EU veterinary officials this week agreed to extend a planned BSE testing programme to all suspect animals in order to establish the precise level of BSE in Europe’s cattle herds.

Date: 16/11/00

The move came as French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin banned the use of ground-up animal remains in cattle feed and prohibited the sale of beef-on-the-bone in an attempt to stem growing public panic about the safety of French beef after an increase in the number of BSE cases in the country. The European Commission has offered € 60 million to help the French beef industry cope with the short-term economic losses caused by a 40% fall in beef sales.