§ Mr. DawsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if all cattle born after 1 August 1996 will be eligible to enter the food chain. [64698]
§ Mr. Rooker[holding answer 11 January 1999]: Subject to meeting health and hygiene requirements, beef from all cattle which meet the requirements of the Fresh Meat (Beef Controls) (No 2) Regulations 1996 is eligible to enter the food chain. These Regulations are intended to prevent beef from cattle aged more than 30 months at the time of slaughter from being sold for human consumption unless the animal was certificated under the Beef Assurance Scheme, for which the age limit is 42 months, or the beef came from an animal born, reared and slaughtered in one of 14 countries which are exempt from the controls.
The "over 30 month rule" was implemented following receipt of advice from the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC). The Committee identified, at its meeting on 9 November 1998, criteria whereby the controls on beef over thirty months of age could be reviewed in the future. It hopes to begin to address this at its meeting planned for March 1999. The Committee recognised that this would require careful study and would almost certainly need to be considered over several meetings.