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Sunday, 3 December, 2000, 13:06 GMT
Should French beef exports be banned?
Exports of French beef are now under the spotlight, following the detection of BSE-infected cattle in French herds.
Britain's agriculture minister, Nick Brown, is reported to have warned the government that there was no way of preventing infected French meat from being imported into the UK.
EU agriculture ministers EU have agreed joint measures to fight the spread of mad cow disease, including plans for limited EU-wide testing for BSE.
But should they have gone further? Is there a case for banning exports of French beef altogether? Or would this be over-reacting at this stage?
This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.
What a nasty, xenophobic country this is. I would have thought the Tories would be a little more low profile in their French-bashing, this being just a few weeks after they were damned in the Phillips report. You'd almost think the French had caused this crisis from the way they talk. We should be paying them compensation for giving them this disease.
I can't believe that some people consider national pride more important than the health of their families.
Given the UK Government's record - all talk and no action
on almost every issue of note - it is unsurprising that Brown
seeks to pass the decision onto the FSA - can any minister in
New Labour make a decision?
French beef should be banned - as it should have been when they
refused to lift their illegal ban on UK beef - why not add all french
agricultural produce, give UK farmers a boost and play the European
game the French way for once?
Chris B, Canada
I find the subject of banning beef very interesting. Cigarettes kill over 120,000 people each year in the UK. Compared to this, how many people are expected to die from BSE? Why the double standards?
I strongly suspect that the responses to banning French beef are more to do with the fact that it is French beef rather than say Dutch or Swiss. The fact is that there are still considerably fewer confirmed reports of infected herds in France than the UK.
Ban it. Again we see the deliberate inaction of a Government failing to protect its electorate, just because we might upset our European colleagues who do not think twice of doing it to us!
We plan to visit family in the Spring and we are rather frightened to eat beef whether French or English!
Gareth Lewis, UK
A decision to ban French beef should be based on public health rather than our Europhobic attitude. We shouldn't lower ourselves to acting in revenge like an immature child.
How can we be sure of any beef? Do as the Hindus do and stop eating cows!
We need comprehensive regulation beyond borders on what kind of feed is safe and in addition what kind of lab examinations are necessary to be performed on the meat before it reaches the consumers.
Yes ban French beef and French fries too!!
If the safety of the food that my family and I eat is down to the honesty and integrity of two sets of people namely politicians and the French then beef is firmly off our menu for the foreseeable future.
We are more lenient on untraceable, over 30 month, probably BSE contaminated French beef than our own highly traceable, under 30 month, BSE free Scottish beef herds. Why Mr Blair?
There's no problem if you just stop eating beef. Vote with your feet and then perhaps the powers that be will get the message!
Audrey Blake, USA/UK citizen
I think that we should all be worried about eating ANY beef, let alone French. The way the governments have acted in regard to the possible infection is secretive and untrustworthy. I certainly will not be eating any beef no matter where it comes from.
Matthew Snape, UK
As I understand the situation, the proposed ban would be enacted to protect public health. If this is the case then individuals should go one step further by not eating beef in the first place. It is unhealthy under the best of circumstances. The government, no matter which country one names, does not always do what's best for its people.
I find the Tories' call to ban French imports utterly shameless and insulting to the British public. This is a party that when in government effectively subjected the British population to a mass human experiment by allowing vast amounts of infected material into the food chain. The French are still getting far fewer cases of BSE than the UK but are demonstrating a much more responsible approach in dealing with the risk to human health.
Surely we produce enough beef in the UK not to need to import from elsewhere. Let's put our own farmers before our competitors and also not put ourselves at risk from BSE.
Yes, of course French beef should be banned! It's outrageous that France should get away with still banning British beef. This Government is obviously frightened of upsetting the French for some reason. It's very sad that such politics should interfere with out safety
Yes ban French beef. And at the same time ban their tasteless apples, sloppy cheese and poor wine.
Either ban it or change the law so that ALL meat is labelled with the country of origin.
It should be no surprise that the French have a BSE problem. Given the number of cattle imported from the UK, BSE cases should, on a purely statistical basis, be at least tens of times greater than actually reported. And, given what the French feed their cattle, there is inevitably a problem in their own cattle too. Not only should we ban their beef, we should also demand an enquiry into the cover up that has taken place in France (and I fear, in other EU countries also). What is surprising is the spinelessness of our government... or perhaps not...
French testing and measures taken to control BSE are MUCH better than the British ones. For example when a cow is found to have BSE, the whole herd where that cow came from is slaughtered. Here in the UK they would slaughter only the infected cow.
I'll eat French beef over British beef anytime!
Having read all the previous comments I am quite surprised that no one has focussed on the real reason why our officials are reluctant to ban French beef imports. It can't be ignorance of public reaction - they wouldn't have got where they are without being reasonably intelligent. The true reason must be that if in the future many more CJD deaths occur in the UK then harking back to the French "cheating" about the age of the beef we allow in is a very useable tactic to divert blame. If you think that is a cynical comment I claim the record shows that they are quite capable of such self-interested manipulation of circumstances!
Christina Plumb, England
Who's to say that the French are the only one's with BSE, and the only one's importing beef to Britain illegally. I feel we should ban all countries whose beef controls fail to meet our own stringent standards. Of course the only people our own Government will ever get tough with is it's own public so this is highly improbable.
British beef is the safest in the world. We are the only country to have implemented rigorous testing and mass slaughter of infected herds, together with the limit of 30 months age of the cattle for human consumption. We were the only country that admitted to the problem although it was clearly there in many, if not all, other countries. We should ban the import of all non-British beef until the rest of the world catches up with our standards.
After the compassion and hand of friendship the French government offered us when BSE was discovered in our beef, how could we even consider a ban on French beef?
How can French beef be safe enough for us but not for the Spanish, the Italians or the Germans. With matters of public health we should say if there is ANY DOUBT WHAT-SO-EVER it should be banned until proven safe.
We should apply the same standards to French beef as we do to British - and thereby ban French beef as falling short of that standard. All of the arguments France has used to justify continuing their British beef ban apply in even greater measure to their own produce. They should be required to go through the same post-BSE proving process that Britain had to endure, with EU veterinary panels being asked to study this problem before they are allowed to export their beef again.
French beef should not be banned. The French are now detecting BSE in their beef is due to the recent introduction of testing for BSE.
We should ban the import of beef from every European nation that has yet to implement such testing. It is only their beef that is of questionable safety!
I think we should give France the benefit of the doubt on this one. Yes it is ironic that it is they who were so eager to ban British Beef who are now in the same mess. However the damage done to British farming by the ban should not be allowed to happen to another EU partner. People should know the risks but should have the choice to eat beef or not.
Do unto others as they do unto you.
Ban French beef, then keep the ban in place for several years after it is declared safe as well.
The restrained reasonableness (naivety?) of the British government in the niceties of EU procedures and in putting British citizens health, interests etc at risk (however, marginal) compared to the reaction of other EU countries is very telling. Culturally it shows why we often have problems in dealing with continental Europe and in our approach in implementing EU decisions. If we are seriously to consider remaining in the EU then we must learn to culturally change or become culturally more flexible.
French beef should be banned immediately - any other course of action is positively un-European.
I didn't believe the British government that beef was safe in the 1980's and stopped eating it. Now the problem has moved across the channel and with the huge farming lobby and corruption in the European agricultural scene I shall stop eating it here. Who knows how widespread it is, and would you trust the EU on this? The continentals were very quick to condemn British beef, it will be enjoyable to go to the butcher's and say I cannot trust European beef anymore. This problem is hardly likely to stop at the French border, is it!
Philip Ross, England
Of course it should be banned, if there is any BSE detected in French herds, then we should take the same very tough line with French beef produce as they did with us.
Britain has admitted to the global problem, whilst other countries decided to ignore it and claim to be BSE-free without actually testing. France is now learning the hard way that shutting your eyes and refusing to see a problem doesn't make it go away.
Richard Houghton, England
The French kicked up such a fuss when some British beef was found to contain BSE and made a prolonged stand when other countries lifted their bans on British Beef.
I am in no doubt that we should ban their beef until we are absolutely certain, beyond all possible doubt, that there is no trace of BSE in any French beef.
It's quite plain to see that old administrations have failed to ensure the safety of the public, both French and English.
If we are to have any confidence when entering Europe then a complete ban must be enforced.
John C., Warwick, England
After all that has happened with BSE and CJD in this country I can't believe that the question still needs to be asked! If this government will not impose an immediate ban on this potential threat to human health then it does not deserve to govern.
It seems only sensible to
ban beef from any country
known to have even one case
of BSE. However, in the UK, as almost
everyone would have eaten
contaminated meat most of the damage
has already been done.
I don't think it hardly matters to us.
The UK cannot take the moral high ground when it has been responsible for the whole BSE epidemic. Any ban on French produce would be purely political. It would also be illogical because the UK is taking legal action against France for failing to follow EU guidelines. The EU has not called for a ban. Such action would simply undermine our own case. It is a pity France continued to permit the use of bone meal feed long after it had been banned in the UK.
Over-reacting has nothing to do with protecting us from this lethal disease, Measures should be taken so that there is no way we can get in contact with any infected beef.
Without a doubt French imports of beef into the United Kingdom should be banned now! As soon as there was a whisper of a problem with our meat the French had already banned it causing mass panic in Europe, crippling our own beef industry and ruining most livestock farmers. British beef is now surely the most safe in the world, so why bother risking our health any more?
Rob Watson, UK
Absolutely - the British farming industry doesn't have the monopoly on blinkered self-interest, and if their beef got banned when evidence of BSE arose, so should France's. Rather than pointing fingers or resorting to petty nationalist squabbles over whose beef is best, other countries should try to learn from Britain's mistakes. Ironically, it may soon be the case that British beef is the only kind that IS safe to eat, because we've had longer to try to put things right.
Definitely, they were the one of the first to ban
British beef and that move cost 1000's of jobs and millions of
pounds. The French have to be brought into line with the
rest of Europe and encouraged to conduct correct framing practices.
If we don't ban their beef it risks damaging all credibility in the beef industry
that British farmers have had to fight for the last few years.
Absolutely! The French are the worst offenders of not following EU guidelines and I wouldn't trust any beef being exported now or in the future.
The French took great delight
in humiliating us Brits over the
beef crisis. What poetic justice
that they now find themselves in
the same position. Yes, Ban
Alex White, UK
It is ridiculous that the Government refuses to ban the import of French Beef. Have they learned nothing from the past experiences? For years the Government said that British beef was safe and we are now beginning to see the effects of that decision in the form of human variant CJD. What makes them think that the French beef is going to be any different? What will we see next, the present minister for health feeding French hamburgers to his children declaring it safe? It should be banned now before we have to face the consequences in the future! Better safe than sorry!
If there is a recognised threat to UK consumers then French beef imports should be temporarily halted until action is taken by the French government to make beef safe. A long-term ban in retaliation to the French ban on British beef after it was proved safe would be petty and detrimental to trade relations.
Michael Finch, UK
Until we can be sure that all imported meat is clear of any chance of being infected with BSE, we should ban, immediately and without reservation, all imported meat. The welfare of the UK citizen is paramount.
The French persist in an illegal ban on British beef despite the fact that our beef is probably the safest in the world. Now their beef is shown to be potentially dangerous (despite their earlier promises it wasn't), of course a ban should be imposed.
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