EU, USA in hormone beef talks
12 November 1999
EU, USA in hormone beef talks
THE EU and the US are exploring ways of replacing the 
114 million (£72m) sanctions imposed by Washington in the dispute over US hormone-treated beef.
Officials said the two sides are moving towards a solution involving US sanctions being lifted in return for increased access to the EU market for US beef certified hormone-free.
The US imposed sanctions in July after the EU failed to remove its ban on beef treated with growth hormones, despite a World Trade Organisation ruling against it.
The sanctions involved 100% duties on EU products from beef and pork to Roquefort cheese and foie gras.
The current negotiations of a resolution to the dispute are held up by the EUs insistence that the US exports are genuinely hormone-free.
It complained that its tests had shown that 12% of US beef labelled hormone-free contained hormone residues.