EU Scientists Confirm Hormone-Treated Beef Risks
Okay…so Europe won’t take most of our beef because the growth hormones in them pose a potential risk to human health. But here in the United States this same hormone treated beef is perfectly safe. Looking at the fact that we have girls developing breasts at single digit ages possibly due to the “safe” hormones in meat, I would lean just a little more towards Europes’ stance…
Apr 23 – New checks by European scientists have confirmed fears that using growth hormones on cattle could affect human health, the European Commission said on Tuesday. The findings reinforce opinions issued in 1999 and 2000 on hormone-treated beef, which the EU used to support its ban on them. This resulted in a trade row with the United States where they are used extensively. The European Union’s scientific committee, which reviewed 17 case studies, “confirmed that the use of hormones to stimulate the growth of cattle raises a potential risk for consumers’ health,” the Commission said. The committee “has found no reason to change its earlier opinions issued in 1999 and 2000,” it added in a statement. In 1999, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that the EU’s decade-old embargo was illegal and authorized Washington to impose $117 million of sanctions on EU goods in retaliation. In response to the ruling, the Commission promised regularly to evaluate scientific data on hormone use. Talks between Brussels and Washington on beef are ongoing. The EU has offered compensation in the form of increased duty-free access for US meat free of hormones. Under current arrangements, US and Canadian producers can export 11,500 tonnes a year duty-free to the 15-nation EU. “We would prefer a switch from sanctions to compensation. There are ongoing technical talks and we shall see what they deliver,” Commission spokesman Anthony Gooch told journalists. The EU executive decided in February to end extra testing of US hormone-free beef for residues due to growing confidence that the meat exported as such contained no banned substances.