Battle for beef
The European Commission (EC) and France will battle out the British beef safety issue in the European Court of Justice. EC spokesperson Jean-Christophe Filori said that the French were yet to give a plausible explanation for maintaining the embargo, which it imposed in the wake of the mad cow scare in 1996. The commission, however, lifted the ban after EU scientists approved the meat for consumption. Excepting France and Germany, all other EU members allow British beef imports.