In France, Snails Are Now Fish

Snails

Another for the pantheon of EU absurdity. According to a number of Polish media reports, the European Commission has officially categorized snails as "inland fish" in order to allow French snail farmers to receive subsidies.

From the beginning of February, snails will no longer be snails according to European law. France, the world's biggest consumer of the mollusk, has apparently successfully persuaded the European Commission to subsidize snail breeding in the same way fisheries are funded.

The snail ruling joins the growing list of EU peculiarities. According to other famous EC directives, a carrot is a fruit.

The EU also regulates the gap between the rungs of ladders to prevent people from the "risky practice" of resting their knees on the next rung up.

-- Anna Zamejc