US Fears Visit of EU Commissioner
US - The EU's new health and consumer affairs commissioner may spark a new trade disagreement with the US by his focus on improving animal welfare, and continuing bans on imports of US animal products to Europe.
27 April 2010
2 minute read
The EU's new health and consumer affairs commissioner, John Dalli, began his first official visit to Washington yesterday (26 April).
His visit may open a new, potentially disruptive front: animal welfare, according to New York Timess. He is reported to be planning his American counterparts that he intends to propose a new law on animal welfare.
According to EU experts familiar with the plans, Mr Dalli's law may promote the use of cruelty-free labels for some meat products, which could lead to European consumers shunning US products.
He has signaled there would be no end to Europe's bans on imports of chickens treated with chlorine and beef treated with hormones, and he has said Europe needs more time to consider allowing imports of meat from cloned animals.
New York Times reports that the new animal welfare law could include stunning methods for poultry or introducing techniques to detect boar taint in pork products.
A goal of the law, according to New York Times, would be to encourage meat producers to label their products to show that their animals had been raised and killed using certified procedures, something that could disadvantage US producers if they did not adopt the same procedures.
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