T-bone back on the menu as BSE ban is lifted

THE popular T-bone steak officially returned to butchers’ shops and hotel and restaurant menus yesterday following a decision by the European Union 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 transmitting the human equivalent of BSE. This low age limit effectively outlawed T-bone steaks.

EU veterinary experts agreed in Brussels last October to raise that limit to 24 months, following advice from the European Food Safety Authority.

A continuing fall in the number of positive BSE cases as well as an increase in the average age of infected animals and new scientific data led to the conclusion that it would be safe to ease measures in relation to the removal of certain specified risk material in animals.

The decision is expected to have a positive impact on the competitiveness of farmers and meat industries. It will also reduce the amount of specified risk material waste generated in the EU.

Food Safety Commissioner Markos Kyprianou described the move as the first step towards easing BSE measures in the EU and as a positive reflection of how far it has come in the battle against the disease. It was not a move that was taken lightly.

“We are confident that the high level of consumer protection established through our BSE rules over the past decade will not be affected by this proposal,” he said.

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association said it was delighted to welcome back T-bone steaks.

President Malcolm Thompson said an Irish T-bone steak is one of the great pleasures in life.

“Choosing Irish beef is always a guarantee of quality and the highest health standards and this step heralds the beginning of the removal of the more unpalatable measures introduced to combat BSE and foot and mouth disease,” he said.

However, some hoteliers have reported that consumers in Ireland appear to have moved on from the T-bone steak and are now more focused on fillet, sirloin or strip loin, and on meat quality.