Europe may be faced with having to accept hormone-treated beef from the US, the president of the Irish Veterinary Association, Mr Cyril O'Sullivan, said yesterday.
He said that as far as scientific investigation of the damage hormone-treated beef could cause to human health is concerned, "the jury is still out", but the IVA, with 1,000 members in the Republic, was backing the stance of the EU that the ban on hormone-treated beef from the US should remain.
This ban, imposed over a decade ago by the EU on the use of hormones for growth promotion, led to the banning of beef imports from the US, where the hormones are widely used.
But now the World Trade Organisation has found that there is no scientific basis for the ban and that beef from the US and other countries should be allowed into the EU. However, the EU is maintaining its stance and the US has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on European agricultural produce going into the US unless the ban is lifted.
The current so-called "hit list" contains £10 million of Irish goods, mainly pork products and cereals, which could be affected should a trade war break out between the US and the EU.
The IVA's executive director, Mr Oliver Langley, said the EU had circulated a 150-page submission which suggested by innuendo that there were risks from the use of these substances.
Mr Langley said that in the last day or so, the US had challenged the EU to be specific about the risks which were being suggested.
"I think it is going to be a very long-drawn-out and difficult time and I appreciate the difficulties of farmers who are being disadvantaged to the tune of 12 per cent to 15 per cent if they are going to have to compete against hormone-treated beef," he said.
He said it was impossible to know how the European consumer would react to beef which was labelled as being hormone-treated compared to hormone-free. Mr O'Sullivan said he could fill a room with reports on hormone-treated beef which would break down on a 50-50 basis, for and against their use.