Speaking at the hearing, Copa President Albert Jan Maat said “There are gains to be had on both sides of the Atlantic. The US represents now our first top destination for agri-food products in 2013 worth 15 billion euros. But the biggest obstacle to trade between the EU and US comes from unnecessary red tape and barriers to trade, costly rules and obligations, For example, in the EU fruit and vegetable sector, there is a highly complicated pre-clearance system for fruits and vegetables in the US with only one port certified to handle fruit and vegetable imports. This type of discussion is not realistic. It is crucial to ensure that non-tariff trade barriers are tackled. We believe that most of the gains from a trade deal – three quarters in fact – come from lifting non-tariff trade barriers. Together with the European food industry, Copa-Cogeca put together a report on non-tariff barriers outlining a list of 30 measures that should be addressed as part of the SPS negotiations. The main purpose of this exercise was to highlight areas with a serious impact on businesses and jobs. We urge negotiatiors to ensure these are lifted when they meet next for a new round of negotiations in February to discuss these issues. Until these are resolved, we should not move ahead with the market access talks on opening markets ”.
Citing other examples where we face obstacles to trade, Cogeca President Mr Pees said “EU dairy producers face huge obstacles when trying to market Grade A milk products in the US. In the fruit and vegetable sector, phytosanitary barriers prevent European fruit from entering the US market. This must be addressed. But the use of hormones and other growth promoters in meat production and the extensive decontamination of meat is not allowed in the EU, and the EU legislation is not negotiable. European farmers and cooperatives cannot deal with a further destabilization in their markets and sharp drop in consumption due to a loss in consumer confidence”. He also warned that the United States market access offer to open markets in the free trade talks is much less ambitious than the EU offer - more balance is vital .
Finally, following the political decision last March, Copa-Cogeca urges the US authorities to allow the export of European beef to the US market as soon as possible. The EU system of geographical indications (GIs) which protects European quality produce from imitations must also be acknowledged. It is important for consumers to guarantee the authenticity of the product.
