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A European Community (EC) ban on imports of meat and meat products from animals treated with growth hormones went into effect on Jan. 1. The EC says the ban was to protect the health and preferences of its consumers, and believes the ban is consistent with international rules because it applies to all EC members and to all countries that export meat to them.
The United States maintains that the ban is a non-tariff trade barrier constituting an unfair trade practice under the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) because it has no scientific basis, and that it was prompted by beef surpluses in the EC.
A chronology of the hormone ban controversy:
1980: A scandal in Italy involving the use of diethylstilbestrol (DES), a carcinogenic growth hormone already banned in the United States, prompted the EC to ban all growth hormones. The ban was retained for DES, but other hormones were subsequently approved in all EC member states except Italy, West Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
1985: An EC parliamentary committee demanded that the EC Commission ban all production and imports of meat treated with nontherapeutic growth hormones. The EC Commission agreed and set the implementation date for Jan. 1, 1988.
1987: The United States filed a GATT case under the Standards Code in January. The EC blocked establishment of a technical experts panel in July. In December, importing countries were granted a 1-year delay until Jan. 1, 1989, while EC producers were granted a 3-month delay until April 1, 1988.
1988: On Jan. 1, the United States announced a retaliation list of commodities that would go into effect upon application of the ban, and would be equal to the value of affected products. The EC initially responded with a proposed counterretaliation valued at $361 million. In December, the EC Agricultural Council confirmed the ban but dropped meat destined for pet food from the list, and approved shipments of pork and horsemeat until May 31, 1989, pending certification of the pork production system.
1989: The EC ban and the U.S. retaliation went into effect on Jan. 1, although a grace period through Jan. 31 was granted for shipments made
95.9%