EU lifts ban on British meat, livestock exports
Friday, 24 August 2007
BRUSSELS, Aug 23 (AFP) - European Union nations on Thursday agreed to lift the export ban on British meat and livestock, imposed due to a foot and mouth disease outbreak, except from a small zone around the affected farms.
"Exports of live animals, meat and dairy products will be able to resume from the territory of Great Britain" from Saturday, the European Commission said in a statement.
The only exception was a 10-kilometre (six-mile) containment zone surrounding the farms in southeast England where the outbreak was first detected.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, stressed that all exports will still be subject to "strict controls and veterinary supervision" once the ban is lifted.
A British diplomat welcomed the announcement as "good news".
European veterinary experts meeting in Brussels to review the export ban imposed early this month were convinced by Britain's evidence that no new cases had emerged since the second and last reported outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the county of Surrey more than two weeks ago.
Animals from the infected farms have been culled and the affected farms cleaned and disinfected.
The decision by the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) will be formally adopted by the EU's executive arm on Friday before exports can resume on Saturday.
The remaining restriction will be reviewed by the veterinary experts on September 11.
Following the initial outbreak, the whole of England, Scotland and Wales was considered a high-risk area with the ban extending to foodstuffs.
British farmers have been desperate to avoid a repeat of the costly 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, which also evoked an EU export ban and cost the national economy about eight billion pounds while devastating the agriculture sector.
Between 6.5 million and 10 million animals were slaughtered and burned.
"Exports of live animals, meat and dairy products will be able to resume from the territory of Great Britain" from Saturday, the European Commission said in a statement.
The only exception was a 10-kilometre (six-mile) containment zone surrounding the farms in southeast England where the outbreak was first detected.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, stressed that all exports will still be subject to "strict controls and veterinary supervision" once the ban is lifted.
A British diplomat welcomed the announcement as "good news".
European veterinary experts meeting in Brussels to review the export ban imposed early this month were convinced by Britain's evidence that no new cases had emerged since the second and last reported outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the county of Surrey more than two weeks ago.
Animals from the infected farms have been culled and the affected farms cleaned and disinfected.
The decision by the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) will be formally adopted by the EU's executive arm on Friday before exports can resume on Saturday.
The remaining restriction will be reviewed by the veterinary experts on September 11.
Following the initial outbreak, the whole of England, Scotland and Wales was considered a high-risk area with the ban extending to foodstuffs.
British farmers have been desperate to avoid a repeat of the costly 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, which also evoked an EU export ban and cost the national economy about eight billion pounds while devastating the agriculture sector.
Between 6.5 million and 10 million animals were slaughtered and burned.