September 22, 2004

EU Lifts Mad Cow Export Ban On Portugal

The European Union lifted a ban on the export of cows, beef and related products from Portugal on Tuesday. The ban was slapped on the country six years ago due to fears of mad cow disease, officials said.

The embargo was adopted in November 1998 because of the high rate of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in Portugal then, combined with inadequate management of the disease.

EU health and consumer protection commissioner David Byrne, who proposed the ban be lifted, welcomed the agreement by EU member states.

"Portugal has made very significant efforts to deal with its BSE situation and will now reap the rewards of resumed trade," he said.

"As I approach the end of my term in office, I am very pleased to see that consumer confidence in beef has finally returned as a result of the effective efforts made by all EU countries in the management of BSE," said Byrne, who stands down next month along with the rest of the 30-member EU executive.