(15 Dec 1997) English/Nat
The British National Cattle Association delivered a large rib of beef to the prime minister's door in Downing Street on Monday, to protest the imminent banning of beef on the bone.
Elsewhere in London, a petition containing 30-thousand signatures was presented to parliament to protest the government's decision.
Beef on the bone is due to be banned from sale by butchers and supermarkets at midnight on Monday.
A delegation from the National Cattle Association, representing farmers and butchers across the U-K, delivered a full rib of beef to Downing Street on Monday.
More than 50 farmers and other members of the National Cattle Association waited at the gates of Prime Minister Tony Blair's home in London in support of the protest.
The demonstration came less than twelve hours before a ban on the sale of beef on the bone comes into force across the country.
Three leading members of the association marched up to the Prime Minister's official home, carrying the choice joint on a stainless steel platter garnished with watercress.
The dish was handed over to a policeman inside Number 10.
To some farmers and butchers, the imminent ban on beef on the bone poses a serious threat to their livelihood.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"To protest against the unfair banning of beef on the bone and also to highlight the plight of the British beef farmer and the completely unfair position with imports of meat, where our meat is fully traceable and it is pure and clean and guaranteed to be killed under 30 months old, and the imported meat is not. And we're protesting against the unfair treatment British beef farmers are getting and the monetary controls also. But this particular presentation at Downing Street is specifically for the beef on the bone protest."
SUPER CAPTION: David Cray, British National Cattle Association
The industry is also pressing the government to supply 980 (m) million pounds sterling (1 and a half billion dollars) worth of compensation to help farmers stricken by the strong pound.
It is also argued that restricting the purchase of beef on the bone is an infringement of consumers' rights.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We believe that people should have had the choice. It should not have been banned. It should have been just a case of 'There it is, there's a one in a (b) billion chance, but you have your choice whether you eat it or not'."
SUPER CAPTION: David Cray, British National Cattle Association
Farm incomes have dropped by an estimated 37 per cent in the past year, causing hardship across the industry.
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