The French government has written to the European Commission to request extra time before it has to lift an embargo on imports of British beef.
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The ban on British beef, which France claimed was due to fears over the spread of mad cow disease, was declared illegal by the European Court of Justice at the end of last year.
David Byrne, EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner, confirmed that the French food safety agency AFSA is currently requesting that its British equivalent, the Food Standards Agency, provide more assurances on the protection of British beef from BSE.
