The Canadian government is formally urging South Korea to lift its beef import ban conducted since May 2003, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said on Tuesday.

The Canadians have sent a formal letter asking for the lifting early this month and South Korea will strictly follow an import risk analysis checklist to determine whether Canadian beef is safe for consumption, it said.

In making the demand, Ottawa has cited an announcement by the World Organization for Animal Health that classifies the country as a mad cow disease risk controlled country, Yonhap said.

The new categorization made in late May technically allows Canada to sell all non-specified risk materials (SRMs) beef products, including bone-in beef. SRM refers to such parts as head bones, brains, vertebral columns, spinal cords and dorsal root ganglions, which pose the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans.

South Korean government will hold a technical meeting Wednesday in Seoul to discuss the issue, the report said.

Before South Korea banned Canadian beef imports, South Korea imported 16,400 tons of Canadian beef in 2002, ranking the fourth after the United States, Australia and New Zealand.