Hogg in new plea over beef ban

Douglas Hogg, the Minister of Agriculture, yesterday put a new proposal to Europe aimed at lifting the ban on British beef. Under the proposal, meat and beef products from herds certified as BSE-free would once again be exported.

The Export Certified Herds Scheme is an important step along the road to the restoration of British beef on the world market, according to Mr Hogg. "We need to get this ban lifted. We have made a judgement that we have to move step by step. We aim for this to be followed as swiftly as possible by another." However, the scheme, which will apply to farmers in Northern Ireland in particular because of the lower incidence of the disease there, may yet be frustrated by Europe, he said.