Brussels, 04/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - As announced in EUROPE 29 December on page 7, the European Commission under pressure from certain countries like France and Ireland, decided last week to extend the special purchase scheme for beef for a further three months (until 31 March). The scheme allows the Commission to buy a certain quantity of beef, provided the animals are over 30 months old, do not qualify for intervention purchases and whereby the countries make a firm commitment to destroy the beef or stock it. The scheme was due to end on 31 December 2000 and was introduced as part of Franz Fischler's "7-point plan" (adopted last July) designed to ease the short-term pressures on the beef and veal market that had been hit hard by the BSE crisis. Given that that there has been an appreciable improvement in the market, the Commission has made it clear that this system will only last for the next few months and will be limited to a total of 40,000 tonnes of beef (category D). Since the beginning of this programme, 165,000 tonnes of meat have been withdrawn from the market, part of which was used in humanitarian aid to North Korea