Europe has expressed doubt at Australia's recent decision to keep out beef imports from countries that have a record of mad cow disease.

 

The EU has not ruled out taking action at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against Australia's import curb.

 

On March 1, Australia lifted a 10-year ban on importing beef from countries that have had mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the past.

 

David Daly, the EU delegation ambassador to Australia, has criticised the decision to re-impose restrictions. "We were of course surprised by this move, and we looked at it rather askance," Daly said. "You remove an import ban one week, and then you have a heavy procedure for import on the same product the following week. You raise your eyebrows."

 

Daly said the science showed European beef was safe and asked why the federal government had talked more about community opinion than about the science. He did not rule out Europe taking action against Australia through the World Trade Organisation, a forum for dealing with rules and disputes in international trade.

 

He said the EU needed more details about how Australia's new import risk analysis regime would work.

 

Australia's Trade Minister Simon Crean staunchly defended the decision to lift the import ban at the time, but then said a "fear campaign" had prompted the backward step. Crean said last week that the EU had made representations about the fresh restrictions on importing beef, along with the US and Canada.