Brussels is to make a renewed attempt to end a decades-long dispute with Washington over EU curbs on US hormone-treated beef as it seeks to sustain a thaw in transatlantic trade tensions.
The European Commission yesterday said it was ready to hold talks with US officials to address complaints that a compromise, patched together at the World Trade Organization, has failed to deliver promised benefits for American beef farmers.
Phil Hogan, EU agriculture commissioner, said Brussels was keen “to try to address some concerns raised by the US” about the deal, which was intended to uphold a European ban on growth-enhancing hormones while giving US farmers greater possibilities to sell into the EU market.