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U.S.-EU trade talks could expand beef, pork exports
Story Date: 3/27/2013
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 3/27/13
Comprehensive trade talks with the European Union hold promise for U.S. beef and pork exports, but
market-access expansion will depend on the types of products the EU wants.
Thad Lively, senior vice president for trade access for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said having all
issues, including agriculture, on the table gives the industry a better shot at progress than it has been able to achieve isolated discussions.
However, the extent to which EU officials will expand access to U.S. pork and beef exports will depend on whether they’re willing to accept conventionally produced product. He notes that while U.S. beef producers ship hormone-free product to Europe, it’s a small chunk of the overall business and most likely will remain so.
“The critical, deciding question about whether this negotiation is going to be meaningful for agriculture or not is whether Europe is prepared to sit down and talk about some of these long-standing issues we’ve had, like the hormone ban,” Lively said in a USMEF audio report.
The Obama Administration has formally notified Congress that it will soon enter negotiations on a
comprehensive trade agreement with the European Union.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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