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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1488

To prohibit imports into the United States of meat products from the European Community until certain unfair trade barriers are removed, and

for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 25, 1993

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. GRANDY, Mr.

GUNDERSON, and Mr. BEREUTER) introduced the following bill; which

was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To prohibit imports into the United States of meat products

from the European Community until certain unfair trade

barriers are removed, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND POLICY.

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following

5 findings:

6 (1) The European Community’s Third Country

7 Meat Directive is a nontariff trade barrier.
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1 (2) The maintenance of this nontariff barrier is

2 a major impediment to United States meat exports

3 to the member states of the European Community.

4 (3) United States producers of meat products

5 have been injured by being denied the opportunity to

6 sell their products in the member states of the Euro7 pean Community.

8 (4) The imposition of this nontariff barrier has

9 had a harmful effect on United States commercial

10 interest and has created a serious trade dispute be11 tween the United States and the European Commu12 nity.

13 (5) Efforts by the United States Government to

14 negotiate a resolution to this dispute have been un15 successful.

16 (6) The European Community is expanding its

17 share of the United States pork market through the

18 unfair use of export subsidies, and this expansion is

19 further injuring the United States pork industry.

20 (7) In order to prevent further economic injury

21 to the United States meat industry, the United

22 States Government must take stronger action to re23 move the major impediment to United States exports

24 created by the Third Country Meat Directive.
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1 (8) In order to demonstrate its determination to

2 obtain access to the European market for United

3 States producers, the United States Government

4 should retaliate against the European Community’s

5 imposition of the Third Country Meat Directive.

6 (9) The form of retaliation that is most likely

7 to succeed in bringing the dispute to a resolution is

8 to restrict imports of meat products from the Euro9 pean Community to the United States.

10 (b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States

11 that the European Community’s Third Country Meat Di12 rective is an unfair nontariff trade barrier and that it is

13 in the public interest to remove this barrier to exports of

14 United States meat products.

15 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST ENTRY OF EUROPEAN COM16 MUNITY MEAT PRODUCTS.

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after the

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall pro19 hibit the entry into the United States of all European

20 Community meat products.

21 (b) DURATION.—The prohibition imposed under sub22 section (a) shall remain in full force and effect until the

23 European Community removes the impediment to United

24 States meat imports into the European Community caused

25 by the Third Country Meat Directive, and until meat
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1 products raised and produced in the United States are

2 permitted full and fair access to the markets of the Euro3 pean Community.

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