TSE rules costing farmers £34m a year

The analysis, carried out by the NFU and AHDB Red Meat Market Intelligence claim the current sheep TSE regulations, which require the removal of the spinal cord in all sheep aged over 12, are costing producers between £23 and £34 million every year.

NFU livestock board chairman Alistair Mackintosh said he would be raising the issue with the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

He said: “We strongly believe that this regulation is no longer based on sound science and is costing the industry millions of pounds a year. The UK government and the FSA need to look at this again and work with us to amend the rules so they are based on risk and proportionality.

“What I find particularly frustrating is that we are not presently operating on a level playing field with Europe where a number of member states remove the spinal cord by other means, such as suction, which do not devalue the carcase.”

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