EURO BRIEFS
EURO BRIEFS
• BRUSSELS is to open discussions with member states on raising the 12-month age limit, above which cattle have to have their vertebral columns removed before entering the human food chain. The current ban, which does not apply to the UK and Portugal, effectively outlaws T-bone steaks in continental Europe. The decision to re-examine the policy follows a new opinion this week from EU scientists.
• BORD Bia, the Irish food body, is launching a major promotional campaign for Irish lamb in France this weekend, targeting over 500 retail outlets in the south-east of the country. The two-week initiative is being backed by three major supermarkets, Carrefour, InterMarche and Auchan, and will focus on the individual traceability and quality of Irish lamb.
• EUROPEAN farmers and co-operatives body, COPA/COGECA, has launched a new "farm holidays" section on its web-site, offering information on farm holidays in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The service is available on www.copa-cogeca.be and direct reservations are possible. *