A consignment of boxed beef from Ireland which was found to contain vertebral column, banned from the foodchain because of BSE, has been seized and destroyed by the British Food Standards Agency.
A statement from the standards agency said the material, which is classified as specified risk material (SRM) because of the likelihood of it containing BSE infectivity, was discovered on November 21st.
It said a consignment of 56 loins of beef were each found to contain vertebral column by inspectors from the Meat Hygiene Service.
It said the consignment had been unloaded at Norish Foodcare Ltd, a licensed coldstore in Brierly Hill, West Midlands, but this company was not responsible for the problem.
"The vertebral column should have been removed when the meat was being cut up at the Irish cutting plant, Vanstar, Ireland Ltd, in Jamestown, Co Leitrim, before its dispatch to the UK," the statement said.
Contacted last night, a spokesman for Vanstar, Mr James Murray, confirmed that the meat had been prepared for the British market by his company and it had been seized and destroyed.
"We were asked by a company in Britain to send beef with the bone-in so it could be matured but we did not realise this company could not deal with the specified risk material," he said.
The Food Standards Agency said this was the 39th SRM breach found in beef of non-UK origin since January 1st, 2001, and the sixth case involving Irish beef. "However, it is only the second case concerning vertebral column in boxed beef, all other cases involved spinal cord."
The statement added that vertebral column from cattle over 12 months of age has been designated as SRM and must be removed when beef is cut into pieces smaller than a quarter carcass.