EU bans British livestock, meat and dairy exports

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union slapped a ban on Monday on all British exports of fresh meat, live animals and milk products following the country's recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the European Commission said.

"No live animals susceptible to FMD (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs), or products from these animals, can be dispatched from Great Britain. Likewise, other member states cannot send any such live animals to Great Britain," the EU executive said.

"Live animals and animal products will still be allowed to be dispatched from Northern Ireland ... so long as they carry the appropriate health certificate," it said in a statement.

EU veterinary experts will meet on Wednesday to review the measure, it said.

The unexpected FMD outbreak comes as an unwelcome reminder of when the highly contagious viral sickness devastated British farming back in 2001, when more than six million animals were slaughtered -- many of them burned on huge bonfires.

Earlier on Monday, a Commission spokesman said the EU executive had agreed with British authorities to define the territory of Great Britain as a high-risk area, rather than limiting the ban to a specific geographical area around the outbreak, as the Commission had originally planned.

But a senior Commission official said EU food safety experts "were not surprised by the British request" and that, barring any further FMD outbreaks reported in Britain, he expected that zone to be reduced at Wednesday's meeting.

"This makes sense and the UK has learned a lot since 2001 and provided us with a very detailed plan," the official said.

The Commission also said Britain had responded fully and promptly to the outbreak at a farm in southeast England.

BILATERAL MEASURES

However, fresh meat and dairy products that originated before July 15 can be exported from Britain to other EU countries, the Commission said.

"The export ban will have a very considerable impact on the industry and the market. This is a major setback when the entire industry has been working hard to build a healthy export market," said Stuart Roberts, Director of the British Meat Processors' Association.

Several countries have blocked imports of meat or animals coming from Britain, or have said they will do so.

Japan and South Korea have temporarily halted pork imports from Britain, while the United States -- which already restricts UK imports of cattle and sheep due to other health scares -- has said it will ban imports of pork and pork products. Russia has also banned some imports of live animals from Britain.

Britain's Meat and Livestock Commission said cattle and beef exports in 2006 were worth more than 100 million pounds ($204 million). The main market, taking 40 percent, was the Netherlands, followed by Ireland, France and Germany.

Sheep and sheep meat exports were valued at almost 250 million pounds, with France taking 70 percent.

Pigs and pork exports were seen at around 175 million pounds, with 60 percent going to EU countries and Germany and the Netherlands the main markets.

British farmers are not entitled to receive any EU aid as compensation for any losses incurred, Commission officials said.

"Farmers are not entitled to any EU aid unless, like in 2001, it goes on for a long period of time, which would be a number of months," one official said.

Following the outbreak of foot and mouth in Britain in 2001, the EU provided an emergency aid package to four of the member states affected. Britain, France, the Netherlands and Ireland requested 1.6 billion euros ($2.21 billion) in compensation.

(Additional reporting by Jeremy Smith in Brussels, David Evans and Nigel Hunt in London)