American bison producers gain profits from market access in the EU and Australia

On the one hand, the European Commission has proposed legislation that would allow certain duty-free access to U.S. bison meat into the European Union, according to an announcement by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Moreover, Australia announced the end of restrictions on U.S. bison that were first implemented in 2003. The trade agreement reached with the European Union is one that U.S. producers have long fought for, according to Jim Matheson, executive director of the National Bison Association. “The EU has been a major target for us for several years,” he explained. “I would say we have been pushing for 12 to 15 years to reduce tariffs and customs duties on our products arriving there. And indeed, last week we learned that they are finally going to proceed to eliminate those tariffs on bison.” According to the new legislation, the European Union would eliminate the current 20% tariff on U.S. bison under an annual tariff quota for 3,000 tons of bison meat. Matheson ...