WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The Clinton administration is still considering whether to crank up the pressure in a beef dispute with the European Union by rotating steep import duties to a new set of EU goods, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Monday.
U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky told House lawmakers four weeks ago she had asked an interagency task force to look at the issue and make a quick recommendation.
As of late Monday, the issue was still under discussion. "No decision has been made," a USTR spokesman said.
Last year, the World Trade Organization gave the United States permission to retaliate in a dispute over beef from cattle grown with artificial growth hormones by imposing 100-percent duties on $116.8 million worth of EU goods.
It took that action after the EU refused to drop its ban on the beef imports, despite losing several WTO rulings.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the American Meat Institute and the American Farm Bureau Federation have urged the Clinton administration to prevent the EU from getting comfortable with the retaliation by rotating the duties to a new set of goods from time to time.
"You've got to keep them off balance, particularly with such a small retaliation number," NCBA Vice President Chandler Keys told Reuters.
Even if the administration decides against changing the retaliation list, they still could be required by Congress to take that action.
The Senate included a "carousel" retaliation provision in its African trade bill and NCBA aides are optimistic the House will go along with the measure.
"I think we have a very good shot of keeping the Senate language," Keys said.
Clinton administration agencies appear to be split on the retaliation issue, industry aides said.
The Commerce and State Departments, in particular, express concern about the impact changing the retaliation could have on other issues with the EU, the industry aides said.:
