By Daisy Ayliffe - 8th March 2006
European veterinary experts are set to lift the ban on live British beef exports on Wednesday.
The move comes ten years after the ban was implemented to prevent the spread of BSE or “mad cow disease.”
A total ban on the export of live cattle and all cattle products from the UK was introduced at EU level in March 1996.
London’s efforts to crack down on the disease were reflected in a 1999 decision to allow the very limited resumption of some beef exports.
But these exports amounted to barely 1 per cent of the British export market.
The Date Based Export Scheme for England, Scotland and Wales and the Export Certified Herd Scheme for Northern Ireland made it possible to sell meat, subject to very strict conditions.
UK farmers celebrated a break through last year when it was announced that the incidence of BSE had fallen to just 161 cases.
The European commission later announced that its two key conditions for a total lifting of the British beef embargo had been met.
But not all EU member states are keen to see the end of the beef ban.
The French refused all imports from the UK, even after limited sales abroad were allowed from August 1999.
The EU executive was forced to take France to court until it fell in line over three years later.
If experts rule in favour of lifting the ban on Wednesday it could still take a few months for UK exports to resume again.
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