The European Union has agreed to resume beef imports from Argentina on February 1, almost a year after they were banned because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, Associated Press reports.
A panel of EU experts voted late Tuesday to authorize the import of fresh beef from all parts of Argentina except the provinces of La Pampa and Santiago del Estero, the EU said in a statement.
Imports of fresh meat were suspended March 13 after outbreaks of the disease, which led Argentina to start a cattle vaccination program.
The EU said it sent two inspection missions to Argentina, which found the disease had been eradicated in all but the two provinces. The decision to lift the ban was expected to be made formally by the European Commission this week.
"It is now appropriate to recognize the progress that has been made and to review the ban", said EU Health Commissioner David Byrne. "I encourage Argentina to continue its disease eradication efforts."
Argentine beef industry officials said bans imposed by the EU and other major export markets were costing them up to $40 million a month.
The suspension of exports from Argentina last year came as the EU was battling its own food-and-mouth outbreak, with more than 2,000 farms hit in Britain and isolated cases in the Netherlands, France and Ireland.
Britain was declared free of the disease this week.