Britain's Agriculture Minister, Mr Jack Cunningham, was holding talks in Brussels last night after government hopes of restarting Britain's beef exports soon were dashed by the European Commission.
EU officials have rejected proposals to allow the trade to start in Northern Ireland, despite the North's high-tech computerised monitoring system which guarantees accurate tracing of animals infected with BSE.
A Commission spokesman said the security of the system on farms was not in question - but Brussels remains worried about the potential for mix-ups in meat quality at abattoirs and meat plants.
