London - A top U.S. trade envoy complains food safety disputes between Europe and America are rooted in European politics instead of science.
The British newspaper, The Financial Times, reports today that Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for Agriculture Peter Scher attacked European political interference in EU food safety issues.
In an interview in Washington, Scher told the newspaper that the approach deprives European consumers of confidence in their own food supply.
Scher also grumbled about the regulatory process for biotechnology.
He said: "It changes every day....Some commissioner decides to have a new review so they have a new review."
Scher added that the "way to instill consumer confidence in both the US and EU is to have a transparent science-based system that is free of political interference."
Scher also lauded a recent World Trade Organization ruling on the EU ban on meat produced using growth-promoting hormones, noting the ruling said a ban had to be based on scientific evidence.
European nations saw the ruling as a political victory but Scher claimed otherwise.
He said, "The WTO has agreed that the EC has no scientific basis for blocking the sale of American beef in Europe based on the use of growth hormones."
But EU nations say the ruling entitles them to set the scientific basis on which decisions are made and thus was a win for Europe.
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