The years since the Conservative government admitted in March 1996 that there probably was a link between the cattle disease BSE and a variant of CJD, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, in humans, has been a nightmare not just for the families of those affected but also for the beef farming industry.
First of all there was the ban on the export of beef, and cattle from the UK, and then a ban on the human consumption of beef from animals over the age of thirty months. In the UK most of the beef which is from older animals comes from what’s known as `cull-cows’. That is breeding animals which have reached the end of their productive life, and which by and large then go for processing purposes. Pies and sausages.
The one big exception to this is meat from traditional breeds. In particular Highland cattle. One of our most distinctive breeds these animals produce some of the finest meat know to mankind. The only trouble is that they’re not really ready to kill before they are at least forty two months old, or perhaps even a bit older. This is because they are fed on grass, they’re slow growing and this is what makes the meat so good.
Unlike many breeds of commercial cattle they’re not `finished’, or given supplemental feed to get them up to their slaughter weight. This has meant that the ban on consumption of animals over thirty months old was a real blow to this breed. They simply weren’t big enough to kill.
Fortunately for farmers with Highland Cattle this restriction, the Over Thirty Months Rule was scrapped in 2005 allowing these animals to enter the food chain. The only trouble was that this relaxation came with some pretty draconian caveats. The brain tissue from the animals had to be tested for the `prions’ thought to cause BSE. The animals could only be killed at specified, approved abattoirs, and they could only be killed on slaughter lines which were set aside for the killing and processing of such beasts.
This added a massive extra cost for the farmers. There was the extra transport involved, as there were few plants approved for the purpose, and the cost of the test itself… about twenty pounds. The slaughter cost is invariably more expensive as abattoirs generally had to handle fewer of these animals. Many farmers with Highland cattle didn’t bother to let their beats go to the full slaughter weight, and made the best of a `bad job’
Now having taken advice from the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, the European Commission says it’s happy for this time threshold to be raised… probably to forty eight months, and possibly even further to sixty months. This would be a massive boost for Highland cattle farmers, but would also help some other breeds. For instance Dexter and Belted Galloway cattle don’t need so long, but it would be helpful to those who farm them to be able to have the flexibility of missing the thirty month deadline, even if it is just by a few months. Raising the time limit will be down to national governments, but few expect DEFRA won't take advantage of the change.
This will mean the shaggy Scottish icons will be able to reach their proper weight before being killed. One benefit is that the joints are much bigger, and much better to cook. There's less loss from shrinkage, and this makes them much more appealing to restrateurs. It could also mean the return of one of the finest bits of the Highland. The T-Bone steak. At 30 months this is little bigger than a lamb chop, by 45, it’s a fine piece of meat fit for a king.
First of all there was the ban on the export of beef, and cattle from the UK, and then a ban on the human consumption of beef from animals over the age of thirty months. In the UK most of the beef which is from older animals comes from what’s known as `cull-cows’. That is breeding animals which have reached the end of their productive life, and which by and large then go for processing purposes. Pies and sausages.
The one big exception to this is meat from traditional breeds. In particular Highland cattle. One of our most distinctive breeds these animals produce some of the finest meat know to mankind. The only trouble is that they’re not really ready to kill before they are at least forty two months old, or perhaps even a bit older. This is because they are fed on grass, they’re slow growing and this is what makes the meat so good.
Unlike many breeds of commercial cattle they’re not `finished’, or given supplemental feed to get them up to their slaughter weight. This has meant that the ban on consumption of animals over thirty months old was a real blow to this breed. They simply weren’t big enough to kill.
Fortunately for farmers with Highland Cattle this restriction, the Over Thirty Months Rule was scrapped in 2005 allowing these animals to enter the food chain. The only trouble was that this relaxation came with some pretty draconian caveats. The brain tissue from the animals had to be tested for the `prions’ thought to cause BSE. The animals could only be killed at specified, approved abattoirs, and they could only be killed on slaughter lines which were set aside for the killing and processing of such beasts.This added a massive extra cost for the farmers. There was the extra transport involved, as there were few plants approved for the purpose, and the cost of the test itself… about twenty pounds. The slaughter cost is invariably more expensive as abattoirs generally had to handle fewer of these animals. Many farmers with Highland cattle didn’t bother to let their beats go to the full slaughter weight, and made the best of a `bad job’
Now having taken advice from the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, the European Commission says it’s happy for this time threshold to be raised… probably to forty eight months, and possibly even further to sixty months. This would be a massive boost for Highland cattle farmers, but would also help some other breeds. For instance Dexter and Belted Galloway cattle don’t need so long, but it would be helpful to those who farm them to be able to have the flexibility of missing the thirty month deadline, even if it is just by a few months. Raising the time limit will be down to national governments, but few expect DEFRA won't take advantage of the change.
This will mean the shaggy Scottish icons will be able to reach their proper weight before being killed. One benefit is that the joints are much bigger, and much better to cook. There's less loss from shrinkage, and this makes them much more appealing to restrateurs. It could also mean the return of one of the finest bits of the Highland. The T-Bone steak. At 30 months this is little bigger than a lamb chop, by 45, it’s a fine piece of meat fit for a king.
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