Joint Crackdown on Livestock Product Distribution Ahead of Lunar New Year... Focused Inspection on Origin and Grade Labeling

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on January 22 that it will conduct a joint inspection of livestock product distribution companies for three weeks from January 26 to February 13, in preparation for the increased distribution of livestock products during the Lunar New Year holiday.

This joint inspection will involve five organizations: the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, local governments, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, and the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation. The inspection will target businesses that handle traceable livestock products, including slaughterhouses, meat packaging and processing companies, meat retailers, on-site processing businesses, and specialized livestock product distributors.

An employee is displaying pork belly at a pork meat shop in Seoul. Photo by Dongju Yoon

The on-site inspections will cover not only transaction records and traceability number labeling, but also grade and country of origin labeling. If there are suspicions of false labeling, DNA identity tests and other methods will be used to verify violations, which may result in fines or penalties. Businesses found in violation will be subject to repeated inspections for one year, and those that violate regulations more than twice within a year will have their company name and details of the violation published online.

Jeon Ikseong, head of the Livestock Distribution Team at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Given the increase in demand for livestock products during the Lunar New Year peak season, we will prevent illegal distribution through intensive inspections." He added, "Starting this year, we plan to strengthen the traceability inspection not only at the distribution stage, but also at the production stage, including farms and livestock markets."