The Associated Press | October 20, 2003LENGTH: 333 words
Some Nebraska cattle producers are making inroads into European markets, despite a European Union ban on beef treated with growth hormones.
The ban hasn't stopped some Nebraska cattlemen from producing non-hormone beef they can promote in Europe, according to the Nebraska Beef Council.
Nebraska officials attended one of the world's largest food shows last week in Cologne, Germany, promoting non-hormone beef raised in Nebraska.
Sallie Atkins, executive director of the Nebraska Beef Council, and Greg Ibach, assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, represented Nebraska's beef industry at the ANUGA Food Show, which attracted some 300,000 people.
A handful of Nebraska producers and packers have recently been approved by the EU to provide non-hormone beef to union nations, Atkins said. It opens significant opportunities for beef from Nebraska to gain a share in a nearly closed market, she said.
Atkins said reception to Nebraska beef at the German food show was overwhelming.
"They are simply going crazy over the flavor of this beef from Nebraska," she said.
Last week, the European Union stood firm on its ban importing hormone-treated beef from North America, and said it would take its new proof about potential health risks to the World Trade Organization to get the United States and Canada to lift trade sanctions.
The WTO ruled in 1998 that the EU's ban was illegal because of a lack of solid scientific evidence. In retaliation, the United States and Canada impose about $125 million worth of tariffs each year on European products such as French Roquefort cheese and other delicacies.
Some Nebraska beef producers have made the decision to produce the non-hormone beef that the European Union demands, Ibach said.
"They have taken the necessary steps to be able to enter this market," he said. "We are highlighting the quality beef that Nebraska producers are offering that meets European standards for entry into the market."The Associated Press:
