World News 09-12-1999 French Will Go To Court Over Beef Ban who: Agriculture Minister Nick Brown what: Called upon to resign as French refuse to lift beef ban when: Yesterday snippet: "The beef war erupted again last night when France announced it would not lift its ban on British imports without further guarantees," reports The Times. The French government will now be called upon to answer for their actions in court. The French are unhappy with Britain`s date-based export scheme, believing - in spite of the findings of EU scientists - that there is still a "plausible but unquantifiable risk" that British cattle could carry BSE. "The failure to reach a compromise signals what is certain to be a protacted legal dispute," warns the BBC. "It also prolongs the agony with Germany, which has been awaiting the outcome of the Anglo-French beef talks before deciding whether to lift the ban itself." Tony Blair spoke to French prime minister Lionel Jospin yesterday and told him that the decision was "totally wrong". And once again, shadow agricultural minister Tim Yeo took the opportunity to call for the resignation of the Agriculture Minister Nick Brown, adding: "If the European Commission cannot get France, one of the largest countries in Europe, to carry out a very simple ruling with the unanimous endorsement of the whole scientific steering committee, chaired incidentally by a Frenchman, then the whole working of the single market is in danger." [... more]

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