DEP Invoice or Financial Record, September 30, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

' /I Fiance s bon ion British beef I*i3ied illegal Sy PAUL AMES ksS^CIATED PRESS

; BRUSSELS, Belgium — ■ But France refused drop its ban, Stance’s ban imposed on British citing continued risks of contami­ beef imports because of mad cow nation from animal feed and ma­ idigease fears is illegal, according ternal transmission: io a preliminary ruling from the , The president of Britain’s Na­ European Court of Justice. tional Farmers’ Union welcomed ; The court’s advocate general the decision but said the damage said France must implement the bad/ already been done. Farmers Euifjpean Commission’s decision are frustrated that they had to re­ in W99 to lift the ban on British sort to court action “and that this beef imposed after a serious out­ illegal action by France of the last break of bovine spongiform en­ two-years has caused so much cephalopathy, or mad cow disease. damage to Britain’s beef indus- ; Bhtish beef has since been tfy,^ said Ben Gill. banhed-again along with all Brit- - Bovine spongiform encephalo­ ish Hvestock and meat exports be- pathy is a fatal, brain-wasting dis- cause of this year’s outbreak of ease believed to be caused by the ^oot|-and-mouth disease. practice of feeding cattle the I As final verdict from the Euro- grbUnd remains of other animals. pean Union’s high court is not ex­ Eating meat from infected ani- pected until later this year. Al­ riiais is thought to be the cause of though the advocate general’s ^'■■^milar deadly ailment in hu­ bpufion is not binding on the court, mans known as variant Creutz­ its panel of judges usually follow feldt-Jakob disease. the ruling. Foot-and-mouth disease is not ' Advocate General Jean Mischo dangerous to humans but is highly &d ssay, however, that France’s mfectious among cattle, sheep and i decision to ban imports of British pigs. I beef and beef products coming via third countries was justified, giv^ the potential problems in bracing the meat’s origin. ; aI the height of Britain’s out­ break, the commission imposed a worldwide ban on British beef ex­ ports in March 1996. Following the introduction of strict control mea­ sures in Britain, the EU’s execu­ tive branch allowed Britain to re­ sume limited exports in 1999.

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