Beef on the bone off limits…again
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.
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.