Consumer representatives in the UK and experts from the fields of science, industry and food-law enforcement have been appointed to a group established as part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA’s) review of the Over Thirty Month (OTM) Rule.

One of the key BSE controls, the OTM Rule effectively prohibits human consumption of meat from cattle aged over 30 months at the time of slaughter. The food industry is represented by Mike Attenborough, Meat and Livestock Commission; Neil Cutler, National Farmers' Union, London; Alistair Donaldson, Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers; and Sion Aron, Farmers' Union of Wales.

The stakeholders' group is charged with advising the FSA on whether or not the OTM rule could be changed without unacceptable risk to consumers, taking into account a risk assessment being developed by a separate risk assessment group established jointly by the FSA and Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC).