WASHINGTON, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- A veterinary
agreement between the European Union and the United States was formally
signed in Brussels today by Mr. Kalevi Hemila, President of the EU
Council and European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
Franz Fischler on behalf of the EU, and by US Ambassador to the EU
Richard Louis Morningstar on behalf of the US. The agreement enters into
force on August 1, 1999.
Commenting on the agreement, Commissioner Fischler said:
"This agreement is the result of long and difficult negotiations. The
veterinary agreement represents an important step in deepening the
relations between the EU and the US in general, and in the veterinary
field in particular. The agreement sends an important message, namely
the recognition that our veterinary requirements on both sides of the
Atlantic essentially are equivalent and seek as a common objective a
high level of health and consumer protection." He expressed the hope
that the agreement would lead to enhanced mutual trust, and help to
resolve potentially contentious issues at an early stage.
The objective of the agreement is to facilitate trade in
live animals and animal products between the EU and the US by
establishing a mechanism for the recognition of equivalence of sanitary
measures operating in the two regions. The recognition by an importing
country of the sanitary measures applied by an exporting country can
permit greater efficiency in the utilization of inspection and
verification resources.
The agreement includes US acceptance of the EU's
regionalization principle for the main animal diseases, which will have
significant beneficial effects for trade. This means that an outbreak of
an animal disease in a defined and restricted region need not result, as
at present, in a ban on trade from the whole of the affected EU member
state or from other member states not directly affected, but which trade
with the affected member state. The agreement also lists those
commodities for which equivalence is recognized. For those commodities
where equivalence is not yet recognized, it sets out a program of work
towards recognition, as well as trade conditions applicable in the
interim. The provisions covering equivalency determination on health
requirements, consultations, exchange of information, notification on
disease developments, scientific exchange, verification and audit will
enhance mutual understanding.
The total trade between the EU and the US in the
products covered by this agreement is about $1.5 billion in each
direction. Within these amounts are significant differences in the
importance to each party of certain commodities. In terms of trade, the
principal US exports covered by the agreement are fish and fishery
products ($350 million), petfood ($150 million) and fresh meat ($150
million). Other significant US exports include rendered fats, hides and
skins and live horses. For the EU, the principal exports covered are
dairy products ($600 million), fish and fishery products ($170 million),
fresh meat ($122 million) and meat products ($122 million).
In the case of fresh meat, while the US exports are
divided between horsemeat, beef and poultry meat (before the cessation of
poultry meat exports), the EU exports to the US are almost all pig meat
($120 million out of $122 million).
The Commission has conducted negotiations with a number
of third countries. An agreement has been concluded with New Zealand,
Canada and the Czech Republic. Negotiations are continuing with
Australia, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.
Nothing in this agreement changes EU legislation. The
agreement makes explicit reference to responsibilities that fall to the
member states and those which are EU responsibilities. It also takes
account of the rights and obligations of both parties under the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures and of the necessity to ensure a high level of
protection of animal and public health in the EU.
[Editorial Note: Importation/exportation of animal meat
is very much related to one of the sickest most vile industries ever to
exist, the meat industry. The above should call your attention to the
expanding of the industry and the U.S.'s part in it.]
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