November 19, 2003

EU Lift Ban on Cattle From Switzerland
 

Swiss farmers will once more be allowed to export cows to the European Union, following a decision by ministers from the 15-nation bloc to lift a ban imposed when the mad cow crisis erupted in 1996.

"The EU recognises that Swiss legislation concerning the illness BSE is equal to that of the EU," said a statement from the Federal Veterinary Office.

"Trade barriers used by other European countries against Swiss cows are no longer admissible," it declared Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after the EU's council on agriculture voted in Brussels to lift the ban.

Switzerland was one of the countries worst affected by the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopthy (BSE), which has been linked to the fatal brain-wasting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) disease in humans.

Before the European Union closed its doors on Swiss livestock exports, the country had shipped some 15,000 cows to the region every year.

Exports to Europe have gradually begun to pick up since 2002 when France, Germany and Spain lifted their barriers.

After the council's decision, "Italy, our principle export destination before 1996 and Austria must accept Swiss cows again," the federal office said, adding that barriers must be abolished by the end of the year.

There has been a fall in the number of cases of BSE detected in Switzerland. So far this year, 14 have been identified, compared with 24 cases of BSE in 2002 and 42 in 2001.