Menu

Beef-on-the-bone ban to follow end OTM scheme

Andrew Watts 25 February 2005
>More in

By Andrew Watts


 BEEF ON the bone looks set to be banned again in the UK because of the end of the Over Thirty Month Scheme.


EU rules mean that once the OTMS is abolished, the UK will have to debone at slaughter all cattle over 12 months of age.


The UK currently holds a derogation that requires only cattle destined for the food chain over 30-months of age to be deboned.


But once the OTMS is abolished – widely tipped to be in September – it is expected that the UK will be required to surrender this derogation. This will place the UK in the situation it was back in 1998 when beef on the bone was first banned.


derogation


 Peter Hardwick, spokesman for the Meat and Livestock Commission, said if the UK could not get a derogation, then T-bones and ribs of beef will be off the menu.


But he said the MLC is currently in discussion with officials in Brussels to let the UK maintain its current derogation.


“We are hoping to maintain the derogation we have in place under the current system,” said Mr Hardwick. “But at the same time we are asking to be treated the same as every other country in Europe, so it”s not as simple as one might think.”


 Mr Hardwick added that the EU Commission is currently considering revising upwards the minimum age at which animals have to be deboned from 12 to 24 months. This, he said, is widely supported by a number of member states.


public confidence


 Robert Forster, chief executive of the National Beef Association, said a beef-on-the-bone ban would not be good for public confidence in beef, but he hoped the issue would be resolved before September.


“It does give a contradictory opinion of British beef and it is time this was squared up,” he said.


But Mr Forster insisted that, overall, the end of the OTMS will be positive for Britain”s cattle farmers although where possible, he said, producers should avoid selling in September as the price will be very low for that month.


He added that the regulation will not hinder the UK”s ability to export beef on the bone – so long as it is deboned on arrival – once the Date Based Export Scheme and OTMS are abolished.

See more