§ Mrs. CurrieTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) which countries outside the 365W European Union have banned British beef; what action has been taken against each country; whether the UK has retaliated in kind; and if will make a statement; [27187]
(2) when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for South Derbyshire for answer on 30 April on bans on British beef by non-EU countries. [34507]
§ Mrs. Browning[holding answer 30 April 1996]: I very much regret that my hon. Friend has had to wait so long for a reply.
Commission decision 96/239/EC of 27 March 1996 provided that the UK shall not export from its territory meat and meat products obtained from bovine animals slaughtered in the UK. The list of countries outside the European Union shows those countries with a ban on imports of British beef on the day before the introduction of the Commission decision.
366W
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Bahrain
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan (CIS)
- Libya
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Russian Federation
- Saudia Arabia
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
The United States has not accepted imports of bone in beef from Britain since 1989. After 1989, negotiations concentrated on securing access to US markets for boneless beef, which were successfully concluded in July 1994. Negotiations continue on securing wider access to the US market, although in regular discussions with representatives of industry, the US has not been identified as a priority market for the export of beef.
The following countries had introduced, but subsequently lifted, a ban before 27 March.
- Chile
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- State of Sarawak (Malaysia)
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Oman
- Poland
- Qatar
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
Details of the representations made by the UK Government in respect of individual countries could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we have pressed our case strongly with the authorities concerned in an effort to persuade them to lift these restrictions on trade, based on the scientific evidence available from the World Health Organisation and others that there is no human health hazard arising from the consumption of UK beef.
Responsibility for pursuing action through the World Trade Organisation—WTO—to secure the removal of unjustified BSE-related restrictions on UK exports and on those of other EU member states rests exclusively with the European Commission, as with all matters relating to trade outside the EU. Action has already been started by the Commission against certain countries who have imposed bans on dairy products from various EU member states.