The IFA has raised major concerns over the possibility of hormone beef coming into Europe as part of a trade deal between America and the EU.

Speaking at the launch of the organisation’s position paper on the trade talks, IFA director of livestock Kevin Kinsella expressed grave concerns about the potential of having US beef come into the European market. Kinsella and IFA president Eddie Downey said any imported US beef must meet the same standards as beef produced in Europe.

“What’s the traceability standard in the US? The reality is that they don’t have a database, they don’t have a tagging system and they rely on branding,” Kinsella said.

“How can we be sure they [the US] can differentiate between hormone beef and non-hormone beef that comes into the EU market?” Kinsella asked.

Kinsella said he was on a ranch in the US 18 months ago where a farmer was giving “seven different types of hormones to the animals from quite a young age. Also on that ranch they were compounding the feed and using ractopamine, which is a derivative of angel dust. All of that is legal there,” he said.