European Union                               

European Union                                                                         

New WTO Dispute Settlement Panel In Hormone Case

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has set up a dispute settlement panel at the request of the European Union (EU) in the latest round in the hormone ban case. Although it lost its case at the WTO and subsequent appeals because it could not provide scientific evidence that the hormones used in U.S. cattle production were harmful to health, in October 2003, the EU claimed to be in compliance based on EU legislation and what it described as recent scientific studies. At the time USMEF President & CEO Philip Seng commented:

“The statement by the EU that it is now in compliance with the World Trade Organization on its ban on U.S. beef produced with the aid of growth promotants is yet another attempt to frustrate the will and the process of the WTO and to drag this weary battle on despite a series of legal victories by the U.S. Continued actions like this make a mockery of the WTO’s arbitration procedures and damage the credibility of the WTO.”

The panel will decide whether the United States and Canada are justified in keeping their retaliatory measures in place against the EU. The United States was authorized to impose trade retaliatory measures of some $116.8 million; Canada imposed some $10 million on EU exports in the dispute. The panel will take six months to report.

Australia                                                                                    

Australian Government Will Appeal Pork Case, Seek Stay

The Australian government announced yesterday (June 7) that it will appeal a May 27 ruling by an Australian judge that pork imports from countries such as the United States could put hogs at risk to post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS).   Australia Pork Ltd, one of the organizations which launched the court case, is calling for a ban on imports. The Australian ministry of agriculture, fisheries and forestry also said in a press release it would “if necessary, seek a stay of Orders flowing from the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.” It is thus hoped that product en route will not be denied entry and imports of U.S. pork will not be stopped while the case is in the courts, but this is not certain.

The Australian Meat Industry Council in a briefing paper released June 7 said the court decision has “extremely serious consequences for the meat industry in Australia,” which would include “a dramatic shortfall in the supply of fresh pigmeat to the Australian smallgoods manufacturers. This has been estimated to be of the order of 40 percent of throughput.”

European Union                                                                         

New WTO Dispute Settlement Panel In Hormone Case

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has set up a dispute settlement panel at the request of the European Union (EU) in the latest round in the hormone ban case. Although it lost its case at the WTO and subsequent appeals because it could not provide scientific evidence that the hormones used in U.S. cattle production were harmful to health, in October 2003, the EU claimed to be in compliance based on EU legislation and what it described as recent scientific studies. At the time USMEF President & CEO Philip Seng commented:

“The statement by the EU that it is now in compliance with the World Trade Organization on its ban on U.S. beef produced with the aid of growth promotants is yet another attempt to frustrate the will and the process of the WTO and to drag this weary battle on despite a series of legal victories by the U.S. Continued actions like this make a mockery of the WTO’s arbitration procedures and damage the credibility of the WTO.”

The panel will decide whether the United States and Canada are justified in keeping their retaliatory measures in place against the EU. The United States was authorized to impose trade retaliatory measures of some $116.8 million; Canada imposed some $10 million on EU exports in the dispute. The panel will take six months to report.

Australia                                                                                    

Australian Government Will Appeal Pork Case, Seek Stay

The Australian government announced yesterday (June 7) that it will appeal a May 27 ruling by an Australian judge that pork imports from countries such as the United States could put hogs at risk to post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS).   Australia Pork Ltd, one of the organizations which launched the court case, is calling for a ban on imports. The Australian ministry of agriculture, fisheries and forestry also said in a press release it would “if necessary, seek a stay of Orders flowing from the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.” It is thus hoped that product en route will not be denied entry and imports of U.S. pork will not be stopped while the case is in the courts, but this is not certain.

The Australian Meat Industry Council in a briefing paper released June 7 said the court decision has “extremely serious consequences for the meat industry in Australia,” which would include “a dramatic shortfall in the supply of fresh pigmeat to the Australian smallgoods manufacturers. This has been estimated to be of the order of 40 percent of throughput.”