MEPs approved the deal with USA and Canada that puts an end to the 20-year hormone beef trade war. With the new deal, the EU to keep its ban on imports of hormone-treated beef, in return for increasing its quota for imports of high-quality beef from the US and Canada. The increase in EU import quotas will take effect from August 2012.

The European Parliament approved in plenary session the text proposed by the European Commission and previously approved by the International Trade Committee, that ends the 20-year hormone beef trade war with the USA and Canada. In particular, the deal would raise the EU's quality beef import quota to 48,200 tonnes. The US and Canada, for their part, have already suspended duties, imposed in retaliation against the EU's hormone-treated beef ban, on previously "blacklisted" products originating in 26 EU Member States (all except the UK), worth over US $250 million at today's prices.

The negotiations for the agreement started in 2009, when it provided for a phased reduction in US sanctions on EU products and a gradual increase in the EU tariff quota for high-quality, hormone-free beef. The US has already agreed to lift its sanctions against the EU products in May 2011. The main beneficiaries of the lifting of the US and Canadian sanctions are Italy, with produce worth over US $99 million, Poland, (US $25 million), Greece and Ireland (US $24 million each), Germany and Denmark (US $19 million each), France (US $13 million) and Spain (US $9 million).

The transatlantic trade relations were affected since 1988 when the EU, concerned for health of its citizens, banned imports of beef treated with certain growth-promoting hormones. In 1996, the US and Canada, which were worst affected by the ban, challenged it under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement system and were subsequently authorised to impose trade sanctions on EU produce worth respectively US $116.8 million and C $11.3 million a year. These duties hampered EU exports and led to a loss of market share for EU producers, specially the following EU products: bovine and swine meat products, Roquefort cheese, chocolate, juices, jams and fresh truffles.