<P> In 1992, sources in France reported to the MCA "that BSE had now been reported in France and there were some licensed surgical sutures derived from French bovine material ." Concerns were also raised at a CSM meeting "regarding a possible risk of transmission of the BSE agent in gelatin products ." For many years the French government and agricultural industry downplayed the extent of the epidemic, claiming just 923 confirmed cases . In 2004 this figure was challenged in an article in The Review of Veterinary Research which put the figure at 300,000 . The scientists behind this study later heavily criticised the surveillance system, indicating they believed there had been an official cover - up . Epidemiologist Jean - Louis Thillier eventually concluded that between 1996 and 2006, over 300,000 cases of BSE had infected the national herd and that nine French people had died unnecessarily from the epidemic through the failure to report cases, a finding accepted by the judge who ordered the report . </P> <P> For this failure, France was heavily criticised internationally . Thillier himself queried why there had never been a ban on French beef or basic safety precautions to stop the food chain becoming contaminated, suggesting "Perhaps because the French government forgot its role in guaranteeing the safety of food products, and this neglect cost the lives of nine people ." The Sydney Morning Herald added, "while blustering French politicians blamed Britain for the emergence of the disease - and tried to quarantine the country by banning imports of British beef - they failed to adopt measures to prevent a hidden epidemic at home ." </P> <P> In 2016 France confirmed a further case of BSE . </P> <P> A number of other countries had isolated outbreaks of BSE confirmed, including Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany . However, in all cases, including Britain and France, it is thought the full number of cases is far less than the number reported, so true incidences could be much higher . </P>

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