The EU Veterinary Committee decision to recommend a ban on T-bone steak is "another body blow" to the beef industry, a spokeswoman for the Irish Creamery Milk Supplier’s Association said today.
The ICMSA said the proposed ban is "totally unjustified and unacceptable" and represents an attempt by the EU Commission services to "cloak its past incompetence".
President of the ICMSA Mr Pat O'Rourke has confirmed he is to meet the Minister for Agriculture next Tuesday to discuss the proposed ban.
The Associated Craft Butchers' of Ireland has described the EU decision as "thoughtless and unnecessary".
ACBI Chief Executive Mr Pat Brady said he was disappointed at the Department of Agriculture's failure to ensure Ireland's exclusion from this measure.
However, he said his organisation would fully support the Department's campaign to ensure a derogation is successfully attained.
Last night chief veterinary officers from all EU member-states backed a proposal by Food Safety Commissioner Mr David Byrne that the vertebral column of all cattle carcases aged over 12 months be removed. Mr Byrne claimed the measures add an additional layer of protection for consumers worried about BSE.
Sweden, Finland and Austria are exempt from the ban as they have yet to report any native cases of BSE, while extra safety controls in the UK and Portugal means the ban will not apply at the moment.
The Department has said it will seek a derogation from the ban because of the low levels of BSE here and the controls already in place.
The final decision on the ban will be made by EU farm ministers.
The ICMSA, which represents 30,000 dairy and livestock farmers, said if last night’s decision can not be reversed, the Government must ensure Ireland is exempt from the ban for the sake of the Irish beef industry.
It said Ireland has done more than any other EU country to protect against BSE.
ICMSA President Mr Pat O’Rourke questioned the validity of the decision. He said had the EU Veterinary Committee implemented previous measures on BSE uniformly across the EU, it would have prevented the BSE crisis that now exists.
The association has requested an urgent with meeting with the Government to discuss the "latest blow to the beef industry".
Other measures approved by the Veterinary Committee last night include a ban on the use of mechanically recovered meat from cattle, sheep and goats and a demand that animal fats be pressure cooked before being fed to animals.