The European Union on Wednesday said it was ready to lift a decade-old ban imposed on British beef exports over fears of mad cow disease or BSE, DPA reported. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said the bloc's top veterinary experts now believed that the embargo, imposed in March 1996 on British exports of live cattle, beef and beef products, was no longer needed in view of London's successful efforts to curb the spread of the disease. The announcement was welcomed by the British government Wednesday. "Clearly we welcome that. We believe it recognises the vast progress that has been made in terms of safety and so on," said the official spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair. "We believe it's very good for the British beef industry. It's a significant milestone," he added.
