China has announced it will lift the ban on beef imports from the UK that was originally imposed as a result of an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, more than 20 years ago.

The agreement is expected to provide a major boost for British producers and will be worth an estimated £250m in the first five years alone.

China is currently the UK’s eighth-largest export market for agri-food, and reports indicate that more than £560m worth of British food and drink was purchased by Chinese consumers in 2017.

UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “This is fantastic news for our world-class food and farming industry, and shows we can be a truly outward looking Britain outside the European unio (EU).

“It is the result of painstaking and collaborative work by industry and the Defra team over many years.

“Today’s milestone will help to unlock UK agriculture’s full potential and is a major step to forging new trading relationships around the globe.”

UK International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: “Today’s announcement is a huge coup for British businesses who want to access global trading opportunities as we leave the EU.

“My international economic department has worked hard to secure agreement from our Chinese counterparts to access one of the largest global markets.

“This is a crucial step on our role in becoming a truly Global Britain.”

The lifting of the embargo follows several years of site inspections and negotiations between the two countries.

The development is anticipated to enable official market access negotiations to commence, which normally take around three years to complete.

China’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Theresa May’s trade mission to the country earlier this year, which resulted in an agreement regarding the implementation of new measures to improve the UK’s access to the Chinese market.