EU Lifts Ban on British Beef

EU agriculture ministers have voted 10-15 in favor of lifting the 32-month-old ban on British beef exports, according to a UPI report. The ban originally was put in place after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). As expected, Germany voted against the move.

In an interview with the BBC, EU agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler said that while the ban has been lifted, it is unlikely exports will resume before Mar. 1999. EU inspectors will be conducting inspections of the UK's anti-BSE measures prior to any meat exportation.

The ban originally was imposed in Mar. 1996 after researchers discovered a suspected link between BSE in cattle and the human equivalent of the disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Already, the UK is planning a beef promotion drive to convince foreign consumers that UK-reared beef is safe in order to regain lost market share.