EU recommends beef ban reprieve for Northern Ireland

The European Commission has agreed to recommend a partial lifting of the ban on British beef exports.

The ban was imposed nearly two years ago because of the potential link between the cattle disease, BSE, and its human equivalent, CJD.

Commissioners decided to recommend that beef from certain herds in Northern Ireland should be exempted from the ban, if computer records show they have been free from disease for eight years.

The British government welcomed the decision -- but the BBC Political correspondent says the approval of EU veterinary experts and ministers will also be required and an overall lifting of the ban could still be a long way off.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service