China partially lifted its BSE embargo on French beef following a visit by a French government delegation last week, Agriculture Minsiter Stéphane Le Foll said in a statement.

Only de-boned meat from cattle under 30 months of age will be allowed into China.

The announcement adds one more competitor in the race for the Chinese beef market, which currently imports cheap frozen meat from South America and higher-end cuts from Australia, Canada and New Zealand. China removed a similar BSE ban on US beef imports last September.

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Ireland saw its own such ban lifted by the Chinese government in February 2015. Since then, a lengthy inspections process has been taking place, but no Irish company has yet been approved to export beef to China.

The US Department of Agriculture estimated that China imported 825,000t of beef in 2016, up 24% on the previous year.

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