Threat of mass suicide in France

France's "mad cow" crisis is so desperate that Mr Luc Guyau, president of the main French farmers' federation, FNSEA, has threatened mass suicides in the beef industry and war against the Paris government.

French officials predict blockades and burning lorries on French autoroutes within days. France has the biggest beef industry in the EU, with 21 million cattle and 350,000 people employed in the sector.

Beef sales have halved. There is a five-week backlog of frozen meat and animals waiting to be slaughtered. Prices have dropped 15 per cent for steer beef and 30 per cent for cow meat. The farmers say they do not have enough alternatives to meat-and-bone meal, which was totally banned two weeks ago, to feed their animals. They want cash to help them through the crisis. A government rescue plan would reduce social security charges, but not until early next year.

After five weeks, the crisis is not improving, and beef consumption is still falling. Media coverage - including a wrenching television documentary about Arnaud Eboli, a 19-year-old man who is dying from Creutzfeldt Jakob disease - has been far more marked than during the 1996 crisis.

Until 1996 Ireland exported 75,000 tonnes of beef annually to France. That dropped to nothing in 1996, but due to intense efforts by Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture it had risen back to 50,000 tonnes. This month Ireland's beef exports to France declined 60 per cent.

France had partially recovered from the 1996 crisis by renationalising its beef market - putting Viande francaise labels on French-produced beef. But now that France has discovered 190 cases of BSE - more than half of them this year - consumers distrust government assurances there is no danger from eating red or young meat.

French officials claim they are victims of the extensive testing programme put in place last summer. At a Brussels meeting two weeks ago France was criticised for acting too hastily to ban meat-and-bone meal, thus precipitating the Europe-wide crisis. But despite Swedish, German and Spanish opposition, the EU agreed on wider testing throughout the Union. BSE has since been found in German and Spanish herds - to the delight of the French agriculture minister, Mr Jean Glavany.

Mr Glavany says he is not pleased there are more cases, but rejoices that the crisis can now be discussed in more realistic terms. The EU is expected to follow France's example in totally banning meat-and-bone meal for all animals at the Brussels council on December 4th.