When it comes to arrogance, there are surely no better practitioners than the French government. And it's also clear that, were hypocrisy a marketable commodity, they would be world market leaders. I refer of course, to the ongoing illegal French ban on our beef, where the Paris authorities continue to cock a snook at the Brussels legal system ­ never mind Tony Blair and the British farming community ­ showing a Gallic arrogance which has not been topped since Napoleon tried to stop the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. And now a new report has uncovered serious deficiencies in BSE controls in France. Small wonder that the NFU is getting hot under the collar once again. And before anyone leaps to the defence of the cocky crowd on the other side of the Channel, and suggests that we never exported much beef there anyway, it should be remembered that there is a principle involved here. No member state should be allowed to blatantly disregard EU rules in this way. The uncovering of the deficiencies in BSE controls in France has resulted in Brussels giving the French 25 days to show they are taking action to remedy flaws in a number of key points designed to protect consumers. But, as far as that unjustified ban on our imports goes, we are still hearing a cynical "Non" from the bottom of the Champs Elysées. Meanwhile, DEFRA, while acknowledging that the report shows that France "needs to put its house in order", says it is not linking the report to the ban, as they are two separate issues. Oh really? Surely the report suggests that the time for political niceties is long gone. This is one Euro dispute that has gone on for far too long. Perhaps Mrs Beckett should give her French opposite number a severe handbagging in a bid to get the Paris authorities to see sense and lift the export ban. If the boot were on the other foot, French farmers would be burning our trucks by now. {{OPINION }}