§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on the imposition of a ban on the import of British beef into France during November; if she intends to raise the matter at the forthcoming Council of European Ministers meeting; and if she will make a statement. [16033]
§ Mr. MorleyThe UK is not directly affected by action taken by the French trade in respect of beef imports from other member states, since France still refuses to accept imports of British beef under the Date Based Export Scheme. The matter is now before the European Court of Justice, which is expected to rule on it shortly. At the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 20 November the European Commission reported that it was examining the compatibility with EU law of the action by the French trade.