The guest ale provision specifies the drink on sale can only be a cask-conditioned ale Stouts, lagers, and kegged bitters are all ruled out. "But any drinker might like to try a premium German lager, especially given their brewing heritage," said Mr Ronnan.The industry is already unsettled by his move, confirmed in a letter last month from DG15, the Commission's directorate responsible for ensuring free movement of goods within the single market, to the Department of Trade and Industry. The company has now suspended operations while it awaits the UK's response to the Commission.Mr Ronnan says the nub of his complaint is that the Government failed to take into account the interests of small importers. The Bavarian Lager Company, based in Whalley, complained to Brussels in 1993 that it was being unfairly hampered in selling Ingobrau, a Bavarian lager it was importing from Germany. Andrew Ronnan, who set up BLC after he saw a gap in the market, claims he was unable to sell the lager - "a fabulous drink" - through the current distribution system to brewery owned pubs.Nor could he break into tied outlets - despite a provision under the 1989 Beer Orders allowing them to sell a "guest ale", a provision to help small regional brewers. A TINY Lancashire beer importer has instigated a challenge to the Government from the European Commission over possible restrictive practices, which could throw the UK beer industry into fresh turmoil.

They seem to have grossly underestimated the current collapse in their market share".British Gas now has only 35 per cent of the market for industrial and commercial users.. And if British Gas does not take the gas it still has to pay for it.A number of long-term solutions are being proposed by the industry, including:q an embargo on further development of North Sea gas fields until the market returns to equilibrium;q removal of the Gas Levy, the equivalent of Petroleum Revenue Tax for British Gas, of 4p a therm.One City analyst said the problem reflected "poorly on British Gas management's understanding of their business. It had snapped up all the gas that was going to squeeze rivals out and had been signing "take-or-pay" contracts on new fields since privatisation in 1986.Because of several factors, including the warm weather, the gas spot price has fallen to 10p a therm, well below the level at which many of the contracts are priced - between 12p and 20p. "The producers are sitting there stony-faced, and saying: 'Why should we write a cheque from our shareholders' funds to your [British Gas'] shareholder funds? A contract is a contract.' "Another supplier said British Gas had been far too slow in tackling the problem. I am strongly opposed and the entire team in South Africa is entirely opposed," he said on Friday.. RIVAL North Sea gas producers have condemned British Gas for greed and incompetence over the pounds 1bn plus exposure it faces from its long- term gas supply contracts. The so-called "take-or-pay" contracts were highlighted last week by Ofgas regulator Clare Spottiswoode, who warned in a remarkable intervention that they threatened the entire future of British Gas. Suppliers are now incensed that British Gas has diverted blame to the Government by saying the contracts are a hangover from pre-privatisation days and had full state backing.This has been seen as a thinly veiled effort to force the state to intervene and pressurise it into renegotiating more favourable terms One North Sea producer scoffed at the suggestion.

The company has been in talks with various suitors - including Pearson and MAI, members of the winning C5 group, and newspaper owner Daily Mail & General Trust - and has further to fall if no bid emerges, analysts say.Mr Adair, in his early 30s, only arrived in June amid further sweeping management changes at the top. Under the deal, it is set to swap its 73 percent in South Africa's Eastern and Western Platinum mines for 32 per cent of New Plats, a new company taking in Gencor and Impala's interests.Lonrho is also working on possible hive-offs of its hotels, UK and other African interests.But the fact that Lonrho's mines are young while Gencor's are old, underlies the split.Mr Rowland also objects, fearing Gencor control: "It does not make sense. He joined from French-owned film distributor Lumiere, an entirely different business from television production. Mr McKeown's maverick personality has also played a part in the spat, SelecTV sources say. A SelecTV spokeswoman declined to comment on the rift, while Mr Adair did not return calls.

Mr McKeown is away in Los Angeles.Despite protests from the Independent Television Commission, analysts take it as read that SelecTV's uncertain future played a key part in UKTV's C5 bid failure.. THE City is braced for more senior management changes at J Sainsbury, Britain's biggest food retailer, after Thursday's surprise decision to replace its marketing director less than a week before reporting what are expected to be disappointing interim figures, writes Patrick Tooher. Analysts believe further appointments from outside are inevitable if the board is to be strengthened and cumbersome decision-making structures improved. Sainsbury last week appointed Kevin McCarten, a trading director at the rival Kingfisher- owned Woolworth, as its new marketing director. He replaces Ivor Hunt, 54, who is taking early retirement next year. The move follows criticism that Sainsbury's marketing had lost direction in the face of national loyalty card schemes launched by its biggest competitors, Tesco and Safeway."The moves to shake up management have only just begun," said Tony MacNeary, retail analyst at NatWest Securities. In particular, pressure is growing for David Sainsbury, the chairman, to name a successor to his deputy chairman and joint managing director, Tom Vyner, who is due to retire in about two years.Mr Vyner, who is responsible for all buying, merchandising and trading activities, has a formidable reputation among suppliers for his tough stance on negotiations and will be a hard act to follow, brokers say.But they fear that delay in appointing a successor risks low morale at head office filtering down to store management and further aggravating poor like-for-like sales.Figures for the six months to mid-September due on Wednesday are expected to show only a small rise in pre-tax profits to about pounds 455m compared with pounds 444m for the same period last year.