Julie Girling, today hosted a meeting with members of the European Horse Network, focussing on the Common Agriculture Policy Reform and the place of horses within it.

Consumers should be aware of their different recycling options and the obligations retailers may have when electrical goods reach end of their useful life, a leading Conservative MEP said today. Julie Girling, Conservative MEP for the West of England, said most householders did not know where to take electrical appliances and electronic gadgets for recycling. Too many just got dumped in the bin.

Pressure from Conservative MEPs has averted EU plans to ban Britain's most commonly-used rat poison from general use. Earlier clauses in draft legislation on pest-control materials called biocides could have banned farmers and other property-owners from using Difenacoum, a widely-used rodenticide in the UK.