Hopes were rising in the North today that the British government will ask for a relaxation of the European ban on beef exports.
Sources claimed the Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett is poised to urge European Union chiefs to begin moves to lift the ban, which has been in place since 1996.
The report comes after Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew pressed Prime Minister Tony Blair for the removal of the beef ban.
The ban was imposed because of European Union concerns about BSE. Farmers in Northern Ireland , however, have been pressing for recognition of their advanced computer traceability system for beef production.
"We are expecting some kind of announcement from the Government either today or within the next few days that the case is being made for a lifting of the beef ban," an industry source said.
"There have been many false dawns in the past but there appears to be greater optimism around just now."
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP said she believed the case for lifting the ban was irresistible.
"This demands a clear plan of action with a clear time frame and mechanisms to advance the case at an EU level to remove the beef ban," she said.