March 18, 2014
US officially lifts 15-year ban on EU beef imports
The United States officially lifted its 15-year ban on beef imports from the European Union this week.
Following an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) - commonly known as mad cow disease - in the United Kingdom,the United Statesput the ban in place in 1997.
Chairman of Ulster Farmers'' Union (UFU) Beef and Lamb in Northern Ireland, Robert Davidson, commented, "This should be good news for the industry in allowing us, along with the rest of the UK, Ireland and Netherlands to export beef and veal to the US. Whilst it is not anticipated that this will lead to high volumes of EU beef exports in the short term, and there are still some administrative hurdles to overcome, it nevertheless presents another potential export opportunity for the world class beef which we produce here in Northern Ireland."
"However, it is no coincidence that the US has now decided to officially lift this ban given that the fourth round of EU-US trade talks for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) got underway this week," he added.
"We remain extremely concerned that the beef industry will be sacrificed in favour of other trade opportunities during these discussions and through COPA we have been lobbying strenuously to ensure this does not happen as it could have a significantly detrimental impact on the EU beef industry. What will be important for us is that the market doesn''t become flooded with US beef. We do not want to see our farmers placed at a competitive disadvantage nor do we want cheaper imports to undermine the market place, especially given the current difficulties that local beef farmers are facing. Furthermore we need reassurance that any beef imports from the US will be expected to meet the same high level of production standards, traceability and food safety that is demanded of our producers here in Northern Ireland."