Scotland and Northern Ireland has been approved of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) negligible risk status.
The move was announced following a meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris yesterday (25 May).
British Veterinary Association President Gudrun Ravetz said: “Scotland and Northern Ireland's achievement of the lowest risk level status for BSE is testament to the years of hard work and joined-up efforts of the respective governments with their farmers, industry and vets – who are pivotal to the success of any disease control programme.
“We must of course continue to work together keep up high standards of biosecurity and surveillance in order to safeguard animal health, which is vital to both countries’ economies.
“This is excellent news for Scotland and Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry, especially as we look ahead at the trade deals which will need to be forged in the coming year or two, further demonstrating that our beef is produced to a high quality and standard of animal health for consumers in the UK and across the world.”
'Positive image'
Ulster Farmers Union, deputy president, Victor Chestnutt, said the granting of official BSE negligible risk status (BSE NR) to Northern Ireland will be welcomed by livestock farmers.
“This will give Northern Ireland beef a more positive image on the world stage. It should help us gain access to key target markets, such as China, USA, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines”, says Mr Chestnutt.
“Beef exporters believe securing access to these markets could put an extra £12 million a year into the supply chain.
“In countries we already trade in, it opens up the possibility of amending access agreements. This could boost trade in offals, again adding value to the local supply chain,” he said.
