UK partners reluctant to ease ban on beef

Date: 09/05/1996

BRITISH hopes that next week could see the first easing of the world-wide ban on UK beef exports look set to be dashed, despite moves by the Commission to lift restrictions on three products.

Officials from both Germany and France have reacted coolly to Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler's decision to follow World Health Organisation guidelines and recommend that gelatine, tallow and semen should be declared safe - provided they are processed according to strict standards. A vote on his proposal is due to be taken at the Standing Veterinary Committee on 15 May.

Throughout the week, German sources have insisted there can be no relaxation of the ban until a “convincing” BSE eradication plan has been proved to be effective.

France and Germany require the support of just one or two other member states to keep the export ban firmly in place. This would probably delay any decision at least until agriculture ministers meet again in Brussels on 20-21 May.

The latest indications from his EU partners will come as a severe blow to UK Agriculture Minister Douglas Hogg, who left this week's informal meeting of farm ministers hopeful that he had impressed on his colleagues “the vital importance that the British government attaches to the lifting of the ban”.

Fischler briefed MEPs on the latest developments on BSE yesterday (8 May), while the Standing Veterinary Committee followed up the conclusions of last week's formal meeting of farm ministers.

Already in severe trouble, the EU's beef sector faces further torment following yesterday's attempt by the US to call for a World Trade Organisation dispute settlement panel over the EU's ban on the use of hormones in meat production.

Although the EU was able to block the motion, it will have to accept the creation of a panel at the next committee meeting in Geneva later this month.

The dispute will be a major theme in discussions today (9 May) and tomorrow between Fischler and US Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman in Vienna.

The US move comes amid a brewing hormone scandal in Germany, where tests are continuing following the discovery of traces of clenbuterol in eight beef herds in Nordrhein-Westfalen.