McDonald said it was important to note that the agreement with the US, ratified by the EU earlier this month, would not change the beef trade overnight. The EU has agreed to increase the quota allocated to US beef exporters to 35,000 tonnes per year. The overall rate of non-hormonal beef allowed to enter the EU market remains unchanged at 45,000 tonnes. The announcement of a new beef agreement also comes a month after the EU reached a trade agreement with a group of South American countries that will bring 99,000 tonnes of South American beef a year to the EU market. The beef agreement could help alleviate some of the damage done to the local agricultural industry as a result of Beijing`s tariffs on U.S. products in retaliation for U.S. taxes on China. But, Mr President, last year, in the rose garden, you and President Juncker said that you wanted more. They wanted to strengthen this relationship for the good of all Americans and Europeans.
It is in that spirit that we are here today and we are signing this agreement. Under the scheme, cattle producers can apply for EUR 100 in assistance per adult cattle slaughtered between September and May for a maximum of 100 cattle per herd. The negotiations resulted in a new agreement, which was approved by the European Council on 15 July 2019. It will come into force after the approval of the European Parliament, expected in the autumn. Given that the EU provides a country-free tariff quota for US beef, the United States agreed, as part of the agreement signed today, to close the procedure under Section 301 of the Trade Act 1974, launched in December 2016. The agreement came after twenty years of negotiations. Talks began in 1999,[2] but stopped before resuming in 2016. [4] Discussions have been unsuccessful for years due to opposition from European beef producers, particularly small farmers, who feared being underestimated by imports from Brazil, the world`s largest beef producer. [5] Many governments in South America preferred “South-South cooperation” for the development of relations with Europe at that time, while European governments also had other priorities. [6] “The European Union is one of the most rewarding destinations in the world for American beef, and unique access will benefit not only American producers and exporters, but also European importers and their customers. USMEF thanks USTR and USDA for negotiating this agreement and its agreement, which will support the U.S.
industry`s efforts to expand the European customer base for U.S. beef. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I`m going — my name is Kevin Kester. I am immediately the former president of the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association, and I am a farmer from California. I`m just going to say I`m a fifth generation. I have a 7th generation family at the ranch. And we will benefit directly from this new agreement with the European Union. That is why we are very grateful. The scope of the agreement is very broad. [9] In addition to tariffs, it includes rules of origin, trade aid, health and plant health measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (OTC), services and investment liberalization, competition policy, subsidies, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), trade and sustainable development.
It also includes better access to public procurement and intellectual property rights, including “geographic indications” or protection of regional food specialties. [2] Legal safeguards are in place to protect 357 European food and beverage products from counterfeiting, including Prosciutto di Parma and Herve Cheese. [3] Customs procedures will also be simplified as part of the agreement. [7] Cattle farming is the main driver of deforestation by Denasten and has been responsible for up to 80% of deforestation. [14] [18] The current increase in the rate of destruction of tropical forests comes at a time when beef exports from Brazil