German MEP, Dagmar Roth-Behrendt’s report would permit pig and poultry protein to be used in animal feed while maintaining the ban on cattle and sheep protein in order to prevent another outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

National Farmers' Union (NFU) Scotland’s president, Nigel Miller said: “This decision has been in the pipeline for quite a while, but it is yet another useful step in a fairly precautious but science-based journey to unwinding Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy regulations. The European Food Safety Authority were looking at validation systems so that products could be screened for genetic detail, meaning that the correct protein will end up in the correct animal feed supply chain.

“Freeing up the use of this natural protein is of vital importance given that the EU is only 40 per cent self sufficient in protein animal feed and commodity prices remain very high. The proteins that can be used as a result of this decision provide the main high quality feed source worldwide.

“This development will lift confidence in the control measures which have seen BSE become a rare disease and, indeed absent in many parts of the EU.”