France bans imports of British beef due to fears over ‘mad cow’ disease
This week in 1990, the French Government banned imports of British beef and live cattle due to fears over BSE, or “mad cow” disease. The news came as a huge blow to British farmers, as France was Britain’s biggest beef customer, spending some £183m a year.
A few days later, Italy and Germany joined France in banning all British beef.
After long and fierce negotiations in Brussels, the bans were lifted in return for tough health controls on British beef exports.
Also this week in 1990, Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Federation, securing a powerbase that would threaten President Gorbachev and his economic reform programme.
In Moscow, there was dancing in the streets as the victory was announced but Mr Gorbachev, arriving in Canada on the first leg of his trip to Washington for summit talks with President Bush, commented grimly on the election of his political arch rival as president of the Soviet Union’s biggest republic.
“If he is playing a game then we may be in for difficult times,” he said. “Life is richer than any teacher.”
Back on home soil, Albania’s entire football squad was kicked out of Britain after £2000-worth of goods disappeared from a duty-free shop at Heathrow Airport.
The Albanian footballers had several hours to kill before a connecting flight, and as they wandered around the airport, viewing the various stores, reports started to come in of disappearing watches and jewellery.
No charges were brought, although 30 of the Albanian party spent the night in police cells.
In other news, three policemen were injured and ten youths arrested when trouble broke out among 400 people stopped from attending an acid house party.
West Midlands police were pelted with bricks and bottles after cordoning off an indoor cricket stadium in the Hall Green area of Birmingham after receiving a tip-off about the party.