US regains status as top beef exporter to S Korea

Seoul

THE United States reclaimed its spot as the top beef exporter to South Korea in 2017, 14 years after a US outbreak of mad cow disease led to a ban on American beef and handed market leadership to rival Australia.

US beef shipments jumped 13.7 per cent last year to 177,445 tonnes, accounting for nearly half of South Korea's beef imports, customs data showed on Monday. Australian shipments eased about 4 per cent to 172,804 tonnes.

The North Asian country, where beef is a mainstay of the local diet, is the world's fourth-biggest beef importer and was the third biggest buyer of US beef in…