EID a threat to sheep farming, says Agnew

Newly-elected MEP Stuart Agnew has hit out at the EU over new rules on electronic identification for sheep.

A Norfolk farmer, Mr Agnew, who was elected to the European Parliament in this month’s European Election has wasted no time in speaking up for the interests of sheep farmers, in Britain, who are under serious threat from the European Union’s new rules on EID (Electronic Identification).

His intervention came after Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead’s lobbying effort on behalf of Scottish farmers.

Mr Agnew said: “Whilst I welcome the initiative on behalf of farmers in Scotland, the fact is that these nightmarish regulations seriously threaten the whole sheep farming sector, because they add considerable costs, where margins are already low.

"Costs of £3 per head are being talked about, which is huge, when you consider that the average size of sheep flocks is around 5-600 animals. The sheer hard labour involved in carrying it out is also mind-boggling.

“The National Sheep Association has been campaigning against this bureaucratic nightmare for years, pointing out that the rationale behind it is fundamentally flawed as there is no clear indication that EID would offer any additional protection against the spread of disease, over and above existing measures.

“EID is also a very serious problem from an animal welfare point of view. It means that sheep will have to be double tagged. Under present rules, they already have a small identity tag in one ear, but Brussels now wants them to have another, larger tag in the other ear.

"They are painful and pose an increased risk of infection, particularly when animals are tagged in warm weather. They are also likely to catch on everything and pull off and they are expensive to replace.

“These are the kinds of rules that people who spend all day in offices generate. Only in the cloud cuckoo land of Brussels could such nonsense have been dreamed up.

"Unfortunately, until Britain regains its independence, begging Brussels for a derogation from the rules, is our only option.

"However, it should be done for the whole of the UK, otherwise we are going to get in a monumental muddle as sheep are sent from Scotland in huge numbers to be sold in England and also many farms straddle the border.”

Green leader comes top in Open Europe's "premier league" MEP poll

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the Green Party, has been rated best British MEP on transparency, accountability, democracy and waste by campaign group Open Europe.

And Britain's Green Party MEPs were ranked above the groups of all other British parties.

Today Open Europe published a ranking of all 785 Members of the European Parliament, scoring their record on promoting transparency and reform in the European Union over the last five-year term.

Open Europe's ranking was based on a range of activities, including voting records, attendance, written declarations, and whether the MEPs themselves have taken part in wasteful activities, such as the controversial second pension fund.

Open Europe awarded points based on a "Premier League" model, where 3 points was the highest score, followed by 1 point and 0 points. On attendance, a scale from 1 to 6 was used. MEPs who had been the subject of substantive press reports of wrongdoing were shown Open Europe's "red card" and had 10 points deducted from their score.

**UKIP leader shares bottom place with a Conservative, a Labour MEP and a LibDem**

The bottom thirteen places for British MEPs in Open Europe's ranking included 5 Conservatives and 6 UKIP MEPs. The very bottom place, however, was jointly shared between an MEP each from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and UKIP.

The UKIP MEP with the poorest score was party leader Nigel Farage.

Green Party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, commenting on the result, said:

"I'm delighted that the Green Party has topped the poll on promoting transparency and reform in the EU. It shows more clearly than ever that if people want to see greater democracy, transparency and accountability in parliament, the best way of achieving that is to vote Green on 4 June."

Open Europe's Research Director Mats Persson said commented:

"No matter where their political sympathies may lie, MEPs should all be working for a more open, democratic EU, while trying to reduce the waste of taxpayers' money. These issues should be at the top of their agenda - especially now when the public's trust in politicians is at an all-time low.

"They might talk a good game at home, but too many British MEPs have voted against transparency and EU reform on a number of occasions. What we need now is a new generation of politicians, committed to acting in the public interest and pushing for a much better deal for taxpayers at all levels of government - including EU level."

Open Europe's categories were as follows:

**A) Transparency, openness and democracy**

MEPs are ranked according to whether they:

1. Voted for easier public access to EU documents
2. Voted against keeping MEPs' expenses and accounts secret
3. Voted to increase transparency, including better public access to MEPs' voting records
4. Responded to Open Europe's Transparency Initiative on expenses and allowances
5. Voted in favour of imposing sanctions for MEPs guilty of financial irregularities
6. Voted in favour of providing mandatory receipts for travel expenses
7. Voted to respect the outcome of the pending legally-binding Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty
8. Voted in favour of opening Europe up to trade with developing countries
9. Achieved good attendance at the Parliament's voting sessions

**B) Fighting waste and misuse of EU funds**

MEPs are ranked according to whether they:

1. Opted out of the Parliament's controversial second pension fund
2. Voted in favour of cleaning up the second pension fund
3. Supported moves to abolish the Parliament's second seat in Strasbourg
4. Voted against 'hypocritical' EU subsidies to tobacco farmers
5. Voted to reform the CAP and discontinue subsidies to tobacco farmers
6. Voted not to clear the European Parliament's accounts for 2006 due to 75% unaccounted expenditure on MEPs' assistants' allowances
7. Voted not to approve the Parliament's accounts for 2007
8. Voted not to approve the Commission's accounts for 2007
9. Voted to postpone clearing the European Council's accounts for 2007
10. Voted against clearing the accounts of the European Police College for 2007 while it was under investigation for fraud

To see the league table, please click here:
[www.openeurope.org.uk/research/mepranking.xls]

It's the economy, stupid!

Today the Green Party launches its European election manifesto titled: "It's the economy, stupid."

The manifesto promises to rapidly create a million jobs through a Green New Deal. It stresses the need to make Britain's economy work differently in order to protect and improve public services, to create a fairer society and to tackle the climate crisis and impending problems like peak oil - as well as the immediate problem of the recession.

**Good economics v bad economics**

The slogan has been borrowed tongue-in-cheek from US President Bill Clinton - but, say the Greens, it carries a very different meaning coming from the Green Party. A spokesperson explained today:

"Jonathan Porritt said back in 1991 that if you want to see how green a political party is, look at it's economic policy.

"Britain's biggest parties are still pursuing an economic model that puts private profit before the public good. They put the Thatcherite-Blairite ideology of privatisation before people's real needs. This has driven the erosion of Britain's public services, threatened our National Health Service, and badly damaged our public transport infrastructure. So-called 'liberalisation' made the credit crunch possible. Boom-bust economics has widened the gulf between rich and poor and it has plunged us into recession again. All this has to change."

**Age of Stupid**

He continued: "Look at the climate crisis - probably the biggest single threat to the world's future prosperity and well-being. Climate change begins and ends with the economy. It started with how the economy transformed through burning too much fossil fuel, and it can only be dealt with by transforming the economy again, to a low-carbon economy.

"A low-carbon economy will bring social benefits like stability, energy security, sustainable jobs, better health, hugely improved public transport, and so on. Fixing all these things means changing the basis of how our economy works.

"We really are living in the Age of Stupid. We know what the problems are, we know the consequences of causing climate change and we know how to avoid the worst of the consequences. We need to change one thing above all to get out of the Age of Stupd - we need to change the economy."

**Investing in change - that starts to pay for itself**

The massive job-creation and other benefits in the Greens' manifesto would be brought about for an investment of £44bn. Much of this would be found from a variety of "good housekeeping" measures:

* £10bn from improved tax collection and the abolition of tax havens.
* £3bn from cancelling new roadbuilding.
* £1bn from scrapping the government's ID cards project.
* £2bn windfall tax on non-renewable energy companies.
* £3bn from not renewing Trident contracts.

The remaining £25bn would in fact be reduced by some billions as the new jobs increased the country's tax revenue.

Brian Heatley, policy coordinator on the Green Party's national executive committee, explained:

"Like the current government, we would be prepared to borrow. This could, however, be done much more imaginatively than is currently the practice, and with less reliance on international money markets.

"Citizens and institutional investors can provide funding for the Green New Deal by investment in 'green gilts' (government bonds), guaranteed not just in terms of an interest rate, but also in terms of their use to reduce carbon. New green products could be introduced and revitalise the National Savings. Local authority bonds could also be a major vehicle for the funds raised for this programme. And Green MEPs will press for some of this expenditure, such as that on training, to come from European funds, for example the European Social Fund."

Mr Heatley added:

"In the longer term, the package would begin to pay for itself. Increasing energy efficiency means that energy does not have to be generated, and this saves money. As oil prices rise, renewables will be cheaper than the fossil fuel alternatives. Much-improved public transport will mean more people will not have to pay for private cars. None of this is true for responses, like Labour's, that simply encourage consumption."
** **

**Practical vision an "antidote to apathy, cynicism and fears for the future"**

The Greens are saying they are the only party in this election offering the public a practical vision for a fairer society and a sustainable economy - an antidote to the country's current political malaise of apathy, cynicism, mistrust of many politicians, and fears for Britain's economic future.

URL: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2009-05-14-launch.html

The man, who is this man? says it so well!

Green conference to consider radical policies for women in business

At the Green Party's spring conference in Blackpool, party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP will propose a motion on workplace equality.

The motion will note that women working fulltime in the UK are paid 17% less than men. And according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's "Sex and Power 2008" survey, the percentage of female directors has stalled at 11%, and fallen in a number of categories.

To help tackle this, the new Green policy would require:

* Medium and large companies to undertake equal pay audits that compare the earnings of their employees, and to take action to redress inequalities.
* Legal changes to make it much easier for women to take equal pay cases to court, and to allow women to take such cases as a group, with the support of their unions.
* Significant funding to be put into encouraging girls and women to consider a broader range of careers.
* The law to follow Norway's in requiring that companies listed on the Stock Exchange have 40% of their board members being female within five years of the date of the passing of the legislation.

A separate motion intended to improve women's rights in the UK would ensure major improvements in NHS pre- and post-natal care, including a full range of birth options and the right to a single midwide throughout.

Other motions on women's issues will include:

* A motion to help combat domestic abuse, starting with "respect" training in schools.
* A motion to extend the right to asylum for women and girls, to include asylum for those who would be forced to undergo forced marriage or genital mutilation were they denied asylum.

_____________________

Questions hang over legality of UK plans on air quality

Jean Lambert, London's Green Party MEP, has this week called on the European Commission to reject any plan on air quality from the UK Government that would endanger the lives of UK citizens.

The Government's consultation on their application to delay compliance with EU air quality laws ends today, 10 March. To be approved by the Commission it must clearly demonstrate how the Government will comply with the rules by 2010.

However, a recent assessment by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed that the UK is unlikely to be able to meet the requirements on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions.

Jean Lambert MEP said:

"Hundreds of local authority areas across the UK are currently exceeding EU standards for nitrogen dioxide (N02), a dangerous air pollutant which can cause and irritate breathing problems. In over 100 cities and in almost all of the recorded zones across the UK, traffic fumes are breaching safety levels on some roads.

"For ten years, the Government has failed to significantly improve air quality and even Defra has reported that it is unlikely to meet future targets. I have called on the Commission to confirm whether the UK's plans on air quality fully comply with all of the legal requirements, before they submit their plea to further delay compliance with the law."

The Government's public consultation on their application to the European Commission to delay compliance with EU air quality laws can be found here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/air-quality/index.htm It closes on 10 March 2009.

GREEN MEP CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY IN THE STRUGGLE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London, spoke today at a public meeting at the University of London Union to celebrate International Women's Day and highlight the situation of women around the world.

The meeting, arranged by the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, explored the difficulties women face on daily basis; from those fighting for their basic human rights in wartorn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan to those badly effected by the economic recession around the world.

Jean Lambert MEP, said:

"It is important to remember that the struggle for equality is very real for millions of women around the world and in some countries even basic human rights are frequently abused."

"In the UK, equality at work has still not been reached and a stubborn gender pay gap exists, as wide as 36 per cent for part-time work. Women are finding themselves even more vulnerable in this economic downturn, as the redundancy rate for women is rising twice as fast as it is for men."

"Disturbingly, it's also been found that women are at greater risk of domestic violence and abuse during times of recession. We need to understand these wider consequences of economic stress and ensure that support services are adequately funded, prepared and able to cope with these problems."

Isle of Wight's Green MEP In Ryde To Raise Awareness of Link Between Women's Health And Environment - International Women's Day, 8 March 2009

The Green Euro-MP and Party Leader is to speak at a free International Women's Day event hosted by Isle of Wight Soroptimists. Women's health must be better protected from environmental factors such as chemicals and pesticides, Euro-MP and Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas will tell guests at an event at Ryde Castle this Sunday (March 8) organised by the Isle of Wight Soroptimists to celebrate International Women's Day.

Following her speech at 2pm, Caroline will take questions from the audience at the Ryde Castle Hotel on the Esplanade at Ryde, before being joined on the platform by Community Liaison Officer at Island Waste Services, Lynn Clarke, who will explore local issues affecting women and the environment. The Green MEP, who sits on the European Parliament's Environment, Public
Health and Food Safety Committee, said:

"I am delighted to be joining the Isle of Wight Soroptimists for International Women's Day to talk about the crucial link between the potentially toxic elements in our environment and human health – and how we can better regulate the chemicals that we come into contact with all the
time.

"According to a Greenpeace study, when you strip away factors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, together with hereditary factors, the environment still appears to be the single biggest cause of the massive increase in virtually all cancers seen over the past few decades.

"On a daily basis, we are exposed to many hazardous chemicals without being fully aware of the potential dangers to our health. Even in our homes, these chemicals are all around us – in toys, food and drink containers, clothes, furniture, and cleaning agents. Our favourite cosmetics, like shampoos, soaps, moisturisers, and toothpaste often contain parabens, which are 'endocrine disrupters' – and can seriously disrupt hormones in humans and animals.

"We already know that more than 500 manufactured chemicals found in our environment mimic and disrupt hormones, thus having the potential to contribute to the onset and progression of hormone-dependent cancers like breast cancer, the UK's most common cancer which kills more than 1000 women every single month.

"Evidence has shown that pesticides can also have an adverse effect on our health, with many powerful chemicals from crop spraying leaking into soil and water supplies, and many food items containing pesticide residues even after they've reached the supermarket. Believe it or not, a Cox's apple can typically be sprayed 18 times with various different pesticides."

She concluded: "Some of the most important decisions on regulating our exposure to potentially dangerous substances are made at the European level – and that's where my work as an MEP can make a real difference. We urgently need to explore environmental risk factors at both national and European level, and prevent the powerful chemicals and pesticides lobby from
weakening key EU laws designed to protect human health."

The Isle of Wight Soroptimists event will be supported by various groups
with information stalls on issues particular to women and the environment.
An optional light lunch costing £6 will be available, before Caroline Lucas
speaks at 2 pm.

GREEN MEP BACKS CALL FOR DECENT WORK FOR DALIT WOMEN

Jean Lambert, Patron of the Dalit Solidarity Network and Green Party MEP for London, will be speaking at a protest at the Indian High Commission on Thursday 5th March at 4pm to call for dignified work and decent wages for Dalits.

The protest marks International Women's Day, since the majority of the 1.3 million people of 'untouchable' caste status in India are women, and are forced to earn their living by doing dangerous and degrading work in appalling conditions. Many have no choice but to earn a living by collecting human faeces, using only their bare hands and simple tools.

The protest will call on the Indian Government to release a substantial pot of money that has been set-aside for providing these 'manual scavengers' with education, healthcare and decent jobs.

Jean Lambert MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament's South Asia delegation and frequently highlights the situation of the Dalits, said:

"We must show much more support to the struggle against such discrimination. This requires action at all political levels, both across the EU and in the countries concerned.

"I reject the idea that some human beings are considered "impure" or "polluted" just because they were born into a certain caste. Everyone is entitled to basic human rights. In the 21st century, no human being should be considered "untouchable".