Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 1/30/12

The EU Parliament’s International Trade Committee has approved a proposed EU concession on importing beef from cattle not treated with hormones from the United States, Canada and other approved exporters, the European Parliament announced.

The committee's action follows that of Parliament's agriculture committee and clears the way for a full Parliament to vote on March 13 to raise the EU import quota for beef from animals not treated with hormones to 48,200 metric tons from the current 20,000 metric tons.

"This will be a win-win resolution, as the EU keeps its ban on hormone treated beef imports without disadvantaging European agricultural products while the USA and Canada gain a very useful quota for their non-hormone treated beef" exports, said rapporteur Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, in a statement.

The quota increase was agreed in 2009 in bilateral conciliation talks and memoranda of understanding already concluded with the United States and Canada. In exchange, the United States and Canada have already suspended import duties, amounting to almost $130 million, imposed on "blacklisted" EU farm produce.

Suspending these duties, which hit France, Germany, Denmark and Italy hardest, will enable these and other Member States to sell their chocolate, pork, Roquefort cheese, mustard, onions and truffles and other products to the United States and Canada at competitive prices.

The beef hormone dispute has affected transatlantic trade since 1989, when the EU banned imports of beef from animals treated with growth-promoting hormones. In 1996, the United States and Canada challenged it before a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel and were subsequently authorized to impose trade sanctions on EU farm produce exports.

The quota expansion could eventually lead to $400 million to $500 milllion in combined beef export access to the EU from all approved exporting countries, U.S. Meat Export Federation Senior Vice President for Trade Access Thad Lively told Meatingplace. He noted, however, the current recession in Europe has hampered demand for expensive imported beef to the extent that even the current 20,000-metric-ton quota may not be filled this year.

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