"We've got to be prepared," junior health minister Dominique Gillot warned the French public yesterday (8 November). "With the number of cases of mad cow disease increasing in France, it is very probable we are going to see several dozen cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob [disease]." Such blatant words are unusual from a health minister, and with the news that dozens were almost certain to die from the brain wasting disease the panic spread immediately. Education boards throughout the country instigated a beef boycott on school menus, and a total ban has been announced in all Parisian nursery schools. Gillot justified her words by further explaining that more recorded cases would simply be the result of doctors having more awareness of the disease and its symptoms. Illnesses previously attributed to other neurological problems associated with old age may now be correctly classified. In a nutshell, the reassurance amounted to the fact that because dozens have always been dying from CJD, there's no need to panic now in particular.Too late. Other ministers rushed to allay what agriculture minister Jean Glavany called a "sort of collective psychosis" at work in the French public. He stressed that "if we had the slightest doubt, scientifically, concerning beef consumption in France ... the government would have banned beef a long time ago." Even the president, Jacques Chirac, joined the fray by ordering the ban of bone meal, thought to be a major cause in the spread of BSE, in animal feed. Since the news that meat from an infected herd reached the supermarket shelves two weeks ago, sales at the country's abattoirs have dropped by 30-50% and Poland and Hungary have banned French imports of beef and cattle. With all the signs pointing only to the escalation of the panic, many farmers are appealing to the government for aid packages before the industry suffers any more.
FRANCE: Panic spreads as health minister warns of CJD deaths
Get full access to all content, just $1 for 30 days

just-food gives you the widest food market coverage.
But only paid just-food members have full, unlimited access to all our exclusive content - including 21 years of archives.
Try just-food for 30 days and get the research report; ‘Is sugar the next tobacco’ for free!
Dean Best, editor of just-food
Do you get our newsletters? If yes, log in to your account to access your FREE READS. Don't know your password? That's cool - you can reset it here.
Most Popular
Insights
- Which meat groups have stakes in alt-meat?
- What might future hold for Danone's CEO?
- Why cutting sugar in chocolate is so challenging
- Meat-free co-man Plant & Bean talks vision
- Big Food's VC-style funds: the investments so far
News
- Report suggests Kerry Group dairy unit may be sold
- Danone under pressure to make changes
- Unilever trialling new type of food factory
- Premier Foods seals cake distribution deal
- Baby-food firm Hero Group expands through M&A
Market research
- Oils (Oils and Fats) Market in Saudi Arabia - Outlook to 2023: Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics
- China In-depth PESTLE Insights
- Sustainability - The Most Important Theme for 2020 - Thematic research
- Chilled Raw Packaged Meat - Whole Cuts (Meat) Market in Brazil - Outlook to 2024: Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics (updated with COVID-19 Impact)
- Bakery and Cereals Global Industry Almanac 2015-2024
Oops! This article is copy protected.
Why can’t I copy the text on this page?
The ability to copy articles is specially reserved for people who are part of a group membership.
How do I become a group member?
To find out how you and your team can copy and share articles and save money as part of a group membership call Sean Clinton on
+44 (0)1527 573 736 or complete this form..
