41.   French farmers protested Wednesday over European Commission proposals aimed at supporting beef production hit by the mad cow crisis, saying they were too timid.

42.   French farmers blockaded road, rail and air links in central France on Friday in a protest over the impact of the mad cow crisis on meat prices here.

43.   It in effect gives the Commission until November to implement legislative, administrative and disciplinary measures recommended by a parliamentary inquiry into the mad cow crisis.

44.   Barnier said there was a strong risk the mad cow crisis would dominated the Florence summit opening Friday.

45.   But as Florence prepared for EU leaders to arrive, it remained unclear whether the mad cow crisis would yet overshadow all else.

46.   Eggar said that he hoped and believed that this would be the last occasion on which a British minister would obstruct business over the cow crisis.

47.   Japan Thursday blamed imported Italian bone meal for possibly setting off a mad cow crisis, alleging that the bone meal had been falsely labelled as safe.

48.   The European parliament gave European Commission President Jacques Santer an unprecedented ultimatum on Wednesday over the mad cow crisis, demanding he implement reforms or face dismissal.

49.   The market had been reassured by the prospect of an agreement at European Union level on handling the mad cow disease crisis, they said.

50.   The market was also helped by prospects of a settlement at European level of the mad cow disease crisis hitting the British beef industry.