Europeans slowly thaw toward U.S. beef

The hypocritical trade barriers to importing U.S. beef are slowly falling in Europe.

Major tourist hotels that cater to Americans are demanding better beef than the used dairy cows slaughtered in Europe for that purpose. A small amount of U.S. beef is quietly making its way onto the continent for the hotel restaurant trade.

The World Court has knocked down all the defenses Europe keeps throwing up to keep U.S. beef out and protect its farmers. Europe was the King of BSE a few years ago, and killed tens of thousands of cattle in an attempt to eradicate it. The two cases in the U.S., both in dairy cows imported from Canada, so pale by comparison, that this cannot be credibly used as an excuse.

The U.S. has much stiffer regulations on growth promotants in calves than the Europeans themselves do, so this one doesn't hold water either. What beef is being allowed in is all-natural, with no hormones or antibiotics used in raising it. Independent tests done on European beef show high levels of stilbesterol, the most dangerous and least used of the growth stimulants.

It is glacial progress at best, but encouraging to U.S. cattlemen, nonetheless.