The UK is being offered more than £500,000 by the European Commission to promote its beef - but there will be no compensation for farmers hit by the French import ban.

The Meat and Livestock Commission will get £460,000, with a further £120,000 going to its Northern Ireland counterpart.

The money will help pay for advertisements and public relations events designed to boost British beef sales in the aftermath of the mad cow disease scare.

But the commission has rejected an appeal for emergency European Union budget funding to offset losses to farmers hit by the French refusal to allow British beef imports.

France maintains its ban, despite an EU ruling that the product is now safe and that all member countries must end their embargoes.

A lengthy legal battle between the commission and France began late last year.

Simon Murphy, leader of Britain's Labour Euro-MPs said: "The commission has now failed British farmers on three counts.

"It has failed to impose an emergency injunction which would have lifted the ban on British beef while legal proceedings against the French took their course.

"It has failed to introduce speeded-up legal proceedings which would ensure that the French ban was lifted as quickly as possible.

"And now it has refused to set aside money from the EU's budget for 2000 to provide emergency compensation to British beef farmers."

He added: "The rule of the jungle is being allowed to prevail in Europe over the rule of law.

"The Commission must ensure that expedited legal proceedings are introduced urgently. British jobs and livelihoods are at stake."

The money to advertise beef and veal is part of a £4.3m payout from Brussels which will be shared between promotion schemes in Ireland, Italy, Holland, France, Germany, Belgium and Austria as well as in the UK.

The Commission is providing 60% of the cost of a total of 144 such schemes in the eight member states.

Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler said: "If we want to sell our quality beef and veal we have to reassure consumers.

"That is why we invest in advertising campaigns and public relations measures."