US beef export opportunities may increase.

Concerns over BSE-contaminated beef in Europe could lead to increases in US beef exports within the next two years, according to Parr Rosson, an economist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and director of the Center for North American Studies. He said beef consumption within the European Union has been reduced by about half in the last three months, followed by a 35 percent reduction in retail prices for beef as a result of BSE, also known as "Mad Cow" disease.

Rosson said the US might pick up some markets in the next 18 to 24 months in areas where European beef has been banned, such as North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He also noted that the US might be in a position to move in and meet some of the demand in Central and Eastern Europe, as a result of the regulations that require whole herds to be destroyed if one animal is found to carry BSE will lower the amount of beef available. This may have an impact on the European Union's ability to supply its own needs, he said.