UK: CHEF MICHEL ROUX BANS FRENCH BEEF IN RESTAURANT

Eng/French/Nat
XFA
As French cattle farmers await Monday's European Union ruling on the B-S-E crisis, the reputation of French beef has suffered another blow.

This time it's from Britain, the country where the B-S-E epidemic started.

London's top French chef, Michel Roux of Le Gavroche, has announced he won't serve French beef in his restaurant.

He's accusing France of 'running scared' over the B-S-E issue.

He's one of the most influential chefs in Europe.

Michel Roux, son of the legendary chef Albert Roux, runs Le Gavroche, the first restaurant in London to secure three Michelin stars.

Roux has firm views on C-J-D, the human form of the so-called 'mad cow' disease, B-S-E.

He blames a system which allowed farmers to feed animal remains to their cattle.

That hasn't stopped him serving beef - but only from farms where cows are reared on wholesome feed.

Now he's making clear he has no intention of serving French beef to his customers - certainly not while the country wrestles with its own B-S-E scare.

In fact, he says, British beef is superior every time.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It's down to quality. We have tried French beef before and as far as I'm concerned - and my father - there is no better beef than British beef. In particular, Aberdeen Angus."
SUPERCAPTION: Michel Roux, master chef

If the French had been hoping for some expression of support from this master chef, they might be disappointed in his response to their B-S-E worries.

But he does hope to see the problem effectively dealt with in his homeland, without the French and British governments becoming entangled in political disputes over beef.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Hopefully there won't be a tit-for-tat retaliation by the British government. I think it would serve no purpose. But the French have really run scared. My family, my sister, and what not, in France -- I keep in contact regularly -- and they tell me they do not want to eat any beef. There is a total lack of French confidence in the beef market in France."
SUPERCAPTION: Michel Roux, master chef

Fish is also on the menu here, but in France more and more restaurants are turning to this beef alternative.

Roux says it's ironic that his native country of meat lovers has turned away from beef, while consumption in England is nearly back to the level it was before the B-S-E scare.

SOUNDBITE: (French)
"It's really very ironic, very ironic. In France the consumption of beef is practically nil. I'm in contact with people in France and they say that no-one wants to eat beef. Whereas here, in England, beef consumption has resumed not totally but almost to the level that it was at before the B-S-E"
SUPERCAPTION: Michel Roux, master chef

The crisis session of European Union farm ministers, which starts this week, will consider drastic new measures to combat the spreading of mad cow disease and try to stem the damage to consumer confidence in beef.

In the meantime, for this French restaurant in London, the beef will be British.


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