Song Mireung: "Eggs Can't Be Imported Immediately Just Because They're Needed"... Pushes Back on Brazilian Egg Controversy

"Supply chain diversification is unavoidable... Brazilian eggs passed sanitation assessments, and inspections found no issues"

Song Mireung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, pushed back against criticism over imports of Brazilian eggs, saying the measure was intended to reduce reliance on any one country and diversify supply chains.

Song Miryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

In a post on her social media account on October 17, Minister Song said, "Eggs are not a product that can be imported immediately from just any country whenever they are needed. Quarantine and sanitation procedures between countries must be completed, and local livestock disease conditions and transportation arrangements must also meet the requirements."

According to Minister Song, South Korea has completed quarantine and sanitation procedures for importing fresh eggs from 10 countries: the United States, Thailand, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Finland, Poland and New Zealand. However, she said that actual imports may be restricted depending on local conditions.

In fact, imports of U.S. eggs were canceled just before shipment in January this year due to an import ban imposed after an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in the United States. Minister Song described this as "a case showing that relying on a particular country can lead to supply disruptions."

The government responded by diversifying its import sources. It increased imports from Thailand, but the volume available was limited. Minister Song explained that imports from other countries, including Spain, were also difficult due to factors such as rising local demand and supply conditions. The government subsequently increased imports from the United States while also bringing in 1.12 million eggs from Brazil and 720,000 from Denmark on a trial basis to prepare for supply disruptions.

She emphasized that Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are opposite to those in South Korea, making it a supply source that can take advantage of seasonal conditions different from those in South Korea during winter. Minister Song said, "Securing channels to obtain eggs from different regions helps spread the risk of supply disruptions caused by livestock diseases or weather conditions in any one country."

Minister Song also acknowledged that Brazilian eggs entail import costs associated with long-distance air transport and tariffs, which go to the national treasury. She nevertheless said, "We need to diversify our supply chains to prepare for emergencies," adding, "We will more closely assess and review these financial costs and the tangible effects of the trial imports."

Eggs on display at a large supermarket in Seoul. File photo.

Minister Song also made her position clear on safety concerns. After the European Union (EU) recently suspended imports of Brazilian livestock products, concerns were raised about the safety of Brazilian eggs. However, she said that before South Korea can import Brazilian livestock products, they must pass all six stages of the food safety and sanitation assessment conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and be found to have no issues.

Minister Song explained, "Brazilian eggs also underwent a sanitation assessment before import, which confirmed that Brazil's sanitation management system is equivalent to South Korea's. We imported only eggs produced at facilities registered in South Korea." She added, "Inspections of Brazilian eggs actually imported into South Korea also found no issues."

Minister Song said, "To ensure stable management of egg supply and demand, we will strengthen the domestic supply base and, when imports are unavoidable, rigorously uphold quarantine and food safety management so that the public can consume the eggs with confidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.