OTTAWA -- The Canadian Cattlemen's Association is welcoming the government's decision to take South Korea to the world trade body over that country's refusal to accept im-ports of Canadian beef.
Ottawa announced Thursday it has asked for a World Trade Organization panel to hear the dispute.
South Korea banned imports of Canadian beef in May 2003 after a case of Mad Cow disease had been discovered, ending a $50-million export market that was Canada's fourth-largest in the world.
Since, the World Organization for Animal Health has twice categorized Canada as a "controlled risk" country for the disease clearing it as a safe trade location.
The government said in a release that South Korea's ban on Canadian beef is not based on relevant international standards or on science.
