Northern Ireland meat exports ban extended

EU veterinary experts have extended a ban on all meat and dairy exports from Northern Ireland after two new cases of foot-and-mouth disease were reported there over the weekend.

The panel also decided to relax measures to fight foot-and-mouth disease in Holland, allowing the export of Dutch meat and dairy products to resume from the southern and western parts of the country.

The easing of restrictions in Holland will be conditional on no new cases being discovered outside the affected areas of Oene and Friesland by Monday, officials said.

The panel also decided to ease EU-wide restrictions on the movement of livestock to enable farmers across the 15 nation union to move their herds from winter shelters to summer pastures.