France close to lifting ban on British beef
British beef could be back on French menus after receiving approval from the country's food safety agency.
France has now moved a step closer to lifting its six-year ban on British beef after the Paris-based food safety agency said it was safe to do so.
The EU banned British beef in 1996 at the height of the BSE scare but lifted the ban three years later. It ruled that new safety procedures in Britain meant beef was safe.
But France refused to lift the ban even though it was criticised by the European Court of Justice and now faces a £100,000 fine for each day the ban continues.
France said it would not consider lifting the ban until its food safety agency, the AFSSA, said British beef was safe.
Now the agency has given its approval to an end to the ban, the French government has said it will consult with other public groups. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has given all relevant parties 10 days to state their views on the prohibited meat.
The European-wide beef ban hit all parts of the UK food industry very hard. Sales of British beef plummeted and its reputation has still not recovered.
British publicans and restaurateurs were forbidden to serve beef on the bone, meaning several favourite dishes including rib of beef and T-bone steak were banned.
Many publicans defied the law in order to serve customers and faced prosecution for doing so.
Since the outbreak of BSE beef exports from Britain have been rare. France alone used to buy 100,000 tonnes of British beef every year - now world-wide exports add up to just 500 tonnes annually.
If the French veto is lifted only a tiny amount of meat will be exported to France but British farmers are keen to see the end of the ban because they believe it will improve consumer confidence.
A spokeswoman for the British government's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said it believed the French ban was illegal. She said: "At the moment we would welcome the French decision. It's a very good decision in our favour."
The government is urging France to lift the ban as soon as possible. Environment minister Margaret Beckett said: "British beef exports are the safest in the world and this has been confirmed by European experts."
