A row is emerging over whether or not to allow beef back into Barnet schools.

Last week the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) made a plea to local education authorities to put beef back on the menu after the European Union decided to lift the ban on British beef exports.

But while Barnet Council's Conservative faction backs the MLC, calling for the immediate ballot of parents, who would ultimately seal the fate of the request, the ruling Labour group is adamant the time is not right and have accused the Tories of pandering to the beef lobby.

Speaking on Monday Conservative leader Liz Mammatt said: "Barnet should lift the ban and re-ballot parents quickly and put beef and beef on the bone back on school menus.

"If the European Commission can agree to it and Tony Blair can agree to it, there should be some action immediately, not some time in the future. If schools started to ballot parents now it could be back on the menu in time for the new January term. I'm not one for waiting. The Labour group may not like it but it's their own Government which has given it the all-clear."

But Ms Mammatt's comments were flattened by the council's education committee chairman Anne Jarvis who said until there was "strong enough evidence" beef would continue to be treated as an alien food.

"I can't understand the Tory's haste about this," she said. "Nobody is suffering from not eating beef. If they are concerned about our children they have not put an argument forward at all.

"We are not opposed to beef forever but we want to make sure the safety measures that have been put in place are working. At the moment we do not feel the situation has changed sufficiently."

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