The International Trade Committee at the European Parliament gave its green light to the proposed EU concession to help put an end to the 20-year hormone beef trade war with the USA and Canada. The proposal implies to raise the EU import quota for beef from animals not treated with hormones. Thus, the regulation will allow third countries to sell the EU 48,200 tonnes of duty-free high-quality beef from animals not treated with growth-promoting hormones.

The EU is seeking to put an end to the 20-year hormone beef trade war with the USA and Canada. The International Trade Committee is therefore adopted a proposed EU concession which would raise the EU import quota for beef from animals not treated with hormones. According to Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, the MEP responsible for the report on this issue, the EU keeps its ban on hormone treated beef imports without disadvantaging European agricultural products while the USA and Canada gain a very useful quota for their non-hormone treated beef.

The EU import quota increase was agreed in bilateral conciliation talks and memoranda of understanding already concluded with the US and Canada. The provisional agreement was reached in 2009. If now the Parliament approves the regulation, it will allow third countries to sell the EU 48,200 tonnes of duty-free high-quality beef from animals not treated with growth-promoting hormones. Thus, the new import tariff quota would take effect as of August 2012.

The US and Canada have already suspended import duties in exchange, amounting to almost $130 million, imposed on "blacklisted" EU farm produce. Suspending these duties, which hit France, Germany, Denmark and Italy hardest, will enable these and other Member States to sell their chocolate, pork, Roquefort cheese, mustard, onions and truffles and other products to the USA and Canada at competitive prices.