Early end to beef ban proposed for Northern Ireland

17 September 1997

Early end to beef ban proposed for Northern Ireland

THE beef export ban could be lifted in Northern Ireland in the near future – but farmers in the rest of the UK are going to have to wait until a computerised tracing system is up and running, following a meeting of European veterinary experts in Brussels today.

The Scientific Veterinary Committee meeting, which concluded at 5pm UK time this afternoon [Wednesday], discussed the UK Governments latest proposals for allowing the sale of meat under its revised certified herd scheme.

“A major stumbling block appears to be the lack of a comprehensive computerised movement and tracing system and associated database in Great Britain. An adequate system does appear to exist in Northern Ireland,” the committee said.