Fury as beef ban goes on

British farmers are furious they still cannot sell their beef in France despite the latest ruling that the import ban is illegal.

EU vets say there is no longer any risk, but French government ministers are taking their time in deciding whether to back down.

While officials in Paris study last week's European Court of Justice judgment, UK eurosceptics claim the row highlights a wider problem in the way EU rules are implemented.

A Europe-wide ban on British beef was dropped in 1999 after the UK introduced measures to curb BSE, or mad cow disease, but France held out, citing health fears. If it does not lift its import ban within two months, the European Commission is expected to return to court to obtain an order imposing heavy fines.

Last week's ruling will help a separate compensation claim by the National Farmers' Union against the French government on behalf of farmers who have lost money as a result of the illegal ban. The French high court has referred the case to the European Court, which has yet to set a hearing date.

Even when the principle of compensation is agreed, it will be a huge task working out how much each farmer is entitled to.

The only other time a dispute between the Commission and a member state went this far, it took three years for Greece to be fined for failing to close a toxic dump.

Eurosceptics say the UK enforces even the pettiest EU regulations to the letter, while other countries flout them at will.

The UK Independence Party claims the Government is "goldplating" regulations, making them more restrictive than they need be.

It cites rules on animal welfare, the meat trade, and fisheries.

And a review of enforcement by the Commission itself admits: "The majority of cases take more than two years to be resolved.

"Even when the Court rules in the Commission's favour, member states sometimes drag their feet."

But EU internal market commissioner Frits Bolkestein criticised Britain and France last month when he published a "scoreboard" showing the UK has one of the worst records for implementing internal market directives. Greece and France are the worst offenders.

"Most states are trying hard to improve. It is disappointing France, Germany, the UK, Austria and Greece are still not making enough effort."

Talk about the beef ban