A European Union (EU) experts' panel decided Thursday to ease restrictions on British exports of livestock and related products imposed following the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK.
The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, composed of veterinary specialists, agreed unanimously to limit the export restrictions to the 10-km surveillance zone in Surrey, southern England, where the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease occurred.
When the policy enters into force Saturday, exports of live animals, meat and dairy products will be able to resume from mainland Britain, apart from the 10-km zone, the European Commission said in a statement.
The EU imposed an exports ban on the whole of Britain excluding Northern Ireland after some 60 animals at a farm near Guildford, Surrey, tested positive earlier this month for foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious disease affecting domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals.
"This decision has been possible because of the prompt reaction of the British authorities in imposing a stand-still on the movement of animals in Great Britain and their strict application of (European) Community provisions on tackling foot-and mouth disease," Philip Tod, spokesman for EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, told reporters at a daily news briefing.
Since Aug. 3, 2007, two foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have been confirmed, both within the protection zone set up after the first outbreak in Surrey.
Animals from the infected farms have been culled and these holdings have been cleaned and disinfected. A 3-km protection zone and a 10-km surveillance zone have been set up, in which movement restrictions and upgraded bio-security measures are being applied.
Though trade in live animals and their products from most of Britain will be possible, it will remain subject to strict controls and veterinary supervision, the commission said.
The reduced restrictions will be in force until Sept. 15 and EU veterinary experts will meet again on Sept. 11 to review the situation.
Source: Xinhua
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