BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel asked European Union (EU) member states on Tuesday to immediately eliminate refunds for all exports of live cattle.

    The announcement came only two days after the EU agreed to a global deal to eliminate all farm export subsidies by the end of 2013 at World Trade Organizations talks in Hong Kong.

    "Now is the right time to put an end to these exports refunds. The outlook for our own beef market is positive and therefore no longer justifies the continuation of this support to our farmers," said Boel in a press release of the European Commission.

    "I now call on member states to back this measure."

    The necessary draft regulation will be submitted by the commission to the beef management committee, which is composed of member states' representatives.

    The committee will be called to express itself on the draft regulation during its next meeting on Friday. In the absence of a qualified majority against the draft, the commission will adopt the regulation in due course, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.

    The market situation for beef in the EU has improved dramatically over the last couple of years, said the commission.

    Current EU price for adult male bovines is 300 euros (360 US dollars) per 100 kg, compared with 265 euros (318 dollars) two year ago.

    Consumption has fully recovered from the mad cow disease crisis and is even exceeding levels known before the crisis. Furthermore EU beef production has been falling, partly as a result of the 2003 common agricultural policy reform, which decoupled aid from production.

    The combination of these two factors has resulted in relatively high market prices and a favorable market situation. Beef is increasingly in short supply, exports of beef are continuously in decline, and imports are increasing, said the commission.

    EU exports of live cattle for slaughter is primarily sent to Lebanon. In 2005, 66,301 head of cattle were exported to Lebanon for slaughter. This is a fall from 123,825 in the same period in 2004.

    In recent years there has been a surge in exports of live cattle to Lebanon from Brazil. In 2003 Brazil exported 1,000 head of cattle. For the first 10 months of 2005 Brazil has exported 84,000 heads for live slaughter in Lebanon. Enditem