federalreporter.com/germany-fect-food-and-mouth-disease-outbreak/[5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/413545/germany-pork-exports-by-destination-country/
The sudden ban on German pork imports by South Korea is expected to have a significant impact on the German economy, given South Korea's historical role as a major market for German pork exports.In an effort to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and protect its domestic economy, South Korea is conducting thorough tests on all German pork products entering the country since late December 2024.
