EuropeanUnion                                ...

EuropeanUnion                                                                         

EU WTO Hormone Move Yet Another Delaying Tactic

“The statement by the EU that it is now in compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its ban on U.S. beef produced with the aid of growth promotants,” commented USMEF President & CEO Philip Seng, “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.”

Seng’s comments came in response to the EU WTO challenge to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Canada after the EU had lost a WTO case and subsequent appeals.

In October, 2003, the EU claimed to be in compliance with WTO rulings and asked the U.S. and Canadato lift their WTO-approved retaliatory trade sanctions. 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, the EU now claims to be in compliance based on recent EU legislation and what it describes as recent scientific studies.

The EU, the U.S. and Canada have 60 days to resolve their dispute. If they fail, the case will go to another WTO legal panel, which will rule whether Canada and the U.S. should end their sanctions. EU legislation now in place bans one growth-promoting hormone and temporarily bars five others.

The U.S. sanctions against the EU impose tariffs totaling about $116.8 million on a selected list of products.

EuropeanUnion                                                                         

EU WTO Hormone Move Yet Another Delaying Tactic

“The statement by the EU that it is now in compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its ban on U.S. beef produced with the aid of growth promotants,” commented USMEF President & CEO Philip Seng, “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.”

Seng’s comments came in response to the EU WTO challenge to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Canada after the EU had lost a WTO case and subsequent appeals.

In October, 2003, the EU claimed to be in compliance with WTO rulings and asked the U.S. and Canadato lift their WTO-approved retaliatory trade sanctions. 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, the EU now claims to be in compliance based on recent EU legislation and what it describes as recent scientific studies.

The EU, the U.S. and Canada have 60 days to resolve their dispute. If they fail, the case will go to another WTO legal panel, which will rule whether Canada and the U.S. should end their sanctions. EU legislation now in place bans one growth-promoting hormone and temporarily bars five others.

The U.S. sanctions against the EU impose tariffs totaling about $116.8 million on a selected list of products.