Experts meet to discuss 'over 30' rule

Consumer representatives and experts from the fields of science, industry and food law enforcement have been appointed to a core stakeholder group established as part of the UK Food Standards Agency's review of the Over Thirty Month (OTM) Rule.

The OTM Rule - one of the key BSE controls introduced to protect food safety - effectively prohibits human consumption of meat from cattle aged over 30 months at the time of slaughter.

The core stakeholder group, which meets for the first time on Wednesday 17 July 2002, includes Sue Dibb from the National Consumer Council, Sam Miskelly, General Consumer Council of Northern Ireland, and Dr John Godfrey, FoodAware and FSA Consumer Committee.

Representatives from the field of science are Peter Smith, Chair of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), and Official Veterinary Surgeon Jill Nute, from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Food law enforcement will be represented by Phil Gore from the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services, and the food industry by Mike Attenborough, Meat and Livestock Commission, Neil Cutler, National Farmers' Union, London, Alistair Donaldson, Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, and Sion Aron, Farmers' Union of Wales.

FSA Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger and FSA Veterinary Director Debby Reynolds will also be on the committee, which will be chaired by FSA Chair Sir John Krebs.

Observers will also be attending from the Human BSE Foundation, Rural Payments Agency, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, Department of Health, Meat Hygiene Service and FSA.

The stakeholders' group is charged with advising the Agency on whether or not the OTM rule could be changed without unacceptable risk to consumers, taking into account a risk assessment being developed by a separate risk assessment group established jointly by the FSA and SEAC.