EU Requests WTO Consultations Concerning Hormone-Treated Beef

WASHINGTON (BUSINESS WIRE) - The European Union has requested consultations with the U.S. and Canada in the World Trade Organization concerning the WTO-compliance of its restrictions on hormone-treated beef. The EU has removed the WTO-inconsistencies identified by the Appellate Body in 1998, making the restrictions on hormone-treated beef compliant with the WTO Agreement. In a recent WTO dispute brought by the EU against the continued trade sanctions of the U.S. and Canada, the Appellate Body found that the EU, U.S. and Canada must engage in so-called compliance proceedings to verify the WTO-compatibility of the current EU legislation and the legality of the sanctions imposed by U.S. and Canada on EU exports.