Northern Ireland is being allowed to resume beef exports from today following a decision by the European Union to ease its ban on the worldwide sale of British beef products.

The ban was imposed two years ago after fears that the cattle brain disease BSE, which had infected some British herds, could be transferred to humans through contaminated beef.

Last week, the European Union's executive commission decided that anti-BSE safeguards in Northern Ireland -- through computerised checks on cattle movements -- were sufficient to allow beef exports from the province to resume.

The ban still applies to beef products from the British mainland.