CHANGE in the EU rules on, intervention which would have excluded up to 25 per cent of lower grade animals was reversed yesterday by the EU Beef Management Committee.

It reversed an earlier decision by the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler, that these animals, categorised as 04 grade, should be excluded from the system after January 1st.

The decision was welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, who earlier this week outlined to Mr Fischler the difficulties such a decision would create for Irish farmers.

The chairman of the Irish Farmers' Association's national livestock committee chairman, Mr Raymond O'Malley, said the decision was an important concession for Ireland.

Up to 25 per cent of Irish steers fell into the 04 category, he said, adding that had the rules not been changed, with the new weight restrictions of 380 kg being imposed by the EU in January, only 52 per cent of steers would have been eligible for intervention.

The beef committee decided yesterday to accept 691 tonnes of Irish beef into the system over the holiday.

This will take the equivalent of 2,300 cattle off the market.

A European boycott of meat from February 1st because of the transportation of live animals issue was announced yesterday by the powerful international Franz Weber Foundation based in Switzerland.

Mr Franz Weber, foundation president, wrote letters to all the heads of state meeting in Dublin saying that Brussels had refused to respect public opinion on replacing live transport of animals with the transport of processed animals.

As a result, he said in a statement, the foundation was compelled to resort to the extreme solution of organising a European boycott of meat from February 1st.

More than 100 animal welfare supporters, including the Compassion in World Farming organisation, held a picket of Dublin Castle during yesterday's summit.