SEOUL – The first shipment of U.S. beef under an import deal arrived in South Korea on Tuesday.

The shipment, about 1.5 tones of ribs and other cuts with and without bones, was sent to a storage facility for quarantine inspections that could take up to two weeks, according to South Korean authorities and Nerp Corp., the local importer.

It is the first shipment to arrive in the country since an agreement between South Korea and the United States in April. The import deal has been the focus of major public protests by people concerned over food safety.

The shipment is also reportedly the first authorized import of the U.S. beef including bones in nearly five years. South Korea banned U.S. beef after the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. was discovered in late 2003.

Source: Associated Press