Even health officers welcome the end of 'farcical' beef ban

THE LIFTING of the beef-on-the-bone ban was today welcomed by farmers and butchers - and by environmental health officers who were left with the task of policing a law which they maintained was unenforceable from the day it was introduced.

National Farmers' Union spokesman Stephen Weller said the ban had cost the farming industry millions and achieved nothing. "We are delighted that all the medical officers are now agreed over the safety of British beef," he added. "We want to see beef-on-the-bone back on British shelves before Christmas. We think the public deserve that much, and do not feel it should have been banned in the first place. We understand the reasons why they banned it, based on scientific advice, but we think the risks were minuscule."

Jon Bullock, spokesman for the Meat and Livestock Commission, said the lifting of the ban was "wonderful news and a great boost for the industry. It sends the right messages to the wider world to help us get the export ban on beef lifted, too."

Peter Scott, Director of the British Beef Federation, said the announcement is another step on the road to restoring worldwide confidence in British meat.

"While we were arguing among ourselves, other countries could quite properly ask why they should import British beef. This is good news for the industry."

He urged Agriculture Minister Nick Brown to ensure beef-on-the- bone is back on sale by Christmas. "The Ministry of Agriculture has always seemed quicker to introduce bans than repeal them," he added. "Now the Welsh and Scottish assemblies have had their little moment of independence we hope it can be lifted as soon as possible."

Environmental health officers, who were saddled with the task of detecting illegal beef-on-the-bone, welcomed the lifting of a ban which they had always opposed. "We said that such a ban would prove to be unenforceable when it was introduced and we continued to say so throughout the ban," said a spokesman for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers.

Master Butcher David Lidgate, of Lidgate's Butchers in Holland Park, said the ban had been "an absolute farce".

He went on: "Never before was there a stronger demonstration of public opinion against the ban than when the Government announced it. People flocked to the butchers in droves to buy up the last supplies before the ban was introduced.

"The law was never enforced and it made a mockery of Jack Cunningham and the Ministers who brought it in.

"It has taken a long time to save enough face to take the ban off. If they had real courage, they would have lifted it straight away, having realised the mistake."

Mr Lidgate's family business has been selling meat for around 150 years.

The lifting of the ban opens up the prospect of several restaurateurs and butchers being prosecuted for selling a product which is now legal again.

Alan Coomber, the first Englishman to be prosecuted for serving T- bone steaks, said today that he still expects to be prosecuted. Mr Coomber, whose 16 and 28-ounce T-bone steaks have allegedly remained on the menu at the Bell Inn in Iden, East Sus-sex, throughout the beef crisis, said: "The case has been dragging on for almost two years and I don't expect the council to drop it now.

"It was crazy that I was prosecuted in the first place and it is still crazy now. The local council must regret the day they sent inspectors in here because it has shown up the whole thing as ridiculous. I am delighted that the ban has been lifted and I think it is great news for the farmers, but I am not surprised.

"There was no way you could criticise the French for refusing to import British beef when it was still banned over here."

Mr Coomber is due for his latest appearance at Hastings and Rother magistrates court on Monday, but doubts the case will be resolved then.

Rother district council said it had no comment to make at this stage over Mr Coomber's case.

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