990512 EU Says Beef Hormone Can Cause Cancer

Brussels - A new report by European Union scientists finds strong evidence that one of six hormones used in the beef industry could cause cancer, a conclusion which could drop a bombshell into a transatlantic trade dispute.

The scientists said however there were not enough data to draw final conclusions about whether five other growth-promoting hormones used to raise cattle in North America were safe for human consumption.

The report will stir controversy days before a key May 13 deadline in a World Trade Organization (WTO) case involving the EU's decade-old ban on imports of hormone-treated beef.

The study, to be discussed by the EU's executive Commission next week, gives ammunition to those EU officials who, on consumer safety grounds, oppose a U.S. demand that the bloc's ban be lifted by May 13.

The report by the EU's Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health “will break the Commission in two,” one EU source predicted.

The committee met amid great secrecy to complete a preliminary risk assessment of the hormones.

“As concerns excess intake of hormone residues...a risk to the consumer has been identified with different levels of conclusive evidence for the six hormones in question,” a summary of their report said.

It said there was substantial recent evidence suggesting that one hormone, 17 beta oestradiol, “has to be considered as a complete carcinogen, as it exerts both tumor initiating and tumor promoting effects.

“For the other five hormones...the current state of knowledge does not allow a quantitative estimate of the risk.”

However, it added that for all six hormones various health effects “could be envisaged,” including developmental, immunological, neurobiological and carcinogenic effects.

“Of the various susceptible risk groups, prepubertal children is the group of greatest concern,” it said.

The United States has threatened punitive duties on hundreds of millions of dollars of EU exports, including meat, motorcycles and chocolate, if the EU does not lift the ban.

Canada is also threatening trade sanctions.

The row worsened this week when the Commission threatened to ban all U.S. beef imports from June 15 after traces of hormones were found in supposedly hormone-free U.S. beef.

A separate report by Commission officials and private experts looked into the possible risks of misuse of hormones in the cattle industry, for example if hormones were wrongly administered or cattle were given overdoses.

The draft report said misuse of the hormones produced “a significant increase in risk.”

“Human exposure and risk are in particular increased by the fact that regulatory controls over residues of hormones in meat introduced into commerce are deficient in the USA and are insufficient in Canada,” it said.

The United States, which insists hormone-treated beef is safe, maintains that a WTO ruling last year means the EU must lift its ban on hormone-treated beef by May 13. The EU argues that the WTO ruling simply required it to produce new scientific studies on possible risks from eating the meat.

The EU ordered 17 new scientific studies but they are not yet finished. The EU scientific committee considered interim findings of the studies in its preliminary risk assessment.

EU and U.S. officials have been discussing labeling of U.S. beef as a possible temporary solution to the row but the new report could reinforce critics of this option.

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