BRITISH beef and French wine make perfect partners, declared the Mayor of Craon Paul Chaineau during a twinning visit to Okehampton over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Mr Chaineau, who elected to eat British beef on three occasions whilst visiting, said: 'I choose what I eat and I eat what I choose.'
Speaking at an official reception organised by Okehampton Town Council to welcome guests from Craon, the French mayor said he respected the town's council's decision to support British Beef by banning French goods at functions.
He considered his council in Craon would adopt a similar policy if faced with a threat to its own farming community.
Okehampton town councillors expressed their dismay at the refusal by the French to allow imports of British beef into France by writing a letter to the twin town in November.
Members expressed support for a campaign to withdraw French goods from shops in West Devon until British beef was allowed on sale in French shops once more and decided to ban French produce from its council functions.
Mr Chaineau said that BSE was advancing in France and the number of outbreaks in the first eight months of the new millennium had already exceeded the total number in 1999 which was 30.
He explained that French law was particularly stringent and, in order to avoid further contamination, demanded that the whole herd of cows was shot whenever there was a single outbreak on a farm.
The Mayor of Craon said he was neither a politician nor a scientist and was unable to provide a ready answer either to BSE of swine fever problems — but peace and brotherhood between two nations were too important to be left entirely to politicians.
'This is why I have come to Okehampton to reinforce links between the two farming communities,' he said. 'British beef and French wine make perfect partners.'
French twinners also visited Gatherley Farm, Lifton, where they were shown how beef is produced locally and the quality of livestock on offer.
l Left: Mayor of Craon Paul Chaineau with Mayor of Okehampton Christine Marsh and Bob Ray, president of the twinning association.