(Jeju=Yonhap News) Reporter Baek Na-yong = Jeju mountain beef and pork are exported to Singapore for the first time in the country.
According to Jeju on the 2nd, the quarantine negotiations for the export of Jeju Hanwoo and pork to Singapore were completed following the summit meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul on the same day.
As a result, Jeju has become the only region in the country to export livestock products to Singapore.
The export facilities in the Jeju region approved by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) include the Jeju Livestock Auction Market of the Jeju Livestock Cooperative, the Comprehensive Distribution Center of the Jeju Pork Livestock Cooperative, the On-site Meat Processing Factory of Seogwipo Livestock Cooperative, and four locations of Daehan F&B, covering the entire export process from slaughter to processing.
Singapore is one of the countries with strict hygiene and quarantine standards in the world, requiring certification as a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) clean zone by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) as a prerequisite for livestock imports.
Jeju obtained this certification as the only region in the country on May 29 last year, and after an on-site inspection by the SFA from August 25 to 28, the final approval for the Jeju export facilities was received in two months.
During this process, these export facilities also significantly reinforced their hygiene facilities and systems.
Jeju viewed this as a result of the competitiveness of Jeju livestock products with clean environment and scientific quarantine systems being proven on the international stage.
In fact, it has been confirmed that many Singapore buyers are inquiring about imports from Jeju region companies.
Jeju expects that the expansion of the Jeju livestock market will begin in earnest if the first export to Singapore is successful this year.
Governor Oh Yeong-hoon said, "Jeju becoming the first and only region in the country to export livestock products to Singapore is the result of clean environment and a systematic quarantine system, with cooperation between the government and the private sector," and "We will expand our market to the Southeast Asian premium market using Singapore as a springboard, and create a sustainable livestock ecosystem that leads to increased income for farmers."
dragon.me@yna.co.kr