Government seeks to overturn US haggis ban

The UK government has made a fresh attempt to overturn a decades-long US import ban on traditional Scottish haggis.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will raise the issue with senior officials from the Obama administration this week, according to the BBC.

The US has not allowed haggis imports since 1971 because the nation's food standards agency prohibits sheep lungs - one of the key ingredients of haggis - in food products.

Paterson said: "I share many haggis producers' disappointment that American diners are currently unable to enjoy the taste of Scotland's wonderful national dish in their own country.

"I am meeting my US counterpart today to discuss how we can begin exporting it, particularly as so many Americans enjoy celebrating their Scottish heritage."

Paterson's decision to highlight the plight of haggis comes after a move by US officials to reopen the American market to EU beef and other bovine products, following a ban put in place in the 1990s over concerns about BSE.

The minister is also expected to ask for a ban on Scottish lamb, imposed by the US in 1989, to be lifted.