Trade deal eases EU-US beef war over hormones

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

14 March 2012 Last updated at 13:07 GMT

Trade deal eases EU-US beef war over hormones

By Laurence Peter
BBC News

The European Parliament has backed a deal that will increase EU imports of beef from the US and Canada and help European food exporters.

A row over growth hormones used on North American cattle ranches led to a trade war lasting more than 20 years.

The new deal sets an annual EU quota of 48,200 tonnes for high-quality North American beef from cattle that have not been treated with growth hormones.

North America will lift import tariffs on a range of European farm produce.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17364542

[nineteen50]

1. I guess we are going to save those hormones for

American consumption

[TownDrunk2]

2. wow how big was *that* bribe :) and who got it

[fasttense]

3. With a $114 Billion US Trade Deficit

Do we really need European farm produce? Really?

Our trade deficit is at historically high levels yet we keep making it easier to bring in more crap from around the world. Just think how many US jobs that $114 Billion represents.

http://www.americaneconomicalert.org/ticker_home.asp

[Nihil]

4. I hope that the importers are getting this stuff tested ...

> The new deal sets an annual EU quota of 48,200 tonnes for high-quality North American
> beef from cattle that have not been treated with growth hormones.

... as we've already seen how little testing is done on the export side ...

(Not sure why either side actually *wants* to increase imports of things that both
already produce locally but WTH.)