The United States has lifted its 15-year ban on Irish beef.

The lifting of the beef ban marks the first time that the U.S. will allow beef from Europe since it placed bans 15 years ago. The ban was put in place after fear of mad cow disease from the area, reports The Chicago Tribune.

The U.S. is the largest consumer of beef and has a high demand for beef following droughts that have restricted the supply. The high prices caused by the drought has pushed U.S. beef prices above European prices. This means that Irish beef will be able to compete against other sources for a share of the market, The Tribune

notes.

“This is the culmination of two years of intensive work to prove our credentials as a supplier of highest quality premium beef,” Simon Coveney, the agriculture minister in Ireland, told The New York Times.

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