Argentina has won a trade dispute with the United States,
re-opening its access to the beef market that was closed in 2001 when there was
an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Argentina.
The ruling could take some of the steam out of record-high beef prices in Canada and the U.S.
The World Trade Organization has ruled that Argentina was
right to insist that it could continue to export beef to the U.S. from areas of
the country that were not affected by the outbreak.
On Aug. 30. 2012, Argentina complained to the World Trade
Organization about:
(i)
the import prohibition of fresh (chilled or frozen) beef from Argentina
embodied in the interim and final rule of the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture,
which amend the regulations of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR);
(ii)
the failure to recognize certain areas of Argentina’s territory as free of
foot-and-mouth disease embodied in the APHIS Policy Regarding Importation of
Animals and Animal Products; and
