October 9, 2009
EU expresses regrets over US request for WTO case on poultry
Litigation through the World Trade Organisation isn't the best way to deal with complicated matters like the European Union's dispute with the US over the cleaning of poultry carcasses, the EU said Thursday (Oct 8).
Responding to a US request for a WTO panel to rule on the matter, EU trade spokesman Lutz Guellner said the EU "regrets" the decision and would defend itself rigorously.
EU food safety laws don't "discriminate against imported products," he said.
The US is challenging EU hygiene rules, under which slaughterhouses can only use water, or other approved substances, to rinse meat products to reduce bacteria, and not chlorinated washes, as are used in the US.
