Bovine TB outbreak could give rise to export ban

As the UK braced itself for a ban on cattle exports to the Continent this week, one of the UK's leading livestock haulage experts says that exports have already been so reduced that a ban will have little effect. The possibility of a ban emerged after British calves infected with bovine TB were exported to the Netherlands. The National Beef Association says that the calves were traced to a British farm, which exported the calves in May.

But Eddie Harper, chairman of the Road Haulage Association's livestock group, says that exports have already shrunk so much that a ban will have a relatively small effect on the UK livestock haulage industry. Harper says: "Frankly, after foot and mouth and blue-tongue, there isn't much going abroad anyway. About the only business left is a few calves."

Harper adds that years of pressure on livestock exports means that livestock hauliers have either abandoned the sector altogether or adapted to UK-only business. Even though no official ban has yet been placed on UK calf exports to the Netherlands, it is understood that farmers and dealers have made a commercial decision to stay away from UK bred cattle.

Although the business is relatively small, there were still 64,000 calves exported from the UK in 2007, nearly half of which went to the Netherlands.