The European Commission has proposed legislation that would allow some duty-free access for U.S. bison meat into the European Union. With this legislation, the current 20% tariff on U.S. bison would be eliminated under an annual tariff rate quota (TRQ) for 3,000 mt of bison meat. National Bison Association Executive Director Jim Matheson said U.S. producers have long fought for equal access to the EU market.
In a surprise announcement, Australia recently announced an end to restrictions on U.S. bison. Along with U.S. beef, U.S. bison had been effectively banned from Australia since the 2003 finding of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow in Washington state. Matheson said he now sees positive signs for opening key Asian markets to U.S. bison, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The access has come through close coordination with the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA.
For more information, visit usmef.org.
