U.S., EU Dig In Heels on Meat Ban, Food Restrictions

The United States and the European Union both refused to yield Wednesday in a transatlantic food fight over an American ban on imports of European meat because of foot-and-mouth disease, and Europe’s refusal to import biologically engineered food from the U.S.

Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and David Byrne, the EU’s commissioner for health and consumer protection, each promised to look into the competing import bans but ruled out any immediate change.

“Obviously the situation in Europe isn’t under control yet with the continued increase in the number of cases” in Britain, Veneman said of the foot-and-mouth epidemic that has ravaged the livestock business in Britain and spread to Ireland, France and the Netherlands.

Byrne, meanwhile, said European consumers simply will not buy hormone-treated beef or biologically engineered grains. He said the European Union is willing to consider lifting an import ban once it develops labeling rules that would alert consumers to biologically altered food.

Despite the continuing standoff, Byrne, who also met with Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, said he was pleased with his first talks with the new administration.

Veneman imposed a ban on imports of live hogs and uncooked animal products from the EU on March 13 in an effort to keep foot-and-mouth disease out of the U.S.

Byrne said the EU certainly understands why Americans would shun meat from the four European countries with confirmed cases of the disease, which is not harmful to humans but can devastate livestock. Infected animals stop eating, and their milk yield decreases.

But Byrne said it was “excessive” for the U.S. to refuse to import meat from the other 11 EU countries that are so far disease-free.

Despite the EU’s effort to remove most border restrictions among its 15 member states, the countries that have not recorded cases of foot-and-mouth have imposed strict bans on the importation of meat or live animals from the afflicted nations. The EU’s internal restrictions should be enough to reassure Americans that meat from the unaffected countries is safe, Byrne said.

Nonetheless, Europe has no intention of challenging the U.S. ban before the World Trade Organization, he said.

The biggest impact of the U.S. ban has been on imports of baby back ribs from Denmark. The American Restaurant Assn. has said restaurants may run out of the item in a few weeks if the ban continues.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has called for a moratorium on all livestock imports, including those from Canada and Mexico, which are free of the disease.