In two recent posts, we had been talking about the U.S.-EU beef agreement. The agreement seemed to be mostly about market access for non-hormone treated beef, which led me to wonder what everyone involved had in mind in relation to market access for hormone-treated beef. USTR Ron Kirk's remarks today, to the U.S. Meat Export Federation, may clarify things a bit:
I know that some of you remain skeptical of the EU market so long as it continues to ban beef from cattle treated with hormones, and does not permit the use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments, or PRTs.
This agreement gives us a chance to take steps toward a longer term agreement.
In the first phase, we will see whether the EU comes to a conclusion on approval of PRT’s. In the second phase, we will negotiate to resolve other long term issues connected with the beef hormone litigation.
We are confident that the Agreement will move us in the right direction on these outstanding issues. If not, we reserve the right to return to the WTO.
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The EU remains one of the few markets to ban beef from cattle given growth-promoting hormones – beef that is perfectly safe to eat. However, we see this agreement as a pragmatic way forward.
