Europe’s veterinary experts today agreed emergency measures declaring the whole of Britain a “high risk” area until mid-October.

TEMPORARY livestock price boosts due to the British foot and mouth outbreak may start to disappear today, if Britain succeeds with a request to fellow EU member states to allow exports of meat from all but the restricted area where foot and mouth disease was found on August 3.

The measures triggered by the Scottish Executive last night to contain bird flu were part of a joint Europe-wide strategy agreed earlier this year as it became inevitable that the virus would reach the EU.

Europe’s veterinary experts today unanimously approved the ending of the worldwide ban on British beef exports imposed 10 years ago because of mad cow disease (BSE).

The Netherlands and France are expected today to be given EU permission to start vaccinating poultry flocks against bird flu.

ACKNOWLEDGING it is on high alert, the European Union approved measures to try and halt the unrelenting advance of bird flu, including setting up buffer zones around outbreaks of the lethal virus.

A blanket ban on the import of live birds into the European Union is expected to be agreed today as more cases of the most deadly strain of avian flu are confirmed.