The South Korean government reported for the fourth outbreaks of FMD in the country. The spread of the virus has led to the fact that the prices of beef and pork began to rise, putting pressure on local consumers who are already faced with high prices for eggs and poultry meat following the recent outbreak of avian flu.

According to the Korea evaluation Institute of the quality of products of animal origin, the price of beef and pork rose by 9-10 per cent compared with the end of last month.

The wholesale price of beef Hanwoo, Korean beef premium reached 15 653 won per kilogram (of 6.19 $ per pound) as of 31 Jan. Now the price tag has soared to 17 242 Vaughn. The wholesale price of pork rose from 329 to 4 out of 4 757 per kg in the same period of time.

The retail price of beef and pork in large stores has not changed, but the high price of wholesale sales will likely soon be reflected in the meat price tag in retail stores. One of the biggest retail chains, E-Mart, usually adjusts their prices for meat every Thursday.

Of particular concern to local producers cause the likely impact of FMD on pork prices, which are heavily dependent on the domestic market compared to beef. While more than half of the beef that comes to the local market is imported products, about 90 percent of pork sold in the domestic market of the country is meat from local farms.

During the previous outbreak of FMD in the period from 2010 to 2011, the price of pork in South Korea has grown by more than 40 percent.

Photo: expbiz.ru