U.S. announces expanded beef trade with Europe

Aug 02, 2019

The American beef sector can triple its duty-free exports to Europe over the next seven years

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

More hormone-free U.S. beef will enter the European Union (EU) thanks to an expanded deal between the two trading partners.

Under the new agreement, which is subject to approval from the EU, American beef producers will have an initial tariff rate quota (TRQ) of 18,500 metric tons annually, valued at about US$220 million. Over seven years, the TRQ will increase to 35,000 metric tons, valued around $420 million.

Prior to this trade deal, U.S beef exports to Europe totaled about 13,000 metric tons each year, worth about US$150 million.

“Opening markets for our farmers is about more than just an industry, it’s about a way of life,” President Trump said during the announcement Friday. “Generations of hard work, passion and dedication have gone into making America the largest producer of high-quality beef anywhere in the world by far.”

The U.S. beef industry is pleased with the news of expanded access to Europe.

Gaining more access to such a key market has been challenging, said Jennifer Houston, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

“For years it’s been difficult for us to get access to the European Union because of some non-tariff and restrictive tariff trade practices,” she said during the announcement. “We want (Europeans) to be able to enjoy the high-quality beef that our American farmers and ranchers produce.”

The deal also ends a dispute between the U.S. and the EU.

In 2014, the trading partners ended a memorandum of understanding that provided an interim solution to the use of certain growth-promoting hormones in beef production.

Under that agreement, the EU opened a 45,000-tonne (49,600-ton) quota of non-hormone beef to suppliers, including the U.S.

Friday’s announcement closes the book on that trade challenge.

“Thanks to this new arrangement, a very substantive amount of existing quota will be (reserved) for the U.S.A.,” Jani Raappana, deputy head of mission for the Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU, said during the presentation. “This provides a solution to our long-standing dispute in the WTO.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.