The beef industry was scrambling yesterday to quell fears that the removal of import restrictions on Monday from countries including the US, Canada and Britain could lead to, for instance, contaminated meat pies.

Both opponents and supporters of the removal of restrictions said there was negligible chance for the disease, also known as BSE, to enter the country. Instead, the issue is being framed as a sell-out of Australian trade interests.

The decision to permit beef imports, particularly from the US and Canada, has riled some farmers who fear it will endanger the country's reputation for strict quarantine standards, putting at risk exports to lucrative Japanese and Korean markets.

''This is the biggest ambush of agriculture and betrayal of Australian consumers that I can remember,'' Senator Heffernan said. He said the Cattle Council, which supports the government's decision, should be sacked for not representing the interests of farmers.

The Cattle Council president, Greg Brown, said the senator deserved the same fate. ''I have never seen such blatant populism in all my life.''

The opposition agriculture spokesman, John Cobb, said US and Canadian producers were the winners. They could tell Japanese and Korean customers that even Australia, with its strict protocols, was happy with their product.