Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news6~10.htm/text0029.txt

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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, March 5th, 1998

Euro vets vote to ease beef ban
By Toby Helm in Brussels and David Brown

THE global ban on British beef exports looks certain to end later this
month for "BSE-free" herds in Northern Ireland after vets from 10 EU
countries backed the move yesterday.

A 10-4 vote by members of the EU Commission's Standing Veterinary Committee
in Brussels was the breakthrough that the Government had longed for since
the worldwide embargo was imposed by the European Commission almost two
years ago.

Ulster was singled out for special treatment because it has a computerised
cattle tracking system which is able to prove that beef comes from a
certified herd, free from BSE for at least five years. A similar system
will not be operational in England, Wales and Scotland until the summer.
Before the ban, Ulster exported 50 per cent of its beef - 450,000 tons
worth ú200 million a year - to France, Holland, Italy, Spain and South
Africa, among others. Tony Blair, who is under fire in the shires from
voters disaffected by Labour policies for rural areas, seized on the vote
as a Government triumph.

To a chorus of Labour cheers, he told the Commons: "The Commission
proposal, if held at the Agriculture Council next week, and I very much
believe that it will, will mean that the export certified herd scheme is
through and at long last, after long years of Conservative failure, there
is at least some light at the end of the tunnel." The Prime Minister
appeared so excited by the news that he got his dates mixed up.

The next meeting of EU farm ministers is on March 16 - the week after next.
Despite caution among British farming leaders that some new political
obstacle might be put in Ulster's way, the signs in Brussels last night
were that ministers would overwhelmingly endorse the vets' recommendation.
Jack Cunningham, the Minister of Agriculture, said: "This is a very
encouraging result. The discussion has gone well. The decision should now
be taken at the
Agriculture Council on March 16-17, where a simple majority is all that
will be required."

British officials in Brussels said the vote meant that the vets had
endorsed scientific arguments for lifting the ban. Although the proposal to
ease the ban will have to be agreed by the 15 farm ministers, and could yet
fall victim to political in-fighting, a repeat of  yesterday's tally of 10
countries in favour, four against and one abstention would be easily enough
to win the day.

This would then allow some exports of beef to resume from Northern Ireland.
British officials said they now hoped progress could be made on a separate
British proposal to lift the ban for meat from all animals born after
August 1996. A total of 1,766 cases of BSE have been recorded in Northern
Ireland since 1988. The number has been steadily declining from a maximum
of 1,187 in 1993 to 28 last year.

David Rutledge, chief executive of the Livestock and Meat Commission of
Northern Ireland, said: "This is very good news and comes as a great relief
to our beef farmers. If all goes well at the next meeting of EU
agricultural ministers we will have to set about re-building links with our
overseas customers."

Ben Gill, president of the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales,
described it as "an enormous step forward".

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998. T

Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 18:51:53
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Thousands of fish die as pollution infests river
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, March 5th, 1998


Thousands of fish die as pollution infests river
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor

A MAJOR pollution incident in which at least 150 tons of fish were said to
have died on the River Dun, a tributary of the Kennet, near Hungerford,
Berkshire, was being investigated by the Environment Agency last night.

Unknown pollution killed almost all the fish in a trout farm and is
reported to have affected the rivers Kennet and Dun and the Kennet and Avon
Canal.

The agency said that it was one of the largest fish kills from pollution in
the Thames Valley for many years. The alarm was given by William
Stephenson, the owner of the Berkshire Trout Farm, Lower Denford, at
midnight on Tuesday after he had discovered at least 1,000 dead trout. Mr
Stephenson said: "Lifting hundreds of dead fish from the water is just
dreadful. It breaks my heart. I wish we could find the culprit but the
Environment Agency still don't know who is responsible or what the cause is.

"The pollution seems to have made its way through the pens housing the
fish. The ones that are still alive will have to be  culled because they
are full of pollutant and couldn't be eaten. .
. . It will take me at least two years to recover from this."

Geoffrey Carhill, of the agency's Thames region, said: "This is one of the
worst cases of pollution in over a decade. Most of the pollution came down
the River Dun."

A rat is reported to have died after eating one of the polluted fish.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998.

Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 19:00:42
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [SA] Whale [shark] causes nuclear shut-down
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, March 5th, 1998

Whale [shark] causes nuclear shut-down

A PARTIAL shut-down of South Africa's nuclear power station at Koeberg,
near Cape Town, was ordered to enable the rescue of a 24-foot whale shark
which became stuck near one of the huge seawater inlet pipes. Christopher
Munnion, Johannesburg

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998. T

Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 22:53:53 -0500
From: Wyandotte Animal Group <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fwd:  FOX 2 News Weekend Comes to the Shrine Circus March 7
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>FOX 2 News Weekend Comes to the Shrine Circus March 7
>
>Weekend Anchor Lee Thomas Treats Seventy Boys and Girls Clubs of
>South
>
>Eastern Michigan Members to a Day of Fun at the Circus
>
> SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- FOX 2 News Weekend
>anchor and feature reporter Lee Thomas joins in the fun at the
>Shrine Circus as guest ringmaster on Saturday, March 7, during the
>2:30 p.m. show.  Thomas will do opening day reports from the Shrine
>Circus on FOX 2 News Morning on March 6, plus he'll anchor FOX 2
>News Weekend live from the circus on the morning of March 7 as he
>prepares for his stint in the ring later that afternoon.
>
>Joining Thomas for this special day of fun will be seventy children
>from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, one of
>eight FOX 2 Community Partners for 1998.  Thomas' involvement and
>the children's visit to the Shrine Circus are examples of FOX 2's
>ongoing commitment to "work for" its community at the grass roots
>level, using its unique resources, air time and talent.  The
>pursuit of positive solutions to community problems is at the core
>of every station endeavor of this type.
>
>The Shrine Circus celebrates its ninetieth anniversary with its
>March 6 through 22 engagement at the State Fair Coliseum.  The
>world famous Flying Wallendas are just one of the many breathtaking
>performances that await Metro Detroiters planning to visit the
>Shrine Circus this year.
>
>Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster and at the Shrine Circus Ticket
>Office at 313-366-6200, ranging from six to fourteen dollars.
>Tickets also are available on the Internet at shriners.com/circus.
>Discount tickets also are available by calling 248-644-9494.
>
>The State Fair Coliseum is located at the Michigan State
>Fairgrounds, on Woodward Avenue at West Eight Mile Road.
>
>FOX 2 is owned and operated by FOX Television Stations, Inc., a
>subsidiary of New York-based News Corporation, Limited (NYSE: NWS).
>
>SOURCE  WJBK FOX 2
>
>CO:  WJBK FOX 2; Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan;
>Shrine Circus
>
>ST:  Michigan
>03/04/98 08:54 EST http://www.prnewswire.com



Jason Alley
Wyandotte Animal Group
[e-mail]

Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 22:59:29 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) FOX 2 News Weekend Comes to the Shrine Circus March 7
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