How a bit of tit for tat.

[flip-flop]

Now that France has Bird Flu, how about banning French poulty and foul imports? After their illegal stance over British beef, I'd like to see the cheese eating surrender monkeys (thanks Groundskeeper Willy) jumping up and down spitting bile because we've made them sample their own medicine.

Or is that just a bit petty?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Given that all the signs are that we too are about to get hit by bird flu it would seem like petty posturing and just invite them to engage in a game of one upmanship in which no one wins but which costs everyone money.

And you'd have to stop the righteous indignation if we followed their lead.

The only reason to ban their poultry and fowl (or 'foul') imports is for genuine health reasons. Sadly, that may happen all too soon and it's likely to have a devastating effect on farmers across Europe when it does.

[Trojanfarce]

I think it's a great idea but as Waldo rightly says we're gonna get it anyway. I read somewhere yesterday that French farmers had already put in a 'pre-emptive' claim of around �625m for compo from the EU for loss of earnings. I guess our farmers will once again have to drop their trousers and grab their ankles.

[Trojanfarce]

Oh, and petty.......maybe, satisfying, you betcha.

[flip-flop]

Fowl - of course: that explains why the pheasant I had yesterday tasted horrible!!!

[flip-flop]

Is Pheasant fowl or game? Or both? I'm getting a bit confused now!

[Trojanfarce]

pheasant's a game bird. I knew a game bird once........

[Ward-Minter]

How ironic that your name reminds me of the old frenchman in sandals joke (Phillippe Falop).

Yes ban animal goods from France. Rest assured they would do the same to us. I seem to recall that when we had BSE (or was it foot and mouth?) they burnt our sheep. And sheep didn't even carry the disease.

And we can't fish for cod.

However, why we trade at all with the capitulating beret boys anyway is beyond belief. Have you ever owned a French car?

[chelseagreen]

we burnt our sheep, not the french, unless they had a quick, unnoticed invasion. bird flu can't be caught by eating birds and i doubt we import much of our poultry from france anyway!

[searchme]

How interesting that Capn.Minter asks the rhetorical question viz:-'Have you ever owned a French car?'

It used to be said of the Citroen 'Deux Chevaux'( the skip of choice of Guardian readers) that its most endearing quality was that it was 'responsible for the demise of hundreds of social workers'

Much as I loathe the Frogs,you've got to hand it to 'em in this circumstance.

[Goodsoulette]

My step-father wont eat anything remotely French. He is a farmer though. They certainly should ban france from exporting poultry we dont know enough about the disease yet to take chances.