Brussels, 05/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - Following the green light given by Washington to imports of Irish beef meat to the American market, the European Commission called on the United States, on Monday 5 January, gradually to reopen its market to all exports of European beef, which have been frozen since January 1998 in reaction to the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) - or mad cow disease - which hit the EU at the time.
The reopening of the American market to Irish beef, which was confirmed to the European Commission on the same day by the Irish authorities, “is a welcome first step to abolish the disproportionate and unjustified US ban”, stressed Commissioners Vytenis Andriukaitis (Health), Cecilia Malmström (Trade) and Phil Hogan (Agriculture), in a joint statement. “This announcement sends an important and positive signal to the other EU member states who have requested the US to re-establish access to the US beef market”, they add, calling on Washington to “act without delay” to extend the approval granted to Irish beef to the rest of the EU.
The Commission also urges the EU's trade partners which maintain similar restrictive measures to repeal these. This refers to China and Japan, which are partially applying such measures, India, South Korea and the countries of Latin America, with the exception of Chile.
The Commission announced the American decision to lift the ban in November 2013, initially anticipating a period of a few months for its implementation, subject to a review by the American authorities of the standards in force in the exporting countries in question.
Before the American ban, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were responsible for 77% of exports of European beef to the American market. The EU imposed standards on the EU which went beyond the recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Beef is a stumbling point in the agricultural plank of free-trade negotiations between the EU and the United States (TTIP), as the American party is calling for permission finally to export hormone beef to the European market, which is currently prohibited from it. (EH)