Jean Pierre Fleury, chairman of EU farm and livestock producer association Copa-Cogeca’s beef working party, has issued a plea to the European Commission, calling on it "to take urgent action to improve the EU beef market situation". He added the Commission should work urgently to help the EU beef sector find new markets for its beef and veal in ongoing trade agreement negotiations – for instance with the US and Vietnam.
"With the increase in slaughterings and the loss of a key export market, Russia, there is an urgent need to export more and find alternative markets for our produce," said Fleury.
He called on the Commission to be especially tough in reducing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to trade with key potential export markets. Strict SPS rules are essentially protecting domestic farmers from EU competition, he argued.
Jean-Luc Mériaux, secretary-general of the European Livestock and Meat Trades Union, agreed with Fleury’s stance, saying: "There is an urgent need for the EU to open new markets. SPS barriers are very important."
He pointed to recent improvements regarding the loosening of controls in Japan, another country with which the EU is negotiating a trade deal; six EU member states have recorded increases in exports, he said. Meanwhile, Ireland has improved its sales to the US since lifting a BSE-linked ban on Irish beef earlier this year (it was announced in January).
"There are signs that the US will lift its ban on other member states – including France, the UK and the Netherlands," added Mériaux. However, he said more work needed to be done in negotiations over loosening SPS rules in China, South Korea and Latin American countries, such as Peru and Colombia.
The Commission told GlobalMeatNews it was committed to reducing burdensome SPS regulations. A spokesperson said: "We work hard to improve market access conditions for EU exporters where they have been blocked."
The Commission pointed to actions fighting "unjustified and unreasonable" SPS barriers. These include raising issues at the World Trade Organization (WTO), negotiating with individual countries and maintaining an EU SPS Export Database, which highlights key SPS barriers and provides updates on actions to tackle them.
In May 2014, the Commission was able to have a Bolivian SPS regulation banning live bovine imports lifted, using scientific reasoning, and diplomatic pressure.