Farmers in the North have expressed outrage at the regionalisation arrangement in the Republic which allows exports from outside Co Louth to continue, writes Monika Unsworth. The Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister, Mrs Brid Rodgers, said she would push the case for regionalisation at tomorrow's meeting of the EU Standing Veterinary Committee.
A 30-day EU export ban on UK farm products has been in force since the outbreak began in Britain nearly four weeks ago.
The Ulster Farmers' Union said it was "astonished" at how quickly regional concessions had been granted to the Republic, where trade restrictions are confined to Co Louth. A UFU spokesman, Mr John Gilliland, said the move smacked of "double standards".
He added: "We just find it quite incredible that in 30 hours the Irish Government can manage to pull off regionalisation with the help of Commissioner Byrne. Yet we have now gone 22 days and we can't get regionalisation here."
An EU Commission official, Mr Jim Dougal, denied that Northern Ireland had been treated unfairly and said the Commission would be "amenable to consideration" of exemption proposals if put forward by the British government.