FRANCE: GOVERNMENT DECIDE TO END ITS ILLEGAL BAN ON IMPORTS OF BRITISH BEEF IMPOSED SIX YEARS AGO OVER FEARS OF MAD COW DISEASE.
Record ID:
566313
FRANCE: GOVERNMENT DECIDE TO END ITS ILLEGAL BAN ON IMPORTS OF BRITISH BEEF IMPOSED SIX YEARS AGO OVER FEARS OF MAD COW DISEASE.
- Title: FRANCE: GOVERNMENT DECIDE TO END ITS ILLEGAL BAN ON IMPORTS OF BRITISH BEEF IMPOSED SIX YEARS AGO OVER FEARS OF MAD COW DISEASE.
- Date: 2nd October 2002
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 2, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS/ EXTERIOR: AGRICULTURE MINISTRY 0.03 2. CU: MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE SIGN OUTSIDE THEMINISTRY. 0.07 3. SV: ORNAMENTS OF PIGS AND COW ON AGRICULTURE MINISTER'S DESK. 0.12 4. CU: ORNAMENT OF A COW ON MINISTERS DESK. 0.15 5. VARIOUS: AGRICULTURE MINISTER HERVE GEYMARD READING COMMUNIQUE LIFTING BAN. (2 SHOTS) 0.25 6. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH AGRICULTURE MINISTER HERVE GEYMARD, SAYING: "The Prime Minister decided to lift the embargo following the advise from the French Food Safety Agency, which determined that British beef posed no health hazard to the consumer, and he did this after discussing the issue with the Health Minister, the Consumer Minister, various professionals and the concerned consumer groups." 0.51 7. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH AGRICULTURE MINISTER HERVE GEYMARD, SAYING: "Our scientists have checked all the data that have been given by the British food security agency, that we have received at the end of last Jun. All summer our scientists of the French sanitary security agency have been working on this new data and their conclusion was different to the one three years ago, so everybody will be pleased about this." 1.21 8. SCU: SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH AGRICULTURE MINISTER HERVE GEYMARD, SAYING: "France has been living for the past 20 years huge problems regarding matters of sanitary and food security, and the French consumers are extremely vigilant, and rightly so on the whole of these issues. And they're asking for the application of the caution principle." 1.41 9. WS: AGRICULTARE MINISTER HERVE GEYMARD SITTING AT HIS DESK IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE. 1.43 10. SLV: INSIDE BUTCHER STORE. 1.49 11. VARIOUS: OF MEAT: (2 SHOTS) 1.57 12. SV/ZOOM: (SOUNDBITE) (French) OMAR, A FRENCH MAN ON THE STREET, SAYING: "I'm totally willing to eat some. My parents are butchers, and I haven't got any problems with eating beef. Even British beef, no problem. No, it doesn't scare me at all." 2.12 13. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) MONIQUE, A FRENCH WOMAN ON THE STREET, SAYING: "I'm waiting to see whether there will be more efficient checks or not. I don't know. I feel a little apprehensive, but that goes with meat in general." 2.24 14. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED VOXPOP, SAYING: "That's good. If it's good quality meat then there's not reason why we shouldn't eat it. So everything's fine. I haven't got any problem with it. Yes, I'm ready, no problem." 2.35 15. VARIOUS: OF MEAT AISLE IN SUPERMARKET. (2 SHOTS) 2.46 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th October 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVANESMUNH8ATLAGWPO6XMO3VSQ
- Story Text: British beef is back on the menu in France after the
government decided to end its illegal ban on imports imposed
six year ago over fears of the deadly mad cow disease.
The move by the French government, who is facing a
potential daily fine from the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
food agency AFSSA that British beef exports were now safe.
The decision will reopen what was once Britain's most
important European export market.
"Our scientists have checked all the data that have been
given by the British food security agency, that we have
received at the end of last Jun. All summer our scientists of
the French sanitary security agency have been working on this
new data and their conclusion was different to the one three
years ago, so every body will be pleased about this," the
French Agriculture Minister Herve Gaymard told Reuters
Television during an exclusive interview minutes after the ban
was lifted.
"France has been living for the past 20 years huge
problems regarding matters of sanitary and food security, and
the French consumers are extremely vigilant, and rightly so on
the whole of these issues. And they're asking for the
application of the caution principle", Geymard added.
Mad cow disease has been linked to a deadly human variant,
Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD), which has so far killed more
than 100 people, mostly in Britain but also some in France.
France refused to comply with a European Union ruling easing
the 3-1/2 year ban on British beef exports in the summer of
1999, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries and
EU legal action.
As time went by, however, consumers seem to be have lost
some of their initial fears which had raised to a level of
almost collective hysteria during the days of the mad cow
disease outbreak, and some say they are quite willing to trust
the French authorities decision on the issue of safety.
"I'm totally willing to eat some. My parents are butchers,
and I haven't got any problems with eating beef. Even British
beef, no problem. No, it doesn't scare me at all," a man said
on the streets of Paris shortly after the ban was lifted.
"I'm waiting to see whether there will be more efficient
checks or not. I don't know. I feel a little apprehensive, but
that goes with meat in general," a French woman said on
Wednesday.
"If it's good quality meat then there's not reason why we
shouldn't eat it. So everything's fine. I haven't got any
problem with it. Yes, I'm ready, no problem", another man
said.
In July this year, the European Commission asked the
European Court of Justice to impose a daily fine on Paris for
failing to comply with earlier judgements that the ban was
illegal. The case at the Luxembourg-based court is now likely
to be dropped.
The news will come as a relief to British farmers,
struggling to get back on their feet after last year's
foot-and-mouth epidemic, which halted all meat exports.
Britain only recently made its first beef exports to
Europe in well over a year. A small consignment of 500 tonnes
was shipped to the Netherlands, but as a sign of the lingering
stigma attached to British beef, it carried a Welsh label.
British authorities have said France's refusal to accept
British beef has made other countries reluctant to import and
ensured its worldwide reputation has been slow to improve.
And the new EU labelling laws mean beef in supermarkets
must be labelled with the country of origin, a regulation that
could see British beef sales slow to take off with French
consumers.
crb/awa
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