EU challenge to US beef sanctions


18 May 1999


EU challenge to US beef sanctions


THE European Union is set to challenge the level of threatened US trade retaliation against its ban on hormone-treated beef.

Earlier the USA said it was seeking authorisation from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to impose 100% tariffs on $202 million (£125m) of EU exports because Europe had failed to meet the 13 May deadline for complying with a WTO ruling against the ban.

The European Commission said the $202m figure was excessive. EU foreign and agriculture ministers meeting in Brussels gave no sign that they were ready to lift the 11-year-old ban. But they also agreed they wanted a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

See more