BRUSSELS, May 29 (Reuter) - European Commission President Jacques Santer rounded on Britain on Wednesday for waging a "beef war" on European Union business, saying it was a deplorable example of legislative hostage-taking. In a strongly worded statement reflecting a discussion among the 20-member Commission at its regular weekly meeting, Santer said ritain must do more to eradicate mad cow disease and that London's disruptive tactics were inappropriate behaviour. The outburst from the normally diplomatic Santer follows Britain's stepping up of a "non-cooperation" campaign designed to compel the lifting of a ban onBritish beef exports. The ban was imposed amid fears that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) could be transmitted to humans. On Tuesday, London blocked 13 measures in two ministerial meetings on Third World aid policies and the EU's single market. "The Commission deplores that...certain dossiers which are not at all linked to BSE are being held hostage. This attitude is not appropriate in a comm

unity based on rule of law," the statement said. "The priority should be to establish confidence," added the Commission, which has been Britain's main ally in trying to lift the ban. The statement stressed that it was largely up to Britain to come forward with proposals to eradicate the fatal cattle brain disease, and carry them out. "The main responsibility is incumbent on the U.K. authorities," it said. Seeking to ease the damage cause to Europe's farmers by the BSE crisis, the Commission proposed a 650 million European currency unit ($732 million) extra income support package for beef producers. Some 800 million Ecus ($985 million) has already been provided to purchase unwanted beef and other measures to support the beleaguered European beef industry. "These are very visible and concrete gestures," the Commission's chief spokesman Nikolaus van der Pas said. Santer's comments were among moves by the Commission on Wednesday that were expected to pour oil on the anti-EU fire of the Eurosceptic wing in Britai

n's Conservative Party. Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino announced that fishing fleet capacity in the EU had to be cut by up to 40 percent over the next six years in order to protect stocks, including in Britain which has been lagging in fleet reduction. EU rules on fishing are an emotive trigger in maritime Britain. Bonino, at a news conference, also took a swipe at British non-cooperation tactics, calling them "blackmail". The Commission also said it had asked Britain for information on headline-grabbing test results purporting to show that leading, but unnamed, brands of baby milk contained chemicals that could lead to infertility. Although Santer said Britain's blocking tactics could be "counter-productive", the Commission said it was sticking to its proposal, based on scientific advice, to allow sales of beef by-products, gelatine, tallow and semen. The proposals for extra beef aid and easing of the ban will be discussed at an emergency meeting of EU farm ministers in Luxembourg nest week. British For

eign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind and Agriculture Minister Douglas Hogg are due to visit the Commission in Brussels on June 4 after the meeting to discuss progress towards eradicating the disease and ending the ban.