Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/15/18

The European Commission still hasn't presented a mandate to start negotiations with the U.S. on the hormone-free beef quota. The Commission, however, is done with most of the preparatory work and could roll out a proposal fast.

Why the hold-up, you ask? POLITICO Europe writes that there's little political appetite to offer the U.S. any nuggets right after Trump hit the EU with punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum. While the quota was meant to compensate U.S. farmers for the fact that they are not allowed to export hormone beef to the EU, its renegotiation would still be publicly perceived as a concession to the U.S.

The Commission officially insists that the beef quota is a technical issue that's separate from the other issues with Trump, but in these days of trans-Atlantic trade tensions, everything is linked.

Background: The EU first introduced the quota under an agreement to avoid retaliatory tariffs — after the EU lost a case against the U.S. over its ban on hormone-treated beef. The Commission has proposed redefining the quota in a way that would give American farmers increased access. But the complicated nature of talks on anything involving Trump and trade may mean that the beef quota negotiation could be a well-aged steak before it is ready to serve.