EC: No plans to ban US beef

The European Commission has no plans to ban American beef imports – already restricted since mad cow disease hit the UK.

One outbreak of BSE across the Atlantic will not alter the current regime of trade curbs, said a spokeswoman.

America has been on the European Union’s “at risk” list for beef trade for years, with import restrictions still in place partly because of the BSE threat but also because of a continuing dispute over the use of beef hormones.

“We have had a number of restrictive measures in place for a long time. For the moment there are no plans to change that, although we are watching the situation closely,” said the spokesman.