031113 Canada, U.S. Reject EU Hormone Beef Claims

Geneva - The United States and Canada vowed Friday to maintain trade sanctions against the European Union over its ban on imports of hormone-treated beef.

They rejected claims by Brussels that it now has solid scientific proof that the meat poses a risk to human health and therefore can be banned under World Trade Organization rules.

"After repeated study, no increased heath risk has ever been associated with the consumption of meat from animals treated with growth-promoting hormones," U.S. Ambassador Linnet Deily told a meeting of the WTO's dispute settlement body.

Canada said it had looked at the EU studies and "concluded that they do not provide any new scientific evidence that residues in meat from animals treated with steroid hormones according to good veterinary practices pose a threat to human health."

The 15-nation bloc said it now would "reflect on necessary appropriate action." The most likely move would be to ask the WTO for a formal legal decision.

The WTO ruled in 1998 that the EU's ban was illegal because of a lack of solid scientific evidence. In retaliation, the United States and Canada impose about $125 million worth of duties each year on European products such as French Roquefort cheese and other delicacies.

In an effort to improve trade relations, the EU began compiling data in 2001 to back up its ban. New legislation was adopted last July that bans one growth-promoting hormone and temporarily bars five others while studies continue.

In a statement to the WTO meeting, the EU said its latest studies "confirmed the case for a prohibition" and said it believes it now has enough evidence to comply with WTO rules.

The United States and Canada say the only way for Brussels to meet WTO regulations is for it to remove the ban.

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