France is expecting a partial lifting of the European embargo on its meat and livestock exports, after it informed officials in Brussels that no new case of foot-and-mouth disease had been discovered since March 23rd.
"At 5 p.m. (1500 GMT), France made an official approach to the European Commission concerning the absence of new infection," a statement from the ministry of agriculture said.
The European Commission later announced it had received confirmation from France that it had reported no new cases of the disease and said that a partial lifting of the embargo would "take effect automatically" from tomorrow.
Ms Beate Gminder, spokeswoman for EU Health Commissioner Mr David Byrne, said in Brussels that the lifting of the ban was independent of the commission formally adopting the measure.
Last Tuesday, the EU's standing veterinary committee told France that if no new cases of the disease were discovered by April 2nd, it would approve an end to the ban on exports of non-treated meat and milk products.
The embargo would then only apply to the department of Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris, where the second of France's two cases of foot-and-mouth was detected 10 days ago, and two neighbouring departments.
A ban on the export of livestock susceptible of carrying the disease - cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and horses - will continue and be lifted on April 12th unless a new case is detected in the interim.
AFP
