ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LONDON
SOURCE: Cox News Service
Britain's collapsing beef industry was dealt another blow on Wednesday when the European Union Commission imposed a ban on the sale of British beef and cattle to the rest of the world in an effort to contain mad cow disease.
The action forced the government to consider new steps to block the further spread of the disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, to humans.
Cattle sales and beef prices plunged in Britain and some traders couldn't even give cattle away as consumers turned to lamb, pork, poultry and fish. Layoffs and shortened workweeks also began to spread throughout Britain's battered multibillion-dollar beef industry.
The unanimous decision by the 20-member EU Commission in Brussels is expected to compel Britain to develop a formula for slaughtering older cows in an attempt to rein in the deadly degenerative brain disorder. Older cows are considered more likely to have the disease than younger ones.
The commission's action is intended to restore consumer confidence in beef. It will review the ban in six weeks.
Along with many other nations, Britain's 14 partners in the European Union have already blocked imports of British beef. The global ban is designed to prevent British beef from reaching Europe through other countries, and Britain doesn't dispute the commission's authority to impose a worldwide blockade. Indeed, the two Britons on the commission supported the ban.
Because of the disease, the United States stopped importing British beef in 1989.
In Wednesday's meeting, the commission backed its leading veterinarians in banning the export of British cattle, beef and related beef products, but not milk and other dairy products. The ban covers any products that include beef, such as some cosmetics, medicine, pharmaceutical products and even some ice cream.
To soften the blow, the commission said it was ready to provide financial aid to help farmers and the government overcome one of Britain's worst economic disasters in recent history. It is also a potential public health catastrophe and another setback for the ruling Conservative Party.
Opposition leaders charge that Prime Minister John Major had mishandled the beef crisis, allowing the situation to spin out of control.
``The dithering, the indecisiveness and the lack of any firm policy over the last 48 hours has been catastrophic to trust in the government and terribly damaging to the livelihoods of tens of thousands in the industry,'' said Paddy Ashdown, leader of the Liberal Democrat party.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. A Highland steer is seen on a hillside near Hawickby CNBin the southern Scottish Borders on Wednesday.