AGRESSIVE ACTION NEEDED AGAINST GERMANY OVER BEEF BAN

The news that Germany has decided to postpone its vote on whether to lift the ban on British beef has enraged Conservative Euro MPs. Originally, the German Bundesrat (the Upper House) decided on 17th. December, to pass back the issue of the beef ban to its agriculture and health committees for further discussion at its February 4th. meeting. Now this discussion has been postponed until March 17th.

In a face to face meeting with Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler, I demanded a more "aggressive and robust" approach from the European Commission. I told him that British beef farmers are sick to death of the way in which the European Commission has pussy-footed around the illegal ban on British beef. Almost six months have passed since the ban was supposed to be lifted and yet France has dug in its heels and now Germany is running rings around the European Commission, pretending that it is innocently seeking ways to lift the ban as soon as possible.

The truth is, the Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne has abandoned all attempts to seek interim court measures which would have forced France to lift its ban, pending the final outcome of the case in the Luxembourg courts. Now the German Government has taken this as a clear sign of weakness and has decided to put the brakes on further moves to discuss lifting the ban in Germany.

While all of this pussy-footing goes on, British beef farmers continue to suffer. That is why I told Commissioner Fischler that it is high time the European Commission applied a more robust and aggressive approach to France and Germany. The Commission should call for urgent oral hearings before the European Court, which would propel the issue to the top of the court's list forcing France and Germany to defend their illegal actions within weeks, rather than waiting months or years.

NEW FOOD SAFETY AUTHORTY WILL CREATE A BONANZA FOR LAWYERS

Following the publication of their White Paper on Food Safety last week, I warned the European Commission not to allow its new European Food Safety Authority, when it is set up in two years time, to become another huge layer of costly European bureaucracy. I told EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne to give the new Authority teeth to deal with Member States who break the rules, such as France and Germany in the current beef war with the UK. However, I also warned that the new Authority must not become a bonanza for lawyers, who may wish to develop a lucrative new business arbitrating between decisions of the EU's Food Safety Authority and Food Safety Agencies set up by individual Member States.

I am alarmed to see Mr Byrne flagging up the fact that the resource implications of setting up and operating the new scientific advisory systems should not be underestimated. Indeed, the White Paper spells out that the efficacy of the new Authority will depend on the adequacy of its size, in terms of human and physical resources.

Mr Byrne also says that it will take two years to set up the Authority. This all sounds like another way of admitting that the Commission has failed miserably in its attempts to bring France and Germany to heel over their illegal ban on British beef, while also failing to give proper leadership over a series of food safety disasters such as dioxin, sewage sludge and BSE.

Now Mr Byrne appears to be calling for an all-singing, all-dancing Food Safety Authority, partly funded by EU taxpayers and partly funded by the industry itself. I have deep reservations about how effective a huge new tier of Brussels bureaucrats might be in such circumstances and indeed, whether or not their regulations and controls they impose would be observed by all Member States or simply ignored or repudiated by some, creating an arbitration bonanza for the legal profession.

FRANCE IS A SERIAL OFFENDER

The recent decision by the European Commission to take action against France in the European Courts over their illegal beef ban, is only the latest in a long list of serial disobedience by the French government.

France now tops the list of countries who regularly defy European laws and regulations, with 419 directives not applied. The second worse countries are Italy (329) and Germany (293). Interesting to see that the French and the Germans are in first and third place and yet they are the countries who always claim to be in the heart of Europe, striving for ever deeper integration and harmonisation of all Euro laws. Now it seems that they only obey those laws which they agree with.

SCOTCH BEEF & HAGGIS ON THE MENU FOR BRUSSELS BURNS SUPPER

Having been invited to address the usual avalanche of Burns Suppers in Scotland, I thought that it was high time we brought the delights of this culinary and cultural experience to the European Parliament in Brussels. I have therefore organised a Burns Supper for 2nd. February, with the Immortal Memory being proposed by The Earl of Stockton MEP, grandson of the late Prime Minister Harold MacMillan and the Haggis being piped in and addressed by Professor Neil MacCormick MEP. My Scottish Conservative colleague John Purvis MEP is chairing the event and the European Parliament's Head Chef has also agreed to provide genuine haggis and prime Scotch beef to the forty five MEPs and staff attending. I will be doing the toast to the lassies. Sounds like fun!