SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and Canada will hold talks on resuming Canadian beef imports on Monday, the South Korean government said on Sunday.

    "Working-level officials from the two countries will hold technical consultations on beef imports in Seoul from Monday to Tuesday," said the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, adding that the meeting is held at the request of Canada.

    Seoul suspended Canadian beef imports in May 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was reported in the country. The last round of talks on Canadian beef imports was held in Seoul in late November 2007.

    Canada has demanded that South Korea lift all restrictions on beef imports after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in May of last year gave Ottawa a "controlled risk" classification, which technically allows it to export all beef parts with the exception of certain specified risk materials (SRMs), South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said.

    The South Korean government said earlier that South Korea cannot accept Canada's demand because a mad cow case was reported in Canada as recently as August, Yonhap reported.

    The South Korean government proposed to import Canadian beef from cows under 30 months old, it added.

    Canada was previously the fourth-biggest exporter of beef to South Korea behind the United States, Australia and New Zealand.