THE BSE scare is continuing to affect the North's beef industry. The owner of a beef processing firm in Omagh, Co Tyrone, which has an annual turnover of more than £40 million, yesterday said it was on the brink of closure.
The managing director of Omagh Meats, Mr Norbett Quinn, said the company has lost £500,000 last week with 900 carcasses returned from across Europe. A £3 million order from [South Africa had also been cancelled, he said.
Mr Quinn said he had nowhere else to sell his beef because the British market was already over saturated and that 80 per cent of the meat trade in the North was experiencing the same difficulties.
It is believed the situation could result in thousands of job losses. Mr Quinn said he had thought Northern Ireland might have weathered the storm over BSE because of its "unique" conditions.
"I am confident that it can be scientifically proven that beef produced, slaughtered and deboned in Northern Ireland is the best in the world. The veterinary service here and the centre checks' are beyond compare. But unfortunately we are just being lumped in with British beef."
The chief executive of the Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Association, Mr Cecil Mathers, said that an EU ban on British beef would cost jobs.
"It is a stunning blow and it will do irreparable damage to our industry. A total blanket ban would cost jobs in the meat industry, the transport industry, the packaging industry, the farm feed industry.
The Ulster Farmers' Union has described the situation as disastrous. Its cattle and sheep committee held an emergency meeting last night. It is believed it will urge the British government to introduce a selective slaughter policy and a compensation scheme.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, expressed concern about the beef crisis. He said he would co-operate with the North's two other MEPS to explore what measures they could take in Brussels.