Older beef back on menu as BSE fears recede

Meat from older cows could soon be back on pub menus after scientists declared it was safe for human consumption.

Fears of BSE spreading to humans through infected meat have now receded and it is believed to be safe to eat older beef.

Since 1996, when the BSE crisis was at its height, cattle older than 30 months have been bought by the government and taken out of the food chain - costing the British taxpayer £300m a year in compensation to farmers. But last year government advisers said that the risk of those cows passing on BSE was negligible although the ban stayed in place.

Now, however, scientists think it is safe to lift the ban and the government has ordered the rechecking of assessments to make sure the risk really is low.

According to the BBC, many ministers and health officials publicly say the risks must be fully investigated before the ban is lifted. But privately they feel the Department of Health is being over-cautious.

So should we just stop eating so much Brazilian beef?​

British beef may be back on pub menus but a new report has revealed Brazilian beef is in such high demand the rainforest is suffering.

According to a report quoted in The Guardian, the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest is being made worse by Europe's demand for beef.

The report, from the Centre for International Forestry Research, said last year satellite pictures revealed 10,000 square miles of the Amazonian rainforest was lost - 40 per cent more than the previous year.

The Guardian said the destruction is driven by Europe's demand for Brazilian beef. EU countries take 40 per cent of Brazil's beef every year - the US takes just eight per cent.

"Deforestation is fuelled by beef exports, with cattle ranchers making mincemeat out of the rainforests," said David Kaimowitz, one of the report's authors.