EU-US talks move into extra time

Date: 17/04/1997

By Michael Mann

WITH three supposed deadlines already behind them, EU and US negotiators face yet another 'final' cut-off date of 30 April in their efforts to conclude an agreement to recognise each other's food hygiene standards.

European Commission veterinary experts flew back to Washington yesterday (16 April) for another round of talks aimed at clearing up a dispute about techniques used by the Americans to decontaminate poultry exported to the Union.

Both sides have warned that failure to agree on 'veterinary equivalency' could endanger transatlantic trade worth hundreds of millions of ecu a year.

Most outstanding problems have now been solved, but EU officials are adamant that the US practice of cleaning poultry in chlorinated water is unacceptable.

After last-minute discussions with their own meat industry, US officials decided to delay by two weeks the start date of new laws which would have effectively barred EU exports from entering the country from 15 April.

Commission officials insisted they would be looking for a deal by the end of this week, while the US said only that talks would continue. Officials are aware that if the negotiations drag on into next week, Union farm ministers may seek to involve themselves in what are already very complex negotiations, potentially limiting still further the Commission's room for manoeuvre.

Agriculture ministers will hold their monthly meeting in Luxembourg on 21-22 April.

The Commission has floated the idea of setting up a special scientific committee made up of both EU and US experts to look at the issue. It may also call on the Union's Scientific Veterinary Committee to consider alternative cleaning agents.

It was suggested that a deal might be concluded excluding poultry, but this would have blocked US exports to the EU of poultry products worth 50 million ecu annually for up to six months.