GREAT British Beef Week was marked with events designed to highlight the quality of this country’s beef. It is appropriate that we do this because of the continuing campaign against red meat.

Most recently, this manifested itself in a report of some American research which suggested eating red meat was bad for your health.

The Harvard School of Public Health study of 24,000 Americans who died over the course of the study found that between 7.6 and 9.3 per cent could have lived longer if they had eaten half a helping less of red meat each day.

This study attracted widespread coverage in the UK, despite the fact that the situations are barely comparable.

First, in the UK we eat far less red meat than in the US and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that moderate consumption is not harmful to health.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, there are big differences in the way beef cattle are reared in the UK. In the US, after weaning, beef cattle are fed mainly grain, in contrast to the UK where grass is the primary diet supplemented by silage when indoors.

This makes a significant difference to the proportion of fatty acids in the meat, with grass-fed beef containing up to 11 times more omega-3 fatty acids and lower total fat. And the absence of the hormone and antibiotic growth promoters in UK beef is also a plus – both are believed to increase the risk of cancer.

British beef really is best.