Brussels, 07/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, composed of veterinary experts from EU Member States, is expected, on Wednesday 8 March, to approve the lifting of the embargo on British beef that has been in place since 1996, following the outbreak of mad cow disease. Ten years after the crisis, the export of beef and live animals will again be allowed. Initially, the ban on beef exports will be relaxed, but under very strict conditions. The annual level of British exports in the EU has not exceeded 1000 tonnes over the last few years, compared with 274,000 tonnes in 1995. The main condition for lifting the ban was that cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy did not exceed 200 per one million animals. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in March 2005 that this condition had been met, and, in January 2006, the Commission, following a favourable report from the Veterinary Office in September 2005, proposed lifting the ban.