Britain looks likely to escape a court challenge to its decision to ban beef imports from Europe which do not meet British safety standards.

European Commission lawyers are examining the move to see if it breaks free trade rules.

Emma Bonino says Britain is probably acting within the law

But the EC's Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Emma Bonino, suggested Britain's stance was legal because it was not a blanket ban.

She added that Britain was simply imposing rules covering the treatment of meat on the advice of its scientists.

British Agriculture Minister, Dr Jack Cunningham, threatened to impose a ban on beef which fell short of British standards after Europe delayed imposing tougher rules to combat BSE on other member states.

But it was feared a ban could ruin hopes of easing the worldwide ban on British beef.

Tory MEP Robert Sturdy said: "Any chance we had of restoring Britain's beef exports early next year could be gone."

European Farm Ministers, the European Commission and members of the European Parliament all attacked Britain's decision.

Germany's Agriculture Minister, Jochern Bochert, said it was "legally unjustifiable".

German MEP Reimer Boge, who produced a report this year condemning the Commission and Britain over the handling of the BSE crisis, said he had considered supporting an easing of the ban on British beef until now.

Fellow German MEP Dagmar Roth-Behrendt urged the Commission to have the unilateral UK measure outlawed in the European Court of Justice.

Now the latest phase in Britain's beef war with the rest of Europe will be conducted under the UK's presidency of the EU which starts on January 1. Mr Cunningham himself will chair meetings to discuss the fate of the UK's beef export trade.

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