Blair urges Jospin to resume British beef imports

Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged his French counterpart, Lionel Jospin, to allow British farmers to resume exports of beef to France, officials at a two-day European Union summit said on Saturday.

The officials also said Britain would assist a National Farmers Union court claim for compensation if needed.

On Thursday, the European Court of Justice ruled France was acting illegally by continuing to ban the meat because of fears it still poses a risk of mad cow disease.

But French Farm Minister Jean Glavany said on Friday France's priority would be protecting consumers as it decides how to respond to the ruling by the EU's top court.

"(Blair) made it clear...that we hope and expect the ruling will be implemented by the French government,"​ a senior British official told reporters at a two-day European Union summit.

"They have indicated they are going to take a bit of time on this,"​ he said."We don't believe our farmers should have markets denied to them."​

The Luxembourg-based court's final ruling put new pressure on Paris to drop its unilateral ban or face hefty fines.

Britain's NFU, whose members' incomes have plunged after a series of disasters from mad cow disease to a foot and mouth epidemic, has lodged a court claim for compensation from France.

"Advice will be needed if available,"​ a British official said.

The European Union banned British beef exports in 1996 after Britain said it believed there was a link between eating beef from cattle suffering from mad cow disease and catching a version of the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which has so far killed about 100 people.

The Commission ended the ban in 1999 after Britain carried out a mass slaughter of infected and older cattle in an effort to control mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

France refused to comply, citing health concerns, and the Commission sued Paris to force it to respect EU law.