Commission officials say a ban on imports of UK beef introduced by three German Länder appears to be contrary to EU law

Date: 08/02/1996

North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate imposed the bans this week because of concern over so-called 'mad cow disease'. The Commission is expected to demand they be withdrawn once it has studied them in detail, but this could take several days. German farm union DBV attacked the bans, saying they reflected internal political wrangling and undermined consumer confidence.