The demand for beef from meat processors, along with the decision of authorities in Saudi Arabia to remove the age limit of beef from Ireland, has prompted renewed calls for the 30-month rule to be scrapped.

The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) welcomed the decision today (Thursday, February 17) by Saudi Arabia to accept beef from animals aged over 30 months at slaughter from Ireland.

The IBLA claims that the 30-month quality assurance (QA) rule is an "unfair trading practice" which has been imposed on Irish beef producers.

The farmer group said that the Saudi Arabian decision was a recognition of science; Ireland's veterinary competence; our negligible BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) status; and "the premium grass-fed product that Irish beef is".

The IBLA also noted that Bord Bia's application for protected geographic indication (PGI) status for 'Irish Grass Fed Beef' - which is currently before the European Commission for consideration - allows the inclusion of animals aged up to 36 months.

"IBLA now calls on the agri-food industry...to pay a QA bonus on all animals up to 36 months of age, as there is now no longer an international requirement for under-30 month beef," the group claimed.

In a statement today, the organisation also noted that processors are already ignoring this rule due to the high demand for cattle.

"They [the buyers] have fought at the ringsides for any beef that passed through," the IBLA said.

"It is abundantly clear that even some of the aged livestock that was presented at fatstock sales, some with many movements and residencies, were welcomed with open arms and waving hands by factory buyers, in an attempt to secure the beef," the group added.

"The IBLA now calls on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, Bord Bia and the meat industry to abolish the unfair trading practice of under-30 months, and pay out the QA bonus on all animals up to 36 months," the statement concluded.