Beef industry asks minister for pounds 15m

Meat producers have asked the Government for pounds 15m to help the beef market recover in the wake of the crisis over bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Don Curry, chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission, said at the Sial food fair in Paris yesterday, that the cash was needed to recover the 20 per cent drop in consumption experienced since March. He has written to Douglas Hogg, the Minister of Agriculture, requesting a decision before the end of the year.