Ag Policy Blog

Hormone-treated beef will remain a sticking point as the United Kingdom and U.S. take the framework announced Thursday and try to convert it into a formal trade agreement.

While those of us in the U.S. have championed the potential gains that President Donald Trump and his administration rolled out, the reaction in England is notably different. The BBC reported Friday the British government "has insisted that American hormone-treated meat will not start to seep into the UK market."

The BBC quoted the country's chief secretary of the Treasury, Darren Jones, saying, "The rules on food standards have not changed and they will not change," as a result of the deal.

The London Times had a similar article detailing how border checks will ensure that hormone-treated beef remains banned. Food-safety researchers also raised concerns about testing imported beef, which can be expensive and complex. The London Times article also stated that the United Kingdom needs to protect its food standards if the UK wants to reach a trade deal with the European Union as well.

U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer, speaking at the White House on Thursday, said the issue was a more open-ended question. A British reporter specifically asked U.S. officials about sending hormone-treated beef and poultry products that have been rinsed with a chlorinate solution – a common practice in the U.S. but also banned in the UK and Europe.

"We are going to discuss all of these types of issues and obviously the importing country, whether it is us or them, you have got to follow the rules on these types of things. Our point is that the rules need to make sure that they are based on science and that's our expectation," Greer said. "We know the UK believes that too. So, we want to come to an accommodation. We want the consumer of each country to choose what they want."

The UK has not allowed imports of hormone-treated beef since 1989 when the European Union banned the sales. The ban in the UK for domestic livestock goes back to 1981. The U.S. and Canada sued the EU in the World Trade Organization after the import ban was put in place. A final ruling was not issued until 1998, but the WTO ruled the EU hormone ban was not based on a proper risk assessment and the EU failed to demonstrate that added hormones in beef pose a real health risk.

The U.S. imposed retaliatory tariffs on the EU of just under $117 million overall – a small in the larger context of trade. Canada also imposed an $11.3 million tariff on certain EU products.

The U.S. struck a deal with the EU in 2009 known as the Hormones Agreement that allowed the EU to maintain its ban while opening up more EU access to non-hormone-treated beef. The problem, however, was after that deal was reached, the EU also got flooded with more beef from U.S. competitors under the non-hormone agreement.

The expectation now is that since the United Kingdom no longer has to follow EU trade rules that its government will make changes to allow more access to U.S. beef.

While touting the agreement as a "tremendous win" for farmers and ranchers, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) avoided the issue of hormone treatments, though NCBA did spotlight that the group has been working with British officials for years to expand market access for U.S. beef in the country.

"For years, American cattle producers have seen the United Kingdom as an ideal partner for trade," said Buck Wehrbein, president of NCBA and a Nebraska cattleman. "Between our countries' shared history, culture, and their desire for high-quality American beef, securing a trade agreement is a natural step forward. Thank you, President Trump, for fighting for American cattle producers."

The framework reached between the U.S. and UK allows each country to export up to 13,000 metric tons of beef at lower tariff levels. The BBC reports the U.S. will be allowed to forego the current 20% tariff and export 13,000 tons tariff-free. The UK will be allowed to send over an equal amount under at a lower tariff level as well.

On a volume basis right now, the U.S. exported 1,970 tons of beef to the UK valued at $32 million in 2024, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. The USMEF statistics also show the U.S. exported 17,320 tons to the EU and UK combined in 2024, down from 20,481 tons in 2023. Those numbers reflect that there is potentially enough cattle raised without hormone treatments to potentially supply the 13,000-ton quota in the UK market.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is now expected to be in England on Monday to pitch to UK officials on the benefits of importing U.S. beef.

Also see, "Ethanol and Beef could be Big Ag Winners in U.S., UK Trade Agreement," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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