The deal between the EU and the US on the 35,000t non-hormone beef quota has been described as a “backdoor arrangement” by IFA national livestock chair Angus Woods.

He said beef imports are seriously undermining EU and Irish beef prices.

A new EU/US sweetheart deal with President Trump on beef imports will further undermine the sector, which is in crisis, according to the association.

Angus Woods said this is another example of beef farmers being sacrificed for other sectors.

“The EU has reallocated most of the non-hormone quota to the US and allocated the South American countries that had used most of this quota an additional 99,000t of extra quota, in the Mercosur deal.”

The deal

The deal, originally announced back in June, will see the EU ring-fence 35,000t of its hormone-free beef quota for US imports.

On Friday, US president Donald Trump officially announced that the US would now be able to send increased amounts of hormone-free beef to the EU.

The imports will be phased in over a seven-year period.

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EU hormone-free beef quota ringfenced for the US