The French Minister of Health believes that an epidemic of a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) * could occur in the country. Despite the fact that in France there were only 3 reliable cases of the disease with a new variant of CJD, the Minister noted that a spread of the infection was entirely possible. As the number of reported rabies cases increases, it is very likely that several dozen cases of CJD will occur. According to French experts, the risk of a wide spread of this disease cannot be completely excluded, and the "cow rage" of the problem of veterinary medicine can turn into a serious health problem.

French President Jacques Chirac has asked the government to immediately ban the use of meat and bone in animal feed and to create a system for monitoring spongiform encephalopathy in farms. The parliamentarians in turn proposed the creation of a parliamentary commission and a national committee on spongiform encephalopathy. In many schools, beef is excluded from the menu. The City of Paris has recommended a temporary ban on the use of beef in school canteens. Entrecotes and steaks have disappeared from the French restaurant menu. The French fear that the next victim of spongiform encephalopathy will be steak-fries, a traditional French dish made with thin slices of meat with fried potatoes.

In response to a request from the President, the Prime Minister announced on November 14 a ban on the use of bone and meat products on all livestock farms to feed livestock. Poland, Hungary and USA have already banned the import of beef from France and farmers expect catastrophic consequences for their industry. In addition, according to the government's decision, they will have to withdraw more than a million cows born before July 1996 from the market. The parliamentary opposition has criticized the government for delaying decisive action. The opposition asked for an explanation of the reasons why the use of offal of meat, in particular the brain and the spinal cord, was authorized in France until 1996, while their use in the United Kingdom was prohibited in 1988.

Events in France are reflected in other European countries. The Spanish Minister of Agriculture has banned the import of cattle over one year old from France and Ireland. Furthermore, the Minister considers it appropriate to extend this ban until the situation in France is clarified. These measures are aimed at protecting the country against the spread of the disease, because so far there have been no cases of mad cow disease or a new version of CJD in Spain.