It has given all other farms a clean bill of health and is preparing to put their products back on the market.

The move defies strong international condemnation of the Belgian government's handling of the crisis, and comes as a growing number of countries ban meat and dairy imports from Belgium.

The European Commission has yet to give its backing to the Belgian government's decision.

Jonathan Beale: "Belgium might believe their food is safe; the rest of the world does not"

The scare over dioxin, which emerged after reports that animal feed containing the cancer-causing chemical may have been sent to thousands of farms, has grown into one of Europe's worst food scandals.

On the farms identified by the government - amounting to 17% of beef farms, 40% of pork farms and almost half the country's poultry farms - the ban on animal slaughter will remain.

Those not included on the list have been cleared to resume production.

Prime Minister in trouble

Two days away from a general election, the Belgian Prime Minister, Jean-Luc Dehaene, seems set to pay a political price for the food scandal.

Jean-Luc Dehaene: Ridiculed over the dioxin crisis

Support for his centre-left coalition has been weakened by the crisis, and analysts say the dioxin issue will affect the way Belgians vote on Sunday.

In the most recent poll, 65% of those questioned said the crisis had weakened their confidence in Mr Dahaene's government.

In an effort at damage limitation, the Prime Minister's wife, Celia Dehaene, said she and her children were still eating Belgian meat. She denounced what she said was a "conspiracy".

International ban widens

Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Chile, Uruguay and China are the latest countries to ban meat and dairy imports from Belgium.

Belgium's lucrative chocolate industry has also been hit by the scare, because it uses eggs and milk. The Leonidas chocolate factory has closed down for the duration of the crisis.

Belgian farmers have been blockading roads and border posts in protest at the bans, and the increased amount of imported food in Belgian shops.