The European Union has complained at World Trade Organisation talks about countries keeping wide bans on EU livestock and other goods despite the curbing of foot-and-mouth, trade sources said on Thursday.
Alejandro Checchi Lang, director of the health commission of the European Commission, said he expected France, Ireland and the Netherlands to be given disease-free status within weeks by the Paris-based Office International des Epizooties.
He was addressing a three-day closed-door meeting of WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee which ended on Wednesday.
Trade sources said Argentina, also battling an outbreak of the highly contagious virus, made a similar complaint about near blanket bans on its products.
Foot-and-mouth disease spread through the UK and parts of Europe earlier this year, devastating livestock trade.
EU veterinary experts on Wednesday extended until September 30 restrictions imposed on Britain, where 3.5 million animals have been culled since the outbreak.
Most countries slapped on strict quarantine bans but have been reviewing their measures.
"The EU complained about certain measures some countries have taken applying across-the-board to EU countries and including products not carriers of the virus like poultry," a trade source said.
"The EU delegate said he expected the OIE (Office International des Epizooties) to proceed with restoring disease-free status to Ireland, France and the Netherlands within weeks," the source added.
Meanwhile, Australia on Thursday announced it was relaxing strict bans to resume animal product imports from Denmark and Austria following proof neither country posed a threat.
Australia's delegation told the WTO session that it was also talking to France, but had to protect its 120 million sheep from the disease, according to the trade sources.