In mid-2009, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) struck an agreement that defused the tension over beef from cattle raised with growth promotants, an issue that had plagued our trade relationship for 20 years. In exchange for a U.S. commitment to eliminate retaliatory tariffs on imports of certain EU products, the EU agreed – for the first time ever – to create a duty-free quota for imports of high-quality beef.