THE British Agriculture Minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, predicted yesterday that the worldwide ban on British beef exports could soon be lifted following his decision to abandon the government's original stance and agree to a further selected cull of high-risk cattle.
But in a statement to the Commons, Mr Hogg admitted that despite this U-turn, which will cost, £150 million, the European Union was unlikely to agree to a timetable for lifting the beef ban. The decision means that Britain will now have fulfilled all the conditions demanded by the EU.
"The House should not be under any illusion as to how quickly a selective cull will lead to a resumption of exports of British beef. We will now pursue discussions in Brussels as rapidly as possible, of course," he said.
Last night Mr Hogg flew to Brussels to outline his decision to EU farm ministers at the two-day Agriculture Council and attempt to persuade them to set a date for the lifting of the ban.
"A selective cull is an indispensable precondition to obtaining any lifting of this ban. Implementing it will enable us to press vigorously for a lifting of the ban, starting with certified herds," he said.
Mr Hogg's decision to slaughter about 150,000 cattle will appease the Ulster Unionists, who have made the lifting of the ban in Northern Ireland a high priority for their continued support of the British government.
In answer to a question from Mr William Ross, the Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Hogg said the criteria needed to lift the ban on certified herds would "be met by very many herds and cattle" in Northern Ireland.
"I cannot think of any place in the United Kingdom that is better placed to meet the criteria than is Northern Ireland and I can think of no part of the United Kingdom which is likely to make more rapid progress in satisfying the criteria than is Northern Ireland."
However, Mr Hogg rejected suggestions that he should demand that the ban be immediately lifted in Northern Ireland because of its "unique" situation.
The British government agreed to meet the EU's demand for a selective cull six months ago but Mr Hogg decided to postpone the slaughter in September after new scientific research suggested it would be unnecessary because BSE was dying out naturally.
The Shadow Agriculture Minister, Dr Gavin Strang, accused the government of incompetence and pointed out that the Prime Minister, Mr Major, had promised that all the conditions to lift the ban would have been implemented by November.
"The fact that one month after this deadline the ban is still 100 per cent in place is a terrible indictment of the government's record," he said.
Political parties and farmers' representatives in Northern Ireland broadly welcomed yesterday's announcement of an accelerated slaughter scheme.
Mr Greer McCollum, president of the Ulster Farmers' Union, said the decision on this scheme was long overdue. One of the major obstacles to Northern Ireland fulfilling the conditions of the Florence Agreement was the implementation of such a scheme.
It was now vital that the necessary legislation be passed as a matter of urgency and that the process of notifying farmers and agreeing compensation commence as soon as possible.
The SDLP's agriculture spokesman, Mr Denis Haughey, said that the decision was welcome, but was not enough. The question was how the government should proceed from here. It had two options - to apply immediately to the EU for special status for Northern Ireland beef, or to pursue and secure agreement on the certified herd scheme. These issues needed to be clarified urgently.