In Brief Another French BSE case

FRANCE has reported its nineteenth BSE casualty this year, in a five-year-old cow from a herd in the Maine et Loire department in the north of the country.

In keeping with national practice, all 164 cows in the herd have been destroyed, plus another 91 from the herd in which the animal was born.

This brings the total number of BSE cases in France to 68.

A PETITION of over a million signatures was shredded in front of the offices of agriculture commissioner, Franz Fischler, yesterday (4 Oct.).

The petition contained the names of people complaining at lax rules governing live animal transport across the Continent.

The event, organised by the Taxpayers Association of Europe, was designed to demonstrate how helpless EU citizens feel about the abuse of EU regulations.

FRENCHMAN Guy Legras is to be replaced as director general of agriculture at the European Commission.

After 15 years in the job, the move is part of a shake-up of senior executives by vice-president, Neil Kinnock.

Despite a reputation as a ferocious negotiator and the approach of the WTO talks in Seattle, the feeling in Brussels is that new faces are called for.

BELGIAN producers who had livestock destroyed following dioxin contamination, will not have to pay back an interest-free loan from the government.

The commission has also authorised the Belgian government to meet the cost of continuing laboratory tests for dioxin.