German Health Minister Andrea Fischer's decision will further infuriate UK farmers and comes as a blow to Agriculture Minister Nick Brown's attempts to persuade France to lift its ban on British beef.

The French government submitted a report - said by officials to be 8cms thick - outlining its reasons for refusing to allow British beef into the country to European Health Commissioner David Byrne on Friday.

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It will now be studied by the European Commission's BSE scientific working group.

And Ms Fischer said a decision on lifting the beef ban would now have to wait until the scientists had considered the report.

The minister - who met Mr Byrne on Friday - has the power to recommend to the German parliament when British beef imports should resume.

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And speaking after the meeting, she added that she expected to eventually recommend the reopening of German markets for British beef.

She said the commission's scientists were expected to report back on the French findings next week.

The delay underlines fears that the agreement to end the ban on British beef could unravel.

Mr Brown insists that there is nothing in the French report to justify continuing the beef ban.

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He said there was a basic difference between the French and German positions.

He said: "The German health minister has said that she can envisage lifting the ban. The French government's current position is that it cannot."

But shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo said: "Our competitors are once again running rings around Nick Brown."

He accused France and Germany of using "every trick in the book to prolong their illegal ban on British beef exports" and said Mr Brown was letting them get away with it.

Andrea Fischer: Delaying German decision

France faces the prospect of legal action from the European Commission if it continues to refuse to lift ban.

But French Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany says the report from independent experts at its food safety agency contains enough information to merit maintaining the embargo.

And while the commission insists it has no reason to believe that there are any new issues to investigate about the safety of British beef, Mr Byrne's spokeswoman, Thea Emmerling, said: "It is our responsibility when somebody raises new scientific evidence, that we look at it.

"The commission services will do their work and make their proposals very, very quickly. But we need time to read this."

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Germany's ban on British beef remains in force until both the federal and regional governments agree that it should be lifted following a recommendation from Ms Fischer.

National Farmers Union president Ben Gill, who met Mr Byrne on Friday said the French government's ban amounted to "political interference".

He said action was needed "to stop this nonsense going any further".

The beef ban was imposed three and a half years ago amid concern about BSE - "mad cow disease" - spreading to humans.