More than 100 kilos of prime British beef were shown at the giant SIAL international food fair in Paris. But many French people, especially farmers, blame infected cattle feed from Britain for introducing BSE to France in the mid-1990s. Although unproved, the allegation has fuelled animosity against Britain's beef industry. Between 1986-96, the families allege, the authorities did not take effective measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic in cattle and to limit the consequences for humans. Like BSE, first diagnosed in 1986, it is a poorly understood condition that attacks the brain, leaving it full of holes like a bath sponge.
Victims display symptoms of dementia, becoming unsteady and confused and losing their memory.
As the brain degenerates, they decline to a state where they cannot walk, talk or look after themselves. There is no known cure. Scientists think CJD is transmitted via an infectious protein called a prion, but the precise mechanism behind the disease is unknown. The prion is known to be very resilient and capable of surviving standard sterilising processes. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder which can cause severe dementia.