41.   The European Commission banned British beef worldwide two years ago in response to growing consumer fears over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease.

42.   The EU has banned beef treated with certain growth hormones, claiming it can cause cancer.

43.   The European Commission reversed an earlier position on Friday and said member nations were entitled to ban British beef until scientists knew more about the risks.

44.   The ministers spoke as a growing number of towns around France are banning beef from school cafeteria menus.

45.   The scare then spread beyond Europe as other nations banned beef from all EU nations.

46.   The Russian government banned beef and livestock imports from Finland and Austria following the discovery of mad cow disease in those countries, officials said Friday.

47.   The scare spread beyond Europe as other nations banned beef from all EU nations.

48.   The United States had already banned EU beef because of mad cow disease, and suspended all meat and animal imports from Britain last month.

49.   All the Gulf states, as well as Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have banned British beef, and Egypt has barred beef imports from all over Europe.

50.   British beef has been banned in France since March when the British government said mad cow disease could be transmitted to humans.