BELGIUM: Britain to resume meat exports next week after EU rules that foot and mouth cases under control

EU veterinary experts agreed on Thursday (August 23) to allow Britain to resume exports of live animals, meat and dairy products to other EU countries, apart from one restricted zone in the county of Surrey. The committee of EU vets endorsed a European Commission proposal to limit the bloc's export restrictions to a 10-kilometre surveillance zone in Surrey, where two outbreaks of foot and mouth disease were confirmed earlier this month. "From the moment the decision comes into effect, Great Britain, other than the existing protection surveillance zones, we will be able to export, health-marked, in the community meat, meat products and we will also be able to export live animals under strict veterinary rules," said Britain's s deputy chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg. The EU's amended trade restrictions on British livestock exports will apply until September 15 but be reviewed again at a further EU vets' meeting scheduled for September 11. Landeg said he expected the country to resume exports early next week. "This was a better decision than we had hoped , there will be some administrative measures to put in place in terms of certification and before animals can be exported under these strict rules there has to be a 3 day notice period (Journalist asking: "So we are looking at towards the end of next week?") Well I would think given the week end, well the beginning of the week, I suspect, if things go well," Landeg said. He added that the surveillance zone in Surrey, where the highly infectious virus was found on two farms in early August, would probably be lifted on August 30. The highly infectious virus was found in early August on two farms in Surrey, forcing more than 570 animals to be destroyed and prompting the European Union and other countries to ban British meat and dairy exports. The outbreaks came as an unwelcome reminder of 2001, when foot and mouth disease devastated British farming and led to the slaughter of more than 6 million animals, many of which were burned on huge bonfires. The spokesman for the European Commissioner for Health said it will take three months before they lift the ban on meat products from the infected area. "Certain restrictions will remain in place in the area of the protection surveillance zones around the first outbreaks for 3 months because of international rules requiring three months before a country can regain its MFD (Mouth and Foot Disease) free status so it will not be before early November that Britain will be able to fully resume trading internationally outside the EU," spokesman Philip Tod said. Landeg said Britain would remain vigilant but that he was confident that there was very little chance of another outbreak and praised Britain's swift response to the discovery of foot and mouth. "I think we still want people to be vigilant and we've still got the surveillance measures to be carried out but I think that the chances of finding another case are very, very low," Landeg said.

ITN Source | August 23, 2007

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