British beef will be back on European menus after the EU lifted its import ban yesterday.

The end of the ban, which has cost the UK beef industry an estimated £500m, has been given a cautious welcome by the meat industry.

Stephen Rossides, head of policy at the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), said it would help stabilise the UK market. "Another outlet for British beef should put some more welly into the beef sector here," he said.

But Duncan Sinclair, senior economic analyst at the MLC, believes caterers won't notice any price changes. "Prices will hold steady because at the end of the day the vast majority of British beef will still be consumed by the domestic market," he said.

By Tom Bill

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