‘Mad Cow’ Ban on British Beef Is Lifted by EU

British beef producers are preparing to resume exports Aug. 1, now that European regulators have ended a three-year ban imposed after an outbreak of “mad cow” disease.

The embargo crippled Britain’s beef industry, with lost sales estimated at more than $2.4 billion, and cattle farmers and industry executives welcomed the European Commission’s decision Wednesday to let British beef back into overseas shops and restaurants.

“This is a tremendous day--British beef will once again be able to leave these shores and be enjoyed on the dinner plates of the world,” said Ben Gill, president of the National Farmers Union.

The industry faces a long struggle to regain its reputation and rebuild sales.

The Brussels-based European Commission, which enforces rules for the 15-nation European Union, voted to clear British beef for export after it received final approval from EU veterinary experts.

The decision ends a ban that the commission imposed after a 1996 outbreak in Britain of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow” disease, which medical researchers linked to a fatal human brain ailment, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.