990719 U.S. to Set EU Beef Retaliation in Few Weeks

Washington - The United States will detail which European Union goods it will hit with 100% duties in a beef trade dispute “within the next few weeks,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.

But in a prepared statement, Glickman expressed disappointment with a World Trade Organization arbitrator's decision to allow the United States to retaliate on just $116.8 million worth of EU goods, instead of the $202 million requested by Washington.

“While we believe the arbitrator significantly underestimated the actual trade damage to U.S. beef and variety meat exports, we accept the arbitrator's finding,” Glickman said. “A final list of products to be covered will be announced within the next few weeks.”

In late March, the United States published a preliminary list of roughly $900 million of EU food products and other items that could be hit with 100% duties if the EU did not drop its ban on cattle raised with artificial growth hormones by a May 13 deadline.

In a statement on Monday, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged President Bill Clinton to target the U.S. retaliation list at EU pork products. The EU exports about $247 million worth of pork products annually to the United States, from 13 of its 15 member states.

“Rather than spread out the retaliation over many industries, why not help an industry that is suffering from abysmally low prices and that has tried for years ... to get into the EU market,” NPPC President John McNutt said.

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