EU Says WTO Meat Hormone Decision Won't Affect Stance

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Tuesday, 01 April 2008 21:14

Ellinghuysen & Agriculture Online

Brussels (Dow Jones) - The European Commission won't change its ban on beef treated with certain hormones, despite a decision by the World Trade

Organization this week saying the law violated international trade rules, a commission spokesman said Tuesday.

A panel of the WTO Monday sided with the U.S. and Canada in a long-running dispute over whether eating hormone-treated meat poses a health risk. The WTO panel said the E.U. hadn't presented enough scientific evidence to justify its ban.

"The WTO. decision of yesterday is not going to affect our internal rules and procedures on hormones," said Peter Power, the commission's trade spokesman.

U.S. and Canadian livestock producers routinely administer hormones to cattle to make them bigger - and are prevented from exporting their product to the E.U. because of the ban.

The WTO.'s decision allows the U.S. and Canada to keep sanctions on E.U. imports worth about $125 million annually. The sanctions, established in retaliation against the E.U. ban, apply to a wide range of agriculture-based products, including cheese, chocolate, truffles and onions.