Call for direct cash support to boost livestock numbers
SCOTLAND - Consideration should be given to the re-introduction of direct support for suckler cows and breeding sheep, according to the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IASS).

New Twist In Tale Of BSE's Beginnings
U.K - The discovery that a rare brain disease in cows can mutate into BSE has given new life to the theory that mad cow disease started out in cattle, rather than crossing over from sheep.

Insight: Mad cows and the UK's beef industry
UK - British beef is back on European dinner tables. Last week, the European Union lifted the ban it imposed on UK beef exports in 1996 to protect consumers against meat infected with mad cow disease (BSE).

Another BSE slip hits UK meat industry
UK - A case of mistaken identity has led to another breach of the UK's bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) regulations, the country's food regulator said yesterday.

Should we still be worried about BSE?
UK - When the news first broke that 'mad cow disease' could be passed to people, some scientists predicted that tens of thousands of us could eventually die of vCJD, the human form of BSE.

Untested OTM heifer enters the food chain
UK - The Agency has been notified that an Over Thirty Month old (OTM) heifer has entered the human food chain without being tested for BSE. Testing of bovine animals is mandatory in those intended for human consumption that are over thirty months at slaughter....

EU bureaucracy causing problems for livestock farmers
UK - The bureaucracy of Brussels is causing problems for livestock farmers whose animals may be subject to conditions which prevent them being transported to an abattoir for slaughter.

Beef taken off the shelves following BSE testing enquiry
UK - Beef products have been taken off supermarket shelves after a cow was wrongly identified as being under thirty months and was slaughtered without being tested for BSE. Source: Meat Info

BSE scare has forced meat industry to look at how it polices itself
UK - The perceived threat to human health from BSE, or mad cow disease, has all but faded into the science fiction of white-coated scientists' fantasies of some sort of Armageddon. It never happened but the meat and livestock industry is still faced...

South Korea to resume US beef imports
UK - South Korea is to resume imports of US beef this week, ending a ban imposed nearly three years ago over mad cow disease. Nine tons of beef from a Kansas-based slaughterhouse will arrive at Incheon International Airport on Monday and will go on...

Finnie in Paris to promote 'rebirth' of Scotch beef
UK - Ross Finnie, Scotland's food minister, is continuing his efforts - "A tough job but someone has to do it," he said recently - to promote red meat exports by attending an international food and drink exhibition in Paris. Speaking yesterday...

Scotch beef 'back at top table'
UK - Almost £3 million of Scotch beef has been exported since the export ban was lifted in May, according to latest figures. And Scottish food minister Ross Finnie said on a trip to Paris that exports to markets worldwide will continue to rise....

Irish fly in to raid Perth cattle sales
UK - An Irish airline boss and former Ireland rugby player yesterday capitalised on the recently reopened export market for live cattle from the UK. The international interest helped lift averages by £1,066 to £4,398 for 36 sold, a 72 per...

Farmers still sending OTM cattle to slaughter despite ban
UK - UK farmers have sent over 180 older cattle to slaughter for human consumption since last November, despite a ban on cattle born before 1 August 1996 entering the food chain because of the increased risk of BSE. But the Department of Agriculture...

Now premium quality beef costs more than foie gras
UK - Farmers now get an average of £2.10 per kg, though the highest quality beef is almost £2.40 per kg. The price rise has been triggered by a shortage of beef supplies around the world. British beef prices have mainly been boosted after...

SRM breaches reported over the past month
UK - The FSA, in conjunction with the Meat Hygiene Service and DARD in Northern Ireland, has been carrying out a survey of compliance at cutting plants with legislation relating to the removal and disposal of vertebral column SRM from 24-30 month old...

Bright future forecast for quality beef producers
UK - The trade for prime cattle is running slightly ahead of the levels seen before the 1996 BSE crisis, with Scottish producers receiving around 225p per kilo deadweight. But during the intervening years costs have considerably increased. However,...

Progress report on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies published
UK - The third annual progress report on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies in Great Britain is published today. The 2005 report notes the continued decline in the number of BSE cases and the achievement of three key targets. Source: Def...

Improved outlook for welfare in veal production
UK - The resumption of live cattle exports to mainland Europe in early May was widely welcomed by the UK farming industry. However, concerns were expressed by many animal welfare organisations over the prospect of young calves again being shipped across...

Cow beef joins list of exports to resume after EU ban is lifted
UK - Scotland's first export of cow beef for a decade will leave Galashiels slaughterhouse tomorrow for the Netherlands. Source: Scotsman