An Invitation to
The Environment Conference
“What next for the countryside post Brexit”
An opportunity to address and discuss many of the environmental issues currently facing land owners, farmers, environmental groups and organisations

Hosted by

Julie Girling MEP
Representing the
South West of England & Gibraltar

On

Friday 17th March 2017

At

The Royal Agricultural University
Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 6JS

Commencing at 09:30 for registration followed by key note speakers on environmental issues facing the UK today.

For more information and to register your attendance
please contact Mrs Girling’s office on linda@juliegirling.com
or telephone 01386 882491

We look forward to seeing you at conference

Steps to halt the abuse and cruel exploitation of horses and donkeys are set out in a report from British MEP Julie Girling which was approved by a key committee of the European Parliament.

As her package of measures for equine welfare received the approval of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Mrs Girling declared: “We are on our way to a better deal for donkeys and horses. Cruelty and neglect is a problem across the continent and we must tackle it.”

The report sets out to stop the abuse of horses across Europe and ensure their welfare is catered for, whether they are used in farming or sport, for breeding or in tourism and entertainment.

Measures include:

* Comprehensive guides on horse and donkey care, including responsible breeding and end of life care.

* Better information for tourists on how animals are treated by attractions such as rides and sideshows.

* Increased inspections of farms.

* A pilot project awarding funding to farms committed to good welfare practices

* A shorter maximum journey time for all movements of horses for slaughter.

Mrs Girling, Conservative MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, said: “Horses and humans have been best friends for thousands of years. Responsible ownership and care of horses should always be expected as a minimum but given the number of health and welfare problems faced by Europe’s horses and donkeys today, it is clear that it is too often neglected. Action is therefore not only necessary, but also overdue.

“This is an important first step to ensuring fully that welfare is sufficiently upheld. The report does seek additional legislation. I want to improve and strengthen the rules that already exist and to tackle ignorance through putting together guidance based on best practice across Europe.

“It is in everyone’s interest for the animals involved in these businesses to be healthy and productive. Many of the measures I propose are simple to introduce but would make a big difference to both the welfare of equines and their economic potential. It is a win-win for all involved.”

The EU equine sector is worth more than £80 billion a year and the equestrian sports industry alone supports 900,000 jobs, often in rural areas.

The report is expected to be considered by a full session of the European Parliament in March. If approved, it will be passed to the European Commission with a recommendation for action.

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The Supreme Court has handed down its judgment, ruling that the UK Government requires a Parliamentary vote before triggering article 50 and formally starting the Brexit process.

Theresa May’s government had argued that it was not necessary to publish an Act of Parliament and that the Government had the authority to use the Royal Prerogative to start formal negotiations with the EU.

Julie Girling, Conservative MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, said today: “It is no secret I supported the ‘remain’ campaign. However this judgement is not about whether you are for or against EU membership; it is about the procedural requirements necessary before starting the Brexit process.

“It is important that our Houses of Parliament play a central role in these complex negotiations in order to ensure the UK gets the best possible deal. Trade with the EU accounts for around half of both UK exports and imports in goods and services.

“The referendum simply showed a majority of voters wanted to leave the EU – the procedural requirements and the terms of a future relationship have never been put to a vote.

“I am convinced that a hard Brexit would be hugely detrimental to the UK and therefore believe it is key for our elected representatives to remain central to the discussions. Parliamentary sovereignty is a cornerstone of our constitution and must be respected.”

European Parliament’s Environment committee today decided its position on new Type Approval rules for motor vehicles.

In the aftermath of the diesel emissions scandal, the European Commission made new legislative proposals to ensure car manufacturers comply with all EU safety, environmental and production requirements.

This major overhaul of the so-called “EU type approval framework” updates rules that are more than a decade old. It should address shortcomings in the current legislation and ensure better enforcement across the single market.

Once agreed, these rules should make vehicle testing more independent and increase surveillance of cars already in circulation. The call for a new European Vehicles Surveillance Agency would ensure compliance verification and enforce proper oversight of testing at an EU level.

Speaking from Brussels Julie Girling, MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, said: “Today’s vote is a step in the right direction. Manufacturers and regulators knew for some time before the VW story broke about some of the discrepancies between approval and testing.

“Compliance and enforcement are key to the good functioning of the single market. Working together with colleagues from the Environment committee, we have adopted a robust opinion, emphatically backed by all political groups.

“I hope the lead internal market committee will take note of this and we can move forward to getting these rules in place as soon as possible. With the UK vote to leave the EU, it is imperative that we have a forum within which the UK has a voice and can contribute to a strong single market.”

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Note to editors: In January 2016 the European Commission tabled its proposal on new type approval rules.
More information on the proposal can be found here:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-167_en.htm

Ambitious targets to reduce air pollution and cut premature deaths from poor air quality were given the final sign off in Strasbourg today.

The National Emissions Ceilings Directive, which has been steered through the European legislative process by local MEP, Julie Girling, over the course of three years, sets limits for five key pollutants in each member state.

The agreement, approved by a vote in the European Parliament, aligns targets for 2020 with international commitments and sets new, more ambitious targets through to 2030, covering sectors including agriculture, transport and industry.

Mrs Girling, MEP for South West England and Gibraltar, has long said poor air quality has a huge impact on human health, the environment and the economy.

During the development of the legislation, Mrs Girling brought the EU’s Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella to Bath to discuss the city’s congestion and air-quality problems with residents and academics.

She said: “I am very happy to see this key piece of legislation take its final step onto the statute books. Poor air quality is an urgent public health issue. Air pollution does not recognize national borders and we must work together with our EU neighbours to tackle it.

“It is estimated to cause 400,000 premature deaths per year across the EU. The agreement will reduce the health impacts of bad air quality by around 50% by 2030.

“The UK should be a leader in the fight to tackle bad air quality. I hope, post-brexit, that the UK continues to work with its European partners on issues such as this. With our national health system we bear the economic consequences of bad air quality directly and we should not allow the progress made in recent years to slip.”

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New EU-wide proposals to help farmers secure a better deal for their products have come down in favour of a system pioneered in Britain.
Julie Girling, Conservative MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, broadly welcomed the long-awaited findings from the European Commission’s Agricultural Markets Task Force and said: “It is good to see a British initiative being taken up across the EU.”

The task force highlights the value of independent national adjudicators. The UK Government appointed a Groceries Code Adjudicator in 2013 to regulate the relationship between supermarkets and their suppliers and task force chairman, Cees Verman, visited Britain to see the scheme in operation.

His report calls for “the implementation of effective enforcement regimes in member states, such as through the use of an adjudicator.”

Mrs Girling said: “The value of the British model has been recognised by the task force. Our system has previously been cited as an example of best practice.

“It is good that the report suggests that the EU should have role in defining unfair trading practices. I also welcome the call for enhanced co-operation among farmers and the focus on the need to improve farmers’ access to finance.

“I would only caution the Commission to think carefully before introducing any EU legislation that would merely complicate life for farmers without any benefits.

“This report is an important starting point. It is now up to the Commission to act in the best interests of Europe’s farmers.”
The 12-strong task force comprised 12 industry experts from across the EU, including David Dobbin, Group Chief Executive of United Dairy Farmers in the UK.

The Commission is expected to issue policy proposals next year.

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Note for Editors

Read the European Commission’s press release on the task force’s report here: http://bit.ly/2eX3h1T

New guidelines to improve the welfare of the EU’s 7 million horses and donkeys have been unveiled by Conservative MEP, Julie Girling.

Mrs Girling, MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, presented the proposals to the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee today. They cover animals used in a broad range of activities, from farming to tourism.

Her recommendations include:

* A shorter maximum journey time for all movements of horses for slaughter;
* A commitment by Member States to inspect slaughterhouses licenced to handle horses;
* The launch of a pilot project under which funding would be targeted at farms committed to good welfare practices.
* The dissemination of information to tourists to help them decide whether to use services involving working horses and donkeys;
* New guidance on donkey milk farming and increased inspections of farms.
* Production and circulation by the European Commission of information on how to care for horses and donkeys, including responsible breeding and end of life care.
* Review of the impact of VAT on equestrian enterprises

Mrs Girling said: “Action in this area is long overdue. Horses for slaughter are being transported throughout the EU and to third countries, particularly Russia, in sometimes very poor conditions; the inspection of slaughterhouses and donkey farms is inconsistent and tourists have no way of knowing how the horse pulling their carriage is treated. Through clearer guidance, better inspection and the sharing of best practice we can begin to change that.

“The EU’s 7 million horses and donkeys play a major role in many areas of the economy including sport, farming, forestry, transport, tourism and therapy. It is in the interests of all these sectors, not just the animals themselves, that the highest welfare levels are promoted. A healthy horse is a productive horse.”

It is estimated that the EU’s equine industries are worth over €100 billion a year, with the equestrian sports sector alone supporting 900,000 jobs. Employment is often in rural areas, with a high proportion of women involved.

Mrs Girling’s report is expected to be voted on by the committee in January. If subsequently backed by the full parliament it will be passed to the European Commission with a recommendation for action.

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Conservative MEP Julie Girling is defying a threat by Spain’s Foreign Minister to plant his flag on Gibraltar after Britain leaves the EU.

Mrs Girling, who represents the South West and Gibraltar in the European Parliament, spoke out after a war of words led to the menacing message from José Manuel García-Margallo.

After Gibraltar’s First Minister Fabian Picardo insisted Spain would never get its hands on the UK overseas territory, Garcia-Margallo gave the haughty response: “I won’t put my hands there, I will plant my flag.”

Today Mrs Girling said: “There is no place for threatening language like that. The people themselves will decide which flag they fly over the Rock”.

“The Foreign Minister can keep his flag just where it is. Otherwise, Gibraltarians might suggest somewhere else he can put it”!

ends

South West of England MEP Julie Girling has played a leading role in securing a historic international deal to help cut damaging pollution from air travel.

She led a delegation of MEPs to the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal, Canada, where a deal was hammered out late yesterday (Thurs) on a new Global Market-Based Measure for reducing CO2 emissions from aviation.

Mrs Girling, Conservative MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar, said: “I am proud of what we achieved. It was a tough negotiation but we got what was needed in the end”

The EU’s Commission, Council and Parliament will all now consider how the agreement can be adopted into law; but the deal is being hailed as a major step forward in efforts to curtail carbon dioxide emissions from air transport, which have spiralled during the past 15 years. Without intervention it is feared aviation would be responsible for 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century.

Mrs Girling, Environment Spokesman for the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the Parliament, said: “There is still much work to be done, but this sets an agreed framework for the future progress to build on.

“The global measure is important in the context of the recent climate change agreement in Paris, which excluded aviation.

“I’m pleased to see that the sector has joined the rest of industry in the fight against climate change. It is important that all sectors share the responsibility of keeping global warming well below 2°Celsius.

“Now additional effort is needed if aviation emissions are to be in line with reductions from other sectors”.

END

Background
Emissions from international aviation have grown by 76 % since 1990. By 2050 this sector is expected to triple in size while a recent study of the European Parliament found that airplane emissions could be responsible for almost 40% of total greenhouse emissions in 2050.

A delegation of four MEPs went to Montreal on the occasion of the 39th session of ICAO Assembly to observe the negotiations as part of the EU delegation and to meet with ICAO high-level representatives, ICAO Members and Observers, industry and NGOs. They discussed the need for effective reductions of CO2 emissions by aviation, a sector left outside of the COP21 Paris Agreement on climate change.

The delegation, led by Ms Julie Girling, was composed of MEP Andor Deli (EPP, HU), Jens Nilsson (S&D, SE) and Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, NL).
The “stop-the-clock” legislation adopted in 2014 suspended the application of ETS to intercontinental flights up to 2016 in order to give more time to ICAO to act at global level. The ETS would be applied to international flights again from 2017 onwards in case there was no agreement in ICAO this autumn on a GMBM.

Next steps
The European Institutions will now consider the details of today’s agreement as work begins on legislative alignment with the ETS.

Julie Girling has responded to news that the EU’s Environment Council has reached agreement on the ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The MEP for the South West and Gibraltar is environment spokesman for the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament.
She said: “Swift ratification by the EU will allow this treaty to enter into force before the end of this year, and it’s really important to have full ratification before COP 22 – the annual international conference on measuring climate change adaptation – begins in November.

“We will do our part to ensure this can happen as soon as possible.

“This agreement is critical to our global efforts to tackle climate change, and it is now on the brink of entering into force.

“China and the US have ratified, and now it is Europe’s turn to show global leadership and ratify this agreement, so that we can get on and implement it with the urgency it deserves.”

The European Parliament is expected to add an item to the plenary agenda in Strasbourg next week so that it can also vote on granting consent to the agreement.

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