WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/DS26/17/Add.1
WT/DS48/15/Add.1
5 February 1999
(99-0462)
Original:  English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – MEASURES CONCERNING
MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS (HORMONES)
Status Report by the European Communities
Addendum
The following communication, dated 4 February 1999, from the Permanent Delegation of the
European Commission to the Chairman of the Disput e Settlement Body, is circulated in accordance
with Article 21.6 of the DSU.
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Status report on the Implementation of the Recommendations and Rulings
 in the dispute Regarding European Communities – Measures concerning
Meat and Meat Products (Hormones)
Pursuant to Article 21.6 of the DSU, the European Community wishes to make the second
status report to the DSB on the progress made towards implementing its rulings and recommendations
concerning the Community's prohibition on imports of  bovine meat and meat products of animals
treated with six growth hormones.
As we informed this Body in January, in light of the ruling of the Appellate Body, the
Community initiated its reflections on how to im plement the DSU rulings and recommendations.  As
a first step, the Community decide to launch wit hout delay a complementary risk assessment, with a
view to assessing the implications thereof for th e Community's import prohibition.  For this purpose a
number of scientific studies are now underway, some of which were launched as early as February1998.
Furthermore, in April 1998 the Commission formally requested the risk assessment data upon
which the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia based their decision to authorize hormone for
growth promotion purposes.  Finally, it appears that the US are now willing to supply additional
information, and we await that with interest.  The Canadian authorities have declined to provide data,
which they indicate was submitted to them in confidence, and no reply has been received from the
other authorities.  We have urged them to reply in time.
Further details on the risk assessment exercise underway are, as we said in our first statement,
on public record.  As already explained, in the meantime, the inter-institutional consultation continue.
For the record, the EC would like to recall that, contrary to the US statement at the last DSB
meeting, the EC has since the beginning favoured  the establishment of a panel under the old TBT
Agreement, something which the US refused to accept (see para. 2.34 of panel report).
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