Britain seeks to have export ban on beef lifted

FRESH attempts will be made by Britain to get all or part of the export, ban on its beef lifted by EU ministers on Monday. However the indications are that the additional culling measures currently under consideration in London bay not be enough to see the ban lifted.

The British Minister for Agriculture, Mr Douglas Hogg, yesterday met the EU Farm Commissioner Mr Franz Fischler to "test the water" on not yet finalised British plans to cull affected herds and to explore areas in which the farm ministers might be prepared to relax the export ban.

Although the EU's standing veterinary committee last week rejected proposals to lift the ban on beef by products such as gelatin and tallow, it is felt that these are likely to be the area where movement is likely. British spokesmen claim the by products ban is costing about £5 billion in lost exports, particularly pharmaceuticals.

However, sources suggest that Mr Hogg may also try to convince ministers that a lifting of the export ban on herds which can be certified as grass fed or disease free should be possible on scientific grounds.

In this context British sources have been hinting that such measures are likely to benefit Northern Ireland in particular, in part, not doubt, in the hope of securing Irish support.

Farming sources say such a distinction, even if certified by vets, would be very difficult to police and point to the fact that Northern Ireland herds would only be on grass for part of the year.

They suggest Ireland would be very reluctant to back an easing of export restrictions in the North which were in any way ambiguous, for fear of such measures not winning consumer confidence and then affecting confidence in Irish beef.

It is clear that EU ministers will not lift the British export ban until they are satisfied by the scale of a proposed slaughter policy, and yesterday's talks were seen as an attempt to gauge what would be acceptable.

Mr Fischler said they had not discussed figures. But in Brussels sources are talking of a cull of some 40,000 head, far short, farming sources believe, of what will be acceptable to the other EU states.