Oxford - Europe and the US, the two dominant players in world farm trade, used an annual meeting of British farmers on Wednesday to demonstrate a hard line, combined with an insistence they were ready to negotiate.
At the 52nd Oxford Farming Conference, US agriculture secretary Dan Glickman called for a lowering of the temperature in the many trade disputes between the two sides.
"We must find a way to work out our differences more quickly, fairly and amicably," Glickman said about his working relationship with EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler.
"Otherwise, the increasing politicisation of our agricultural trade relationship risks major damage to our shared long term trade agenda and to agriculture."
Glickman stressed the importance of food safety as a worldwide priority, but expressed great concern that it could be used as a trade barrier. "Unfortunately, we do not always feel that our good faith efforts are reciprocated on this side of the Atlantic."
EU actions on meat safety "leave a strong perception in the United States that here in the European Union legitimate public food safety concerns are being manipulated for political puposes.
As traditional trade barriers begin to disappear, we owe it to consumers to see that food safety does not become the new battleground."
Glickman cited the pending EU ban on so-called specified risk materials, including tallow used in US pharmaceutical, cosmetic and agricultural products.
"The ban is based on the assumption that the United States may have BSE which may get into tallow which may harm a person. Each of these assumptions is vigourously disputed by the scientific facts."
Later to journalists, Glickman stressed that the US wanted to be classified as BSE free by the EU. "There have been no documented cases of BSE in the United States period."
An EU threat to ban all imports of US meat in six months time was "an area in which I would like to see the rhetoric drop some." He described the threatened ban as "too much muscle flexing."
"The whole point of the World Trade Organisation was to put behind us politicised trade battles that disrupt economic growth and international relations."
In the conference's closing speech Fischler dedicated most of his time to setting out his "Agenda 2000" proposals for the reform of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy.
But on trade he attacked a US move to suspend imports of some EU beef products amid concern over BSE.
In December the US announced a temporary suspension of imports of ruminants (cows, sheep and goats) and ruminant products from a number of European countries, he said.
"I do not consider that this particular measure is justified, or that it is in line with international obligations over the WTO (World Trade Organisation) agreeement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures," Fischler said.
"I greatly regret this action by the US, which was taken without prior consultation and at a crucial time in our discussions on the draft veterinary agreement. Nevertheless, I will do everything possible to avoid a damaging trade dispute."
Fischler himself came under agressive questioning from an audience largely composed of British farmers, who wanted to know when the EU's ban on exports of British beef, imposed in the wake of the BSE crisis, would be lifted.
He promised a proposal aimed at moving towards a partial lifting of the ban, ready for the EU commission's regular meeting scheduled for January 14.
He saw no alternative to handling the crisis over BSE, the so-called "mad cow" disease on a sound scientific basis, he said.
In addition to their public airing of positions, Fischler and Glickman were due to discuss trade issues in a meeting after the conference.
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