| The stringent guidelines for producing, harvesting, and shipping certified non-hormone treated beef for the European Union create additional costs that greatly reduce the competitiveness of U.S. beef. What had once been a large market for beef variety meats and then a niche market for non-treated beef has all but vanished because the E.U. hormone ban and regulations for producing and certifying non-treated beef have made U.S. product too expensive to export. Some producers continue to obtain U.S. Department of Agriculture certification for their non-hormone treated beef, but most are selling their fully traceable, certified cattle into the domestic natural beef market at no additional premium compared with cattle verified as non-treated via a... |
