Beef ban lifted official

23 November 1998

Beef ban lifted — official

By FWi staff

THE export ban on British beef was lifted this afternoon (Monday) by European agriculture ministers at a Farm Council meeting in Brussels.

The only minister to vote against the lifting of the ban this afternoon was Germanys Karl-Heinz Funke.

The move will initially only apply to de-boned beef from cattle born after 1 August, 1996.

It is also expected that the European Commission will insist on the culling of a further 12,000 offspring from cows that have died of BSE as a condition of lifting the ban.

The news was immediately welcomed by British farmers and exporters, who have seen beef prices slump since the ban was imposed in March 1996 at the height of the BSE crisis.

Before BSE, annual British beef exports were worth £520 million.

About 3400 tonnes of beef were exported weekly, equivalent to about 11,000 carcasses, or 25% of the national kill.

Efforts to counter BSE and ensure the safety of British beef have since cost a huge amount of money.

The BSE-related bill to taxpayers is expected to climb to £4 billion by 2001.