Reuters: EU Poised To Start Talks to Boost Imports Of US Beef

While beef trade is officially separate from the agreement between the U.S. and European Union (EU) to ease trade tensions, Reuters reports that EU countries may be poised to agree to start negotiations that could increase imports of US beef into the bloc.The report said that the European Commission would potentially seek to raise the U.S. share of shipments of hormone-free beef that are allowed into the EU, but that it would also require the Commission to seek other countries that currently ship such beef into the EU to take less access to the market.The EU currently allows in 45,000 metric tons of hormone-free beef, originally negotiated between the U.S. and EU but was opened to all beef producers under WTO rules. Australia, Uruguay and now Argentina have all captured shares of the hormone-free quota.So far, Australia and Uruguay are considered to be "substantial" suppliers and would be the two countries where the EU would seek to convince to ship less into the EU. The report quoted an EU diplomat as saying the Commission could argue to those nations that they either accept less access or the quota could go away. "It can be put to them as either less or nothing," the diplomat said