Northern Ireland was granted regional status by the European Union and was given the go ahead to resume livestock exports to Europe from April 3rd.
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Ms Bríd Rodgers
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The decision to grant regional status was made by the European Commission Standing Veterinary Committee.
The ban on meat, livestock and dairy products will be lifted from April 3rd, as long as there are no further outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.
An earlier suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease in Lisahally Co Derry has proved to be a "false alarm". Stormont’s Agriculture Minister Ms Bríd Rodgers said: "I am, of course, very disappointed that the decision does not take immediate effect.
"I would like to pay tribute to everyone in my own department, together with those from other departments, who have put in many long hours of hard work, often in miserable weather conditions, to get to this point," she said.
PA