THE Food Standards Agency has recommended an end to the over 30-month rule for cattle entering the food chain.

It believes the Government could allow beef from cattle born after August 1996 to be sold into the food chain from January and that beef from all cattle, including those born before the August 1996 cut-off, could be processed and sold from July 1, 2005.

All beef would be allowed into the chain, subject to BSE testing.

Robert Forster, chief executive of the National Beef Association, said it would mean the removal of one of the biggest impediments to the normal operation of the UK beef industry.

"And if, as we expect, the UK beef industry will also enjoy unrestricted exports, including bone-in cow beef, from autumn 2004, the BSE era, with all the damage it has caused, will be behind us and an uncluttered future lie ahead," he said.

However the NBA and NFU both want the Government to act to prevent market disruption when the first older beef moves on to the market.

The NBA called for a safety mechanism to protect prime cattle prices and underpin the value of cull cows exempted from the OTMS.

Sir Ben Gill, NFU president, said trials of the new system must be done before it was fully introduced. Defra would have a key role in balancing the market.

"After seven years of removing older cattle from the food chain we are concerned about the market impact and the implications for producer prices arising from substantial additional volumes of beef supplies," he said.

The change to the OTM rule would also allow older beef to be imported into the UK.

"Any change in the OTM rule must go hand in hand with changes in the date-based export scheme, which severely constrains our ability to export," said Sir Ben.

With the UK soon expected to be in the same BSE risk category as the rest of Europe, there was little reason for the DBES to remain in force. "The UK should be able to export beef under exactly the same conditions as other EU countries," he said.

The FSA has recommended that the specified risk material controls and the ban on feeding meat and bone meal to cattle should continue.