Beef products will remain banned from school dinner tables across the county, despite the lifting of the export ban by the European Union.

Members of Oxfordshire's education committee were yesterday divided on whether the current ban should be lifted.

School canteens have been barred from serving beef since 1995 following fears about BSE - mad cow disease - being transmitted to humans.

Yesterday, councillors reconsidered the decision following the move by the EU to lift the ban on beef exports.

Conservative councillor Steve Hayward argued that the beef ban should be lifted without consultation. But the committee was evenly split.

Liberal Democrat chairman Janet Morgan suggested an alternative course of action, which would involve stating the county's intention to lift the beef ban and asking governors for their comments. But this also failed, meaning the ban stays in place.

Labour education spo- kesman Tom Richardson said: "I think the Labour group is very happy with the status quo. It was farming that turned cows into cannibals through greed for profit."

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