A consignment of Welsh lamb is the first export of the live animals to Europe from England and Wales since last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic.

The export of 2,466 live lambs through Dover to Holland marks a significant breakthrough for the rural economy, which is still trying to recover from the �8bn farming crisis.

Disease in Wales

70,000 slaughters on infected premises 216,000 slaughters due to dangerous contact 833,000 slaughters for welfare reasons Cost to Defra: �102m Average farm clean-up: �44,000 Loss to producers: �65m Loss to food industry: �25m Cost to UK private sector: �5bn Total lost UK GDP: 0.2%

France faces being fined by the European Commission for refusing to lift its ban on British beef imports, despite an EU deadline that passed over the weekend.

Farming unions have welcomed the live lambs export as another step on the road to business as usual.

But a spokesman from the pressure group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) said the organisation was "appalled and horrified" by the move.

Around two million lambs were exported from Wales annually before the foot-and-mouth crisis, a trade worth around �100m per year.

Officials at Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, confirmed that a ferry loaded with the lambs from mid Wales had left Dover on Monday.

The cargo will then be taken on to France and Italy.

Hundreds of thousands of animals have been culled in the UK

The export of live animals from the UK was suspended during last year's foot-and-mouth crisis in an effort to prevent the disease spreading to the continent.

The ban on sheep and pig exports was lifted earlier this year. A shipment of pigs for breeding has already taken place.

According to CIWF, two shipments of sheep had also been sent from Northen Ireland, although one of those was sent back by the French authorities because paperwork was not in order.

Animal health minister Elliot Morley repeated the UK's support for meat rather than live exports for slaughter, but said there was nothing he could do to prevent today's shipment.

"We will be scrutinising the route plans sent in by the exporters, confirming the exporters are fit and proper people to undertake the operation, and checking the animals are fit to travel before they leave the country," he said.

"This trade is allowed under EU rules and I am unable to do any more than apply the rules including those on journey and rest times with vigour.

Animal welfare

"The commission are reviewing the current rules and we are pressing them to bring forward proposals without delay so that we can improve on what we have now.

"I would like to see a complete end to the long distance transportation of animals for slaughter.

"It can't be right that sheep are taken from the UK all the way to southern Europe for slaughter; even with intervening rest periods I am not happy that the welfare of the animals concerned can be guaranteed.

"This trade also undermines our meat industry and exports British jobs."

CIWF Director Joyce D'Silva added that the return to live exports flew in the face of public opinion.

"For the last few months we have been saying to farmers not to go back to this trade which involves huge suffering for the animals.

"Three-quarters of the public say live exports shouldn't happen."