Weekly Audio on EU Beef Agreement

June 2, 2009 - In this week’s U.S. Meat Export Federation audio report, John Brook, USMEF regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East, discusses the recently signed agreement between the United States and the European Union on imports of U.S. beef.

As Mr. Brook explains, this agreement strikes a compromise in the long-running dispute between the United States and the EU regarding beef from cattle raised with growth-promoting hormones. While the agreement does not lift the EU’s ban on beef from hormone-treated cattle, it provides duty-free access to the EU for a large quantity of U.S. beef exports. The terms of this agreement are expected to make production of hormone-free beef for export to the EU more economically attractive for U.S. packers and cattle producers.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.