EU lifts four-year ban on T-bone steak

THE popular T-bone steak, which once teased the taste-buds of the Irish, is to be allowed back in butchers’ shops and on hotel and restaurant menus following a decision by the EU to lift a four-year ban imposed on it over BSE fears.

Sales of beef containing the backbone of animals aged over-12 months were banned in 2001 in many European countries to reduce the risk of catching the human equivalent of BSE. This limit effectively outlawed T-bone steaks.

EU veterinary experts agreed in Brussels yesterday to raise it to 24 months, following advice from the European Food Safety Authority. This means T-bones are likely be back on sale in butchers’ shops and on menus across Europe by the end of the year.