I think we all have the right to know what goes in our mouths each and everyday. In the United Kingdom we have been importing beef from over 40 different countries such as Zimbabwe, Brazil and Argentina. But how high is the quality of this meat? What has happened to this meat during slaughter? and is it really SAFE to eat?? My thoughts are that the imported beef is not as safe as its made out to be, as it doesn't have as many checks to go through before leaving its country of origin.

In Britain there is a 30 month beef ban. In which animals over 30 months of age are not seen to be fit for human consumption. BUT beef is still being imported which is over 30 months of age. As well as the 30 month ban the government have also banned butchers and supermarkets from selling beef on the bone, but again these rules only apply in the United Kingdom.

Not only may this beef contain BSE, the foreign countries we are importing from still have many diseases on their farms such as foot and mouth which is no longer found in Britain. Could this affect the meat we are eating?.

At the moment in the United Kingdom cases of BSE are becoming more rare but only now farmers in Europe are owning up to having cases of BSE in their herds therefore the problem of BSE is becoming more common, and these are the countries we are importing from.

Up to now I feel that foreign farmers have been untruthful about BSE as there has always cases abroad, these farmers have not been so truthful as they knew the devastating results of BSE which we are seeing here in Britain today, of which I am a witness to everyday living on a beef farm.

BSE and CJD has crippled many farmers including my father and also has destroyed other industries closely linked to farming which I don't think some people realise. These people whom it is affecting the most are not only losing vast amounts of money due the incredible decrease in value of cattle they are also slowly losing every thing they have ever worked for.

And only now the crippling beef ban has now been lifted by the EU. So farmers in this country should be able to export there cattle early next year. However there is still a long, long way to go until this crisis is overcome and things are like they were before (if ever again).If there is a light at the end of this long dark tunnel?

I feel that if you still do want to eat beef then the best and healthiest choice would be to eat BRITISH!


© 1998 Freeway
Writer: Emma Hopley. Bishop Heber High School, England.
HTML by: Lars Jonsson (nv00-95@park.se).