The Irish beef industry received a significant boost last night when the Russian authorities lifted their three-year ban on taking beef from five counties because of worries about BSE, writes Sean MacConnell.
The Department of Agriculture announced that a Russian delegation had decided to accept beef from Tipperary, Cork, Donegal, Limerick and Clare, which had been banned by Russia since 1996, when Irish BSE figures began to rise.
Cos Cavan, Meath and Monaghan are still "blacklisted" by the Russians, who had been buying upwards of £300 million worth of beef from Ireland until 1996, when the deteriorating BSE crisis hit the trade.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, last night described the lifting of the ban as a "major breakthrough".
The Russian authorities have continued to purchase Irish beef from intervention stores since the collapse of their economy last year and their purchases are expected to total about £100 million this year.