Meat from cattle over 30 months old, which have been banned from entering the food chain since 1996, may be available to processors by the end of the year.
The over 30 month (OTM) rule was just one control measure introduced to protect public health after the BSE outbreak, but the Food Standards Agency believes a ban is no longer proportionate to the risk. Instead, it wants to see "robust" BSE testing of cattle born after August 1 1996.
The Agency has set up a six-strong independent group led by Patrick Wall, professor of food safety at University College Dublin and former chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to oversee the introduction of tests before the ban is lifted.
The FSA has already set out the testing criteria and will be consulting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to ensure that abattoirs have the systems in place to carry out the programme. DEFRA will run trials with abattoirs over the next three months.
Peter Scott, director of the British Meat Processors Association, welcomed the move, describing it as "unreservedly good news" for manufacturers. "We now have government, scientific and consumer confidence about beef," he said.
He predicted that more UK-sourced beef would be used, especially by foodservice companies and manufacturers, which currently import around 200,000t a year. The Meat and Livestock Commission expects domestic beef production to rise by roughly the same amount, displacing a significant proportion of imports, especially forequarter beef from the Irish Republic.