Germany lifts ban on Swiss and British beef

Germany has lifted an embargo on Swiss and British beef, imposed because of fears about BSE, or mad cow disease. The upper house of parliament ended the four-year ban, bringing German policy into line with the rest of the European Union.

Germany has lifted an embargo on Swiss and British beef, imposed because of fears about BSE, or mad cow disease. The upper house of parliament ended the four-year ban, bringing German policy into line with the rest of the European Union.

The proposal to remove the ban narrowly scraped through Germany’s Bundesrat with 39 votes for and 30 against. The vote averts the threat of legal action against Germany.

In reaction, a spokesman for the economics ministry said Swiss efforts to improve its protection measures had been rewarded. The Federal Veterinary Office said it was an important political signal, even though Germany is not a major export market for Swiss meat.

The EU introduced a blanket ban in 1996, after British scientists announced a possible link between BSE and a fatal brain disease in humans.

Britain had the highest instances of BSE, with more than 160,000 cases recorded by the time the ban was introduced. The number in Switzerland at the time was 216.

Last August, the EU lifted its ban on cattle born after August 1996, but Germany refused to follow suit.

The German embargo will only be formally withdrawn once a government order is issued, probably at the end of the month. Swiss beef is likely to be back in German shops in early April.

However, Swiss beef is still banned in more than 40 countries around the world.

swissinfo with agencies