Europe welcomes lift of U.S. ban on beef from the Netherlands
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The U.S. market has been closed to EU beef since January 1998.
"I hope the U.S. will now act expeditiously to extend the approval to all imports from the EU and I call on the remaining EU partners who still maintain restrictive measures to fully adopt recognised international standards."
"In times when we are working hard to build a new partnership for trade and investment, keeping old unnecessary obstacles makes no sense. I am glad we are going in the right direction in this respect and hope that the Dutch beef producers will be able to benefit from the new market opportunities very soon," said EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström.
"Opening the US market to Dutch beef provides a further export outlet for our high quality EU product. Unlocking technical barriers to exports is part of our diplomatic offensive to drive exports and find new markets for EU producers," said EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan.
After Ireland and Lithuania, the Netherlands is the third EU country to gain access to the U.S. market since the BSE-related ban.
The opening of the U.S. market to Dutch beef sends a positive signal to producers in other parts of the EU that are still waiting for the end of the disproportionately strict and lasting US trade restrictions.
The U.S. market has been closed to EU beef since January 1998, when the U.S. introduced import restrictions on beef, as well as sheep, goats and their products, on the basis of BSE concerns. ■