HOME-KILLED beef is safer than imported beef so retailers and caterers must respond to consumer needs by quickly re-focusing on the domestic product, urges the National Beef Association.

It says repeated reports of deliveries containing prohibited spinal cord arriving from Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain underline the danger of being tempted by cheaper beef from other EU countries.

In addition, imports from countries with BSE could have been taken from cattle more than 30 months old.

Retailers were making a msitake if they denied customers British beef, said NBA chief executive, Mr Robert Forster.

"Just this week scientists from Imperial college have confirmed that, even if the rule on over-30-month beef from the Republic of Ireland is properly enforced, the risk to consumers is double that of UK beef. If there are gaps in OTM enforcement it is even greater.

"Beef from France has also been singled out as being less safe than British and so the message to both consumers and retailers is clear.

"It is obvious that there are fewer problems with consumer safety with British beef than there are with beef from elsewhere and we applaud those supermarkets, caterers and independent retailers who have already made a 100pc British commitment.