THE British government appeared to be moving towards a limited cattle slaughter policy last night, as the crisis in the beef industry seemed close to spinning out of control.
Ministers spent the weekend assessing the untold human, economic and political consequences of last week's official warning of a possible link between infected meat and the human strain of the so called mad cow disease.
Public confidence, meanwhile, suffered a further shattering blow when the hamburger giant McDonald's announced it was suspending the sale of British beef in its 650 UK restaurants with immediate effect.
The ban effectively slashed £25 million off the annual market for British beef. Meanwhile, consumers abandoned the traditional Sunday roast and prices went into freefall.
The Agriculture Minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, conceded the possibility that a slaughter policy might be adopted, as ministers anxiously awaited advice from top scientific experts meeting at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale.
The Prime Minister, Mr John Major, will meet Mr Hogg and the Health Secretary, Mr Stephen Dorrell, this morning to hear the conclusions of the 13 members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC).
A statement on the safety of beef, particularly for children, could be made in the House of Commons this afternoon.
Mr Paddy Ashdown, the Liberal Democrat leader, wrote to Mr Major last night demanding that he issue advice to consumers without further delay.
The SEAC scientists have been specifically asked to prepare guidelines on the risk to children. However, they are also considering what further information should be disclosed to the public, and additional measures required to eradicate BSE.
Ministers have made it clear that they will accept the scientists recommendations, even if they call for the mass slaughter of cattle.
But as criticism of the government for its handling of the issue increased, much weekend comment was laced with speculation, about the effects on sterling, public borrowing and Britain's balance of payments.
There are warnings of a political and economic crisis, with consequent damage to the government's budget strategy and to remaining Conservative hopes of winning the general election.
One City economist said the "enforced demise of the entire herd would be a disaster of the first magnitude for borrowing", with compensation for farmers estimated at up to £12 billion. The City firm, HSBC Markets, predicted a £6 billion increase in Britain's trade deficit and up to 1 per cent off gross domestic product.
Labour's Dr Gavin Strang said a selective slaughtering policy should be aimed at herds with the highest percentages of infected cattle. But Mr Hogg suggested older cows would be the first target if such a policy were adopted.
There have been very few cases of BSE confirmed in cattle under the age of 30 months," he said.
"Perhaps even more importantly, the number of cases of cattle confirmed with BSE after the offal ban has been very limited, so by focusing on the 30 months, as the advisory committee has done, they are actually focusing on the core of the problem."
Mr Hogg said: "If there is transmission between BSE and CJD, that is between cattle and humans, it occurred before the offal ban was put in place at the end of the 1980s. But the risk now of eating beef is extremely small."
And the Minister made it clear that he would be "looking to the European Union for financial support should we require a great deal of public expenditure."