Beef from these animals is not permitted to enter the food chain as part of the government's ongoing surveillance for BSE. However, they can be uplifted from farms at no charge, with producers receiving compensation through the OCDS.

Compensation is £218 per head, but it will fall next year to £197 before the OCDS ends on 31 December, 2008. There have been fears that it might not be possible to have all older cattle processed by the cut-off point.

However, NFU Scotland has been in discussions with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), the organisation that operates the OCDS, and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to devise a system of forward-booking.

The new system is expected to be operational from early next month. This will involve farmers providing a note of the ear-tag number when they book in cattle. To maximise available places, the RPA will regularly screen bookings to eliminate animals that have died on-farm or have been booked into more than one outlet. In the latter eventuality, it is not clear if these cattle will be accepted. Double-booking could prove to be expensive.

Scotsman: Scotsman