A
new study on the population trends of
wild birds has shown that numbers have steeply declined.
The study by BirdLife, is based on 24 widespread
farmland birds (including Skylarks, Lapwings and Yellowhammers) and shows that
numbers have gone down by more than 30 percent since 1980 as a result of intensive farming. BirdLife,
a partnership of conservation organisations for the protection of birds, is now
calling on the European Commission as well as current and future EU member
states to put the environment and wildlife at the heart of farming policy. If
nothing is done there will be further
massive decline and some birds may even become extinct in wildlife-rich new
member states, still relatively untouched by the ravages of intensive
farming, says the organisation. Previous
research has shown that the population decline of farmland birds has been
greatest in those EU countries with the most intensive farming systems. "Subsidies
paid to farmers to maximise output have driven the corncrake out of much of the
European Union. In fact, this has been so marked you can pick out the outline of
the Common Agricultural Policy imprinted on the distribution map of the
bird", said Graham Wynne, chief executive of the The Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds. (EUobserver.com
21.01.2004)
Around
30,000 substances are to be tested under the EU chemicals directive
that refers to any chemical that could pose a threat to human health or the
environment. This will lead to an explosion in the number of animals used for
safety testing. Substances that have to be tested include salt,
vinegar and lemon juice. Animal health products that have to be tested will
include copper sulphate used for foot treatment and udder cream and all its
constituents. (BBC farming Today
The Better Regulation Task Force urged the Government to make arrangements for the necessary changes to the method of disposal of cars and appliances in good time before the directives come into effect. The Government was blamed for the stockpiles of thousands of unwanted fridges which built up across the country last year, because it did not issue guidance on how to deal with new EU rules on their disposal until weeks before they came into effect. Regulations to implement the new End-of-Life Vehicles directive for passenger and light commercial vehicles are being introduced over the summer, said the Task Force. And regulations on the household appliances, IT equipment, lighting, tools and medical devices covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive will come into force in August 2004. Janet Russell, who led a Task Force study of the directives, said: "The potential for things going wrong is even greater with these directives than it was for fridges. "They cover many more products - from washing machines to electric toothbrushes; from microwaves to toasters; and of course, old cars." But she added: "There is still an opportunity that the Government can avoid another fridges fiasco by using the directives as an opportunity for the economy as well as the environment. "Our report makes a number of recommendations to Government that, if acted upon quickly, will make a real difference to the successful implementation of the new regulations." (Annanova 28th July 2003)
The Chemicals Directive, which logically extends radical safety tests to products that have been on the market for up to 30 years, has also sparked fears of another trade war with the US. While chemicals companies generally are in uproar over unnecessary costs and hassle, the US once again feels discriminated against and is not prepared to take any nonsense. And adding a further ironic twist, the new laws proposed by the European Commission will lead to countless more animal tests, putting a damper on the EU's recent triumphant ban on cosmetics testing for animals, which affects less than 1% of the fluffy bunnies concerned. (The Sprout 15/2/03)
Five years after the introduction of a national ban on the use of arsenic to preserve wood, the EU may now be forcing Denmark to introduce the substance, which is considered harmful to the environment and especially to ground water. Danish industry also argues that the use of arsenic is unnecessary. The new rules on the use of arsenic have been presented by the European Commission as a ban but according to Freddy Hansen, a trade union environment adviser, they are accompanied by so many exceptions that they are in fact retrogressive, writes the Danish paper Politiken. According to the new rules it will still be legal to use arsenic for preserving wood used for bridges, fences for keeping domestic animals in, houses and telegraph poles. A representative of the Danish timber industry said that Denmark ought not to obey the EU if it can be avoided, as the trade was already used to doing without arsenic. The 1997 Danish national ban caused a dispute between the EU Commission and Denmark, as the Commission maintained that it had not been proven that arsenic was harmful enough to justify a total ban. (EUobserver.com 14.01.2003)
Farmland in Eastern European countries joining the EU has important habitats for may wild birds that have been seriously depleted in the rest of the EU. Although there are huge areas of intensively farmed areas, such as in Poland, where wildlife has suffered there are still large areas, especially grassland, that are soon to be vulnerable to intensive development by the Common Agricultural Policy (BBC Farming Programme 19-12-02)
New York have just announced that they will stop recycling glass and plastics, neither makes any sense. Glass is too expensive to recycle and there is no market for it, it all just ends up in landfill anyway and it is not practical to recycle plastic, hence they are going to cut out the expense of collecting it separately. At the same time they will continue to recycle metal and paper. Anyone who puts metal in the general garbage will be subject to a USD100 fine! (e-mail from R Howlett 19-10-02)
BRITISH industry fears that a fresh set of ultra-green recycling rules approved by Euro MPs yesterday will cost firms an extra billion pounds and encourage the illegal dumping of waste in the countryside. The latest directive in flurry of onerous environmental laws covers every form of packaging, from chocolate boxes to yoghurt pots, ceramic containers, plastic bags. It obliges Britain to raise the level of recycling from the current 48 per cent to 65 per} cent by 2006, a target considered impossible by the packaging industry and the Government. A House of Lords select committee inquiry predicts that the stringent rules will affect 14,000 British firms, causing recycling costs to rocket by 400 to 500 per cent over the next five years. While the chief burden of the new rules will fall on the packaging industry, as Well as supermarkets retailers and local authorities, it is likely that households will also have to collect their plastic, glass, metal, and paper for recycling if the Government is to meet the 65 per cent target. In most of northern Europe, every home has to sort rubbish into specially designated bags or boxes, usually requiring a sticker purchased as a user fee from the local council. The original proposal by the European Commission, broadly supported by the Government, was transformed by the ultra-green lobby in the European Parliament into something much more radical. (The Daily Telegraph September 4, 2002 )
A deadly cocktail of African viruses could soon be heading for Britain, according to leading health experts. Eurocrats have secretly axed a Euro 40m project which stems the flow of illegally imported monkey meat from Africa. Instead, the EU funds have been diverted to the first wave of 'candidate' countries joining the EU in 2004 - according to British MEPs, at least. "The EC is slashing its budget to pay for 'The European Convention' which meets twice a month at a cost of £620,000" says one typical euro-skeptic, "but surely another epidemic in the UK should take priority over EC funding its own expansion?" Heathrow unable to cope with illegal monkeys Well should it? On the face of it, The European Commission is pruning some of its traditional expenditure, to make way for expansion. But that might not be such a bad thing as it is likely to throw the spotlight on national governments' own spending. The news that Brussels is slashing a small fund to stop illegal poaching of bushmeat, is the last straw to customs officials at Heathrow, struggling to cope with the current numbers of monkey carcasses being smuggled into the UK. Last year CITIES seized six tonnes of 'bushmeat' over nine days - but now could let in "up to five hundred tonnes entering through hand luggage on flights from Africa once the EU aid is cut", warns Clive Lawrence, a Government consultant. Recently, the International Federation of Animal Welfare (IFAW) warned of increasing the risk of SIVcpz virus (the origin of Aids), Monkeypox and Lassa Fever to a new, dangerous level. "DEFRA just doesn't know what's about to come through Heathrow. They're just not prepared for the volume" warns Laurance. Other experts are also warning that Britain has never been more vulnerable to viral outbreaks, following a recent Ebola epidemic that swept through Gabon's capital killing 200 victims. Dr. David Heymann, of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that "with Ebola most of the cases are due to carelessness with healthcare workers. The risk is with raw meat coming in". Francois Meslin, also from the Geneva-based, WHO added: "Certainly there is a risk of Ebola spreading in Europe as it only takes one person to spread it - particularly with poor healthcare in Britain." Ebola has no known cure and spreads through touch - killing 90% of those it touches. (The Sprout 2nd. September 2002)
Efforts by the Commission to make farming more environmentally friendly have not worked. The research shows that EU agri-environment projects in the Netherlands had no beneficial effect on protecting birdlife and other forms of biodiversity, according to ecologists from Wageningen University. The findings are likely to undermine efforts by the European Commission, and some EU member states such as Britain, to replace production subsidies with payments to farmers for environmental projects. About 4 per cent of CAP revenues - 1.7bn euros a year - are spent on environmental farming schemes at the moment. This is set to rise to 10 per cent soon as production subsidies are reduced. The conclusions of the study are strongly disputed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe's largest wildlife charity, which is introducing such schemes in Britain. The head of conservation science at RSPB, Dr David Gibbons, said that the study had concentrated on schemes introduced since 1981 which were known to be problematic. "Agri-environment schemes are getting better," he said. "They have improved substantially in the last five years." (EUobserver.com 17/10/01)
The horticultural industry today reacted with disappointment to a High Court ruling that plastic flowerpots amounted to "packaging" under a European Union directive aimed at reclaiming and recycling waste material. The decision means that UK growers may have to pay for the plastic pots to be recovered and recycled. They say they will now be put at a disadvantage by a directive that the rest of Europe ignores or interprets differently and which an MP says leaves European Commissioners looking like Bill and Ben the flowerpot men. In a test case which left Euro-sceptics fuming, the judges decided that Hillier Nurseries Ltd, based at Romsey, Hampshire, in 1998 had breached the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations by not including plastic flower pots in their calculations of waste packaging. The regulations required companies with a turnover of £5 million, now reduced to £2 million, and producing packaging exceeding 50 tonnes to pay for a proportion of the waste to be collected and recycled. Sir Teddy Taylor, Conservative MP for Rochford and Southend East, said the ruling demonstrated "how daft and irresponsible European directives are becoming and interfering in every aspect of our way of life". (The Times 30/1/01)
The Climate Change meeting at the Hague collapsed yesterday after EU ministers failed to reach a deal with the US, which had been brokered by Britain. John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, walked out of the meeting after the all-night negotiating session failed to result in agreement, declaring: "I'm gutted, the talks are off. They are all gone." But Dominique Voynet, the French Environment Minister, said the proposed deal had been unacceptable. "Britain had conceded too much to America. It was not acceptable," she was reported as saying today. The day of drama had started with high hopes when Mr Prescott brokered a deal aimed at breaking the deadlock between the US and a group of EU ministers. (The Sunday Times 26/11/00)
According to estimates the cost to Poland of adopting all the acquis communautaire on the environment alone would be £18 billion or as much as all the costs of adapting Poland's farm regime. Some people are asking if this is not just another deliberate obstacle preventing Poland from joining the EU. "Experts" say that for its water supply alone, Poland will have to spend some £ 6 billion. A further £ 8 billion or so is supposed to go towards preventing pollution. The EU has said that it will pay some of these costs but, given the sheer size of the expenditure recommended, one wonders whether this is not just another ruse to find an excuse for delaying enlargement. {Handelsblatt 4/9/00}
"Payments to promote "greener" farming are being cut because of falling incomes, according to letters sent to farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture. "The ministry was accused by the Tories yesterday of sending the wrong signals to farmers when they are struggling with higher fuel costs and plummeting product prices. "The payments are part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and promote unsprayed field margins. They benefit wildlife such as hares, grey partridges, linnets, reed buntings and butterflies. "Payments for the six metre unsprayed field margin scheme are being cut from £35 per 100 metres to £32 and the two metre scheme from £15 per 100 metres to £10. [2 metres is a bridleway width.] "The payment for farming ex-set aside lands falls from £100 a hectare to £50. "The ministry letters tell farmers that payments are being reduced because of European Union rules which state that the schemes must relate to income forgone. "The income forgone on a ton of wheat, for example, has fallen from £120 a ton three years ago to £60." (Daily Telegraph Sept 13th 2000)
THOUSANDS of wildlife havens will be wrecked by a European Union ruling designed to prevent fraudulent subsidy claims, farmers and landowners said yesterday. From May 15 farmers will be penalised if they allow hedges or uncultivated field margins to encroach more than two metres into their arable crops - even though these marginal strips of land provide habitats for birds, mammals and wild plants. For eight years producers have been encouraged to protect old hedges and grow new ones but now the countryside faces "a potential environmental disaster", Ben Gill, President of the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, said (D Telegraph 7/3/00) Farmers will be heavily fined for not grubbing out wide hedges, or filling in ponds and ditches in order to comply with the regulation. Many are now doing this and it affects up to 4% of farmland area (BBC TV Country File 12/3/00) British farmers will not have to tear up miles of hedges, following the postponement of the controversial EU two-metre rule. The new rule has been shelved for the coming year by EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler, who has agreed that existing UK practices can continue. (Western Morning News 29 March 2000). However, in his letter to Geoffrey Titford MEP, Fischler wrote: " You know my commitment to contribute to improving and maintaining the rural environment in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy and I do, or course, fully share your concern, as hedges and field ditches are considered as being of great importance for wildlife across the whole farming spectrum, especially those, which are more intensively managed. However, I would like to point out, much as I do understand your concern, that I have to ensure that only eligible land benefits from the support scheme of arable crops. (Letter dated 19 July 2000)
THE European Commission has told Britain that it will lose up to £200 million in grants for poorer regions unless it implements European Union laws to protect birds and their habitats. The ultimatum has been delivered to all EU states by Margot Wallstrom, the environment commissioner, and Michel Barner, the regional policy commissioner. They are angry that member states have been "alarmingly slow" to act on the Habitats Directive and the Wild Birds Directives. So far, not one member state has fully implemented either of the directives, which date from 1992 and 1979 respectively. (SundayTelegraph 12 March 2000)
The Iberian Lynx is an endangered species whose population has declined to 600, nearly an unsustainable level. Its habitat has been destroyed by forestry development subsidised by the Common Agricultural Policy. (BBC R4 Today Programme 11/11/99)
A fierce battle is expected within the European Commission over proposals drawn up by environment officials two ban the use of cadmium in re-chargeable batteries and introduce tough new rules on recycling. The cadmium ban would outlaw a key ingredient in 70% of all re-chargeable batteries in the EU from 2008. This will be backed by proposals to ensure the member states set up collection and recycling schemes for all types of battery early next century. Under the plan, batteries containing more than tiny amounts of cadmium would be outlawed. This would effectively ban the nickel cadmium batteries used to power a wide range of appliances from power drill to notebook computers. This initiative comes as officials in the Directorate-General for Environment are finalising another hugely controversial plan to harmonise national schemes for recycling electronic waste. (European voice 28 January 1999)
The environment Commissioner is set offer key concessions in a bid to
win over critics of proposed new rules which would force manufacturers to collect
and recycle old electrical equipment, ranging from refrigerators to mobile
phones, including equipment already on the market. It also includes
controversial proposals to ban the use of lead, calling on firms to find
alternatives used to solder components together. Critics claim the proposals
will place an onerous burden on companies and put the union in potential breach
of World Trade Organisation rules. Companies would need time to build up funds
to meet their obligations to recycle new equipment as well as for old products.
They would be faced with a "double recycling fee." The Commission will
resist pressure from industry to abandon separate plans to ban the use of
cadmium in re-chargeable batteries. Industry claims that such a ban is
unnecessary as firms are already setting up collection and recycling schemes to
tackle problem. The move would reduce the performance of equipment such as power
tools and force firms to spend millions of euro on designing the products. They
would also breach WTO rules by imposing an unfair restriction on imported
batteries. (European Voice 18/11/99) The
European Parliament yesterday passed a major recycling law, under which all the
electrical goods sold after 2005 have to be recycled. The manufactures are
obliged to pay for the recycling of their products, but there is the danger that
the costs would be passed on to consumers. Under the new plan, people will
not be allowed to throw away unneeded goods like washing machines, stereos,
vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, computers or mobile phones, but they would have
to sort them and take them back for recycling, which would be free of charge.
The electrical goods manufacturers have to pay for the collection, recovery and
treatment of the recycled products. About 10,000 manufactures in the EU will be
affected by this law. The Engineering Employers' Federation said that it is
highly likely that manufactures would pass on the costs to consumers. (EUobserver.com
11/4/02)
Under EU energy-saving regulations all domestic appliances have to be fitted with a buzzer which indicates when they have finished their cycle. This will not be welcome to people using nighttime off-peak electricity. (Local Appliance supplier February 1999)
The proposed Southampton Dock extension in Dibden Bay has to create a similar area of mudflats to compensate for the loss of bird habitat. The reason why similar projects at Le Havre and Rotterdam do not meet this problem is that these countries have not written the EU directive into law. (Eurofaq posting B&A Woodhouse 15/7/99)
British Steel has warned the European Union that it may have to make hundreds of workers redundant at its Rotherham plant because of the proposed environmental directive that would stop vehicle manufacturer's using lead in steel. The directive is intended to force states to scrap and recycled cars. Small amounts of lead in steel make parts easier to machine. Eurofer, the European steel producers association says forcing EU manufacturers to stop using lead in steel would cause an additional 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year and £158 million a year to the cost of machining in components for vehicles and other products. (Financial Times 25 January 1999) A threat to hundreds of jobs in the British Steel industry appeared to be receding after the European Parliament's environment committee dropped proposals that would have outlawed leaded steel in cars. The government and the steel industry have mounted a strong campaign against the leaded steel proposals, which British Steel maintains would worsen environmental pollution because alternatives steels require more energy to machine. The proposed directive could lead to massive job losses, environmental damage and mountains of scrapped cars that could not be disposed of. (Financial Times 3 February 1999)
Brussels, the source of much vaunted standards for water, the capital of the EU, has no sewage treatment plant. The untreated sewage runs into the river Zenne and reaches the North Sea at Flushing. (Eurofacts 11/9/98)
EU farm and regional development plans will have a catastrophic impact on Europe's wildlife. In addition to damage to habitats in existing EU countries, hitherto unspoiled havens in eastern Europe will also be disrupted as the Union expands its farm policies, roads, and reservoir schemes into Poland, Estonia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Euro-MPs were told that urgent changes were needed to the EC's Agenda 2000 farm reform package. Rivers, wetlands, forests, heaths and mountains are threatened by EU enlargement. (D Telegraph 17/9/98)
The Commission claims that the Danish ban on the sale of drinks in aluminium cans is an obstacle to free trade. The Danes point out that returnable bottles are kinder to the environment. They can expect the Commission to take legal action (European 7/9/98). The EC is set to pursue the Germans for insisting drink-makers put their products in reusable bottles. The cases against Denmark and Germany are seen as an acid test of whether obstacles to free trade take precedence over protection of the environment. (European Voice 1/10/98) The new Danish government has informed EU commissioner for the environment, Margot Wallström, that Denmark is ready to give up the ban on canned beer and other drinks. This means that the Commission will no longer consider suing Denmark over the issue, according to several Danish media. The issue has been a very hot one in the Danish EU and environment debate. Svend Auken, former Environment Minister, saw this issue as crucial, as Denmark has a very efficient bottle circulation system. The EU Commission has insisted that the ban was distorting competition in favour of Danish beer producers, and it was believed that the Danish government would lose the case anyway. (EUobserver.com 15/1/02)
Projects partly funded by Britain through the EC's £1.5bn-a-year aid programme are wrecking forests and wildlife in the third World. The Rainforest Foundation claims the fund is breaking its own rules while carrying out projects in Cameroon, Uganda, Venezuela and Nigeria. The aid programme hides behind a heavy veil of secrecy and even ministers are unable to obtain vital information about the use of EU money. The EC has built a road into the Dja world heritage site in Cameroon resulting in logging, hunting and poaching and the bulldozing of a pygmy village. Other examples include evicting natives and the destruction of forests. (D Telegraph 8/10/98)
Tortoises can no longer be sold without a personalised microchip. To prevent illegal imports EC regulations 338/97 and 939/97 say both parent tortoises must have microchip implants. When the egg hatches the baby will be given a microchip to be implanted when it is several years older. (S Telegraph 2/8/98)(FFP)
The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) is a trade agreement sponsored by the OECD. All member governments support it but there has been virtually no public debate. The European Parliament voted against the agreement by a massive majority. The MAI, however, is due to be signed by the EC in October 1998. MAI rules are discriminatory because they outlaw any so called "performance requirements" which hurt foreign investors. The MAI bans "performance requirements" which specify the purchase of local goods, levels of local employment and levels of exports. Unless the MAI is reformed the treaty poses a serious threat to sustainable development. The ability of the MAI to circumvent laws which promote sustainable development also demonstrates how the MAI will be used by rich OECD countries, say, to gain unlimited access to fishing grounds in developing countries, ruining the livelihoods of small fishermen and destroying fish stocks. The UK Government must have the MAI amended so that it cannot override laws that protect the environment and local communities. (WWF press release 3/8/98) MAI has been dropped (Spotlight Email Newsletter #16 December 1998)
Although fishing for edible species is controlled there are no restrictions on catches for fishmeal and fertiliser. Boats use small size nets and catch valuable species as well as non-commercial fish in very large quantities. They are wiping out the species that larger edible fish feed on. (S Telegraph 3/12/95). The EU has applied a quota to sand eel catches equivalent to the peak catch recorded in 1989. This offers no protection to sensitive areas close to important seabird colonies. (Telegraph 16/12/97)
The Fat Edible Dormouse, Glis Glis, is an alien species that in this country causes considerable damage to property. It has escaped in parts of Hertfordshire. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has classed it as a pest and has organised its extermination. This is in breach of the EU regulations that are intended to afford it protection in its natural habitat. (BBC1 Country File 3/9/95)
Pigeons may eventually no longer be regarded as pests and will have a close season to allow breeding. (BASC Autumn 1992). Despite the pigeon being one of the most common birds the EEC requires the Department of the Environment to count them in case they are an endangered species (BASC Nov 1993).
The Endangered Species (Import/Export) Act is a restraint of trade so has been abolished. The European market is amongst the top three biggest importers of exotic plants and animals. Although the trade is legal all the species are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Imports in the three years 1988 to 1991 included 3.86 million monitor lizard skins, 975,000 parrots, lories and cockatoos, 46,000 live primates, 105,000 cat skins, 29,000 chameleons and 61 million snowdrop, winter daffodil and cyclamen bulbs. (Independent 9/9/94).
The EU Habitats Directive replaces the protection afforded by Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The classification system for natural habitats (CORINE) specifically excludes many rare habitats currently afforded the protection of SSSI status. These include the remains of Britain's hay meadows, only 3% survive, English water meadows, Scottish sea lochs (excluded by UK officials to allow intensive fish farming), snow beds in the Cairngorms and most fens. Specifically excluded is the only Turlough in Britain, in Dyfed. This is an ephemeral lake currently threatened by quarrying (New Scientist 15/4/95). All these precious sites can now be destroyed by development. (New Scientist 11/3/95). The protection afforded by SSSI status is over-ridden by CAP subsidies. Farmers have been ploughing up SSSI grasslands quite legally in order to get EU subsidies of up to £300 per acre to grow flax, which does not have to be harvested (BBC 1 Farming Programme 20/4/97)