EU extends ban on British meat and dairy exports

By Darren Ennis

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will continue a ban on all British fresh meat, milk and live animal exports because of the country's outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

"EU experts decided to continue to define the high risk area as Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland," a spokesman for the EU executive said.

He said although the ban will formally remain in place until August 25, the situation will be reviewed at a meeting on August 23.

Wednesday's decision at an emergency meeting of EU veterinary experts followed Monday's ban on all meat, dairy and livestock exports from Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland.

"It was confirmed that meat from Northern Ireland, which is outside the high risk zone, will be allowed to transit through Great Britain, so long as the necessary precautionary measures are adhered to," the Commission said in a statement.

The statement added that the British authorities "provided the Commission and member states with an update on the investigations being carried out into the source of the outbreak," but did not give details of the information shared.

Government inspectors say there is a "strong probability" the disease came from laboratories in Surrey close to farms where cattle were infected.

The unexpected outbreak is an unwelcome reminder of when the highly contagious viral sickness devastated British farming back in 2001, when more than six million animals were slaughtered -- many of them burned on huge bonfires.