Copa and Cogeca, the organisations representing 30 million EU farmers and their families, are unhappy about the provisional agreement between EU and US negotiators to resolve the longrunning dispute over US hormone-treated beef.Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca stressed, “It is crucial that all of the beef which enters the EU is traceable right back to its origin and that the US can guarantee that it has not been treated with hormones. Consumer protection must remain our key objective and the European Commission must be ready to act if any shipments of US beef are found to be contaminated with growth hormones.”
“While we are happy to see that this dispute, which has existed between the US and the EU for so long, is now approaching resolution, it strikes another blow for EU farmers who are already struggling to survive in a market hit by the economic crisis. The EU is granting the US very substantial market access from year one but the US would be maintaining its sanctions on EU exports for another three years”, he added. “The agreement means that the EU is offering upwards of €400 million worth of market access over four years but still has to ‘pay’ an additional €110 million in sanctions. This deal is highly unbalanced” the Secretary General concluded.

FR: Accord UE-Etats-Unis sur le bœuf aux hormones : un coup supplémentaire porté aux producteurs bovins déjà en difficulté

http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513744&fmt=pdf

EN: EU-US hormones deal: another blow for struggling beef farmers

http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513729&fmt=pdf

DE: EU-US Hormonvereinbarung: Ein weiterer Hieb für die ohnehin angeschlagenen Rindfleischerzeuger
http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513754&fmt=pdf

IT: Accordo UE-USA sugli ormoni: un altro colpo per gli allevatori bovini in difficoltà

http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513739&fmt=pdf

ES: Acuerdo UE-EE.UU. sobre las hormonas: otro duro golpe para unos productores en apuros

http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513749&fmt=pdf

PL: Umowa UE-USA w sprawie hormonów: kolejny cios dla hodowców bydła

http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=513734&fmt=pdf

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For further information, please contact:
Shelby Matthews
Chief Policy Advisor
Tel.: +32 2 287 27 36
shelby.matthews@copa-cogeca.eu
Simon Michel-Berger
Press Officer
Mobile: + 32 474 840 836
simon.michel-berger@copa-cogeca.eu
CDP(09)3354:1
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