TheSite Foot and Mouth Disease News
Trade Of Meat To Resume For More Of GB
UK - The European Commission has voted to ease restrictions on meat and livestock exports to Europe, three weeks after the last foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case in Surrey.
The decision by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) means several more English counties are now considered low risk. The Commission is expected to adopt the proposal on 26 October.
Dorset, Somerset, Glocestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Leicestershire and all areas of Great Britain to the north and west will be able to export. All areas to the south and east of these counties are still restricted.
One of the most significant relaxations is the decision that ruminants from the low risk areas will be allowed to be transported through and slaughtered in the high risk area, subject to stringent restrictions. This will bring welcome relief to processors in the high risk area.
A further change is that the pre-slaughter standstill required for animals will be reduced from 30 days to 21 days.
Source: MeatInfo
