Don't dither over French food - ban it

For when it is disclosed that French farmers have been feeding their livestock, not only human and animal sewage, but also hormones and antibiotics banned by the EU, the government should outlaw this filth-food immediately.

And if it has a concern for the EU trade rules - which, as the French are yet again demonstrating, our European partners are forever interpreting as it suits them - it should do what France has done over British beef, claiming it is still a BSE health hazard.

And that is, impose a ban and then go to the EU with the case for doing so.

Such a step would take care of the political concerns.

But, in any case, the government's first duty should be for the concerns of consumers - a fact that the grim history of the BSE disaster spells out all too clearly.

Instead, we have a compromise.

New labelling rules are to be introduced so that shoppers can identify foreign meat. This is all well and good - and grist to the mill of the jingoistic campaign against French produce that their beef ban has triggered.

But for all the government's reassurance that there is no health-risk from French meat, despite leading scientists disagreeing, the fact is that in this instance there should only be one choice for consumers.

And that is of home-produced meat that is safe, not a choice between it and foreign meat which may or may not be safe, depending on which expert you trust.

It is like the BSE fiasco all over again - unnatural, profit-led farm methods, conflicting consumer advice and government dithering when firmness is vital.

Safe, not sorry should be the government's approach.

And if that means a unilateral ban on French meat, so be it.

In any case, the French, whose vile farm practices have been exposed by this row, will have asked for it.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.