Ananova:

A 100-page dossier accusing Britain of causing the infection of two French victims of the human form of mad cow disease is being filed at a Paris court.

The filing of the suit is expected to result in the appointment of an investigating magistrate who will lead inquiries into the responsibility of the British, French and European authorities for the spread of variant CJD in France.

The case could result in Government ministers from both sides of the Channel being called to give evidence, following the example of the HIV-contaminated blood scandal of the 1980s, which saw several French ministers in court.

So far, just three cases of people with vCJD - two of whom have died - have been reported in France, but concern over the illness is rife following an upsurge in the number of BSE cases detected in French cattle.

The lawsuit is being brought by the families of Laurence Duhamel, a 36-year-old woman who died in February, and 19-year-old Arnaud Eboli, who is critically ill.

Lawyer Francois Honnorat, who is representing the two families, and was also involved in the contaminated blood case, told the French newspaper Le Figaro: "What the victims accuse the French - and also British and European - public authorities of, is of having consistently and knowingly minimised the risk and not having taken concrete and effective measures during the period 1986-96 to prevent the spread of the epidemic in cattle and to limit the consequences for humans.

"During the whole period, the European authorities, such as the EU veterinary committee, and also French and British ministers, demonstrated their incapacity to take and impose meaningful measures."

The case, backed by the French Association of CJD Victims, accuses "persons unknown" of poisoning, involuntary homicide and endangering the lives of others.

It alleges that, as suspect products from cattle offal were removed from the food chain in Britain, their export to France increased, with some 47,890 tonnes crossing the Channel from 1988-96, compared to just 400 tonnes in 1978-87.