010397 U.S. Won't Ease European Meat BanMarch 31, 2001Washington - The Bush administration refused to ease a ban on European meat imports that was imposed March 13 to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from crossing the Atlantic. “Obviously the situation in Europe isn't under control yet with the continued increase in the number of cases” in Britain, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Wednesday after a meeting with David Byrne, the European Union 's commissioner for health and consumer protection. The outbreak began in Britain and has since spread to France, Ireland and the Netherlands, but the U.S. ban applies to all 15 of the EU's member countries. Byrne said the ban should be limited to the countries where the disease has been confirmed. “If there were an outbreak of a disease in the United States in one or two member states, the European Union's response would be to regionalize a ban to those states ... rather than to the entire country,” Byrne said. The biggest impact of the U.S. ban, which applies to raw meat, has been on imports of baby back ribs from Denmark. The American Restaurant Association has said restaurants may run out of the item in a few weeks if the ban continues. Veneman has been under pressure from Congress to tighten controls for the disease. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-SD, has proposed a moratorium on all livestock imports, including those from Canada and Mexico, which are free of the disease. “It is a very difficult situation over there. I tried to explain again that it is also a very difficult situation over here. People are concerned over here as well,” Veneman said.
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