DATE=2/16/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-272681

TITLE=E-U / MAD COW (L O)

BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON

DATELINE=BRUSSELS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The European Commission has sent a cautious signal to France over Paris' plans to ask it for more money to help French farmers through the mad-cow crisis that is sweeping Europe. VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison reports the commission, the European Union's executive body, also says it does not want to dump unwanted European beef on poor countries in the Third World.

TEXT: French Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany says he will appeal to the European Union for direct aid to French farmers when he meets other farm ministers in Brussels on February 26th. Mr. Glavany says that, if the E-U does not accede to his request, his government will draw up its own measures to help French farmers.

E-U leaders, at their summit in Nice, France last December, ruled out giving more E-U money for agriculture, which already takes more than half the money in the E-U's yearly budget. The commission's agriculture spokesman - Gregor Kreuzhuber - told reporters Friday that aid by individual governments to farmers is also viewed with suspicion by the E-U because it distorts competition between member states. But he says that rules to that effect can be waived if there are what he calls exceptional circumstances.

Mr. Kreuzhuber was also asked whether surplus beef that is not being sold in E-U countries because of a drop in demand due to the mad-cow scare should be sent instead to poor nations as food aid.

/// KREUZHUBER ACT ///

It's absolutely clear that we do not want European beef being dumped in Third World markets and destroying the national beef sector there. This wouldn't make any sense.

/// END ACT ///

The E-U has ordered member states to destroy the carcasses of cattle that were slaughtered after they reached the age of thirty months unless they were tested and found to be free of mad cow disease.

But some E-U nations have been destroying healthy beef in an attempt to reduce the current surplus and push up depressed beef prices, which have fallen 27 percent since the latest mad cow crisis erupted last October.

Critics say destroying low quality but healthy meat is morally wrong because it could better be used to help the hungry in the developing world. Germany's agriculture ministry said this week it has been approached by North Korea about taking some surplus beef off its hands. (Signed)

NEB/RW/KL/PLM