Brussels, 04/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 4 November, the European Commission welcomed the announcement by the American Department of Agriculture (USDA) aiming to bring America legislation into line with international standards on BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). This means that EU beef and other beef products can once again be exported to the US. The American market had been closed off since January 1998, when the United States imposed the embargo on beef from the EU, due to BSE on EU territory. The reopening of the European market is a “welcome, but late” step towards the end of the “unjustified” ban and a return to “normal” trading conditions, the Commission stresses in a press release.
This American decision to fall into line with international law will shortly be published in the Federal Register. It will enter into force 90 days after publication.
The American market has been closed to beef meat, including beef off the bone, from the EU since 1998 when the United States imposed restrictions on the importance of cattle, sheep and goats (ruminants) and their products, due to concerns over BSE. However, according to the EU, this embargo goes beyond the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which state, for example, that deboned beef meat is safe and can be freely sold between all countries. The Commission reiterates that EU meat is safe. (LC/transl.fl)