End of beef export ban not the end of the nightmare - Ford

1.35.00pm GMT Wed 8th Mar 2006

Alliance Party Leader David Ford has said that the end of the beef export ban, announced today, is long overdue. He cautioned that beef exporters will have to innovate to restore their former markets.

Mr Ford, who was a member of the Agriculture Committee in the Assembly, stated: "The end of the beef export ban, as every farmer knows, is long overdue. I commend farming representatives on securing today's move forward.

"However, it will not be easy to restore international markets for Northern Ireland beef. It is imperative that producers and processors work hard together to establish a market for quality grass-fed beef. There is simply no future in commodity beef.

"We have a long way to go, but at least now we are on the right road."