Tag Archives: environment
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Brexit Not Looking Good for Farmers
Visiting Fortshot House Farm near Wike last week I discussed a number of issues facing farmers in Yorkshire, with none more pressing than what Brexit could mean for their future.
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Developments in EU Sea Bass rules to favour recreational anglers
Update on the EU rules concerning sea bass fishing for anglers, following action by Labour MEPs.
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Labour must ensure that Brexit is not used to degrade our environmental protections
I was invited to write an article for SERA – Labour’s environment campaign – on why it is important to maintain transnational cooperation on environmental legislation, and the threats to this presented by Brexit.
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Brexit and Chemicals: A Chain Reaction
The chemicals industry is a vital sector of the UK economy, making up 10% of all UK manufacturing. No wonder then that industry representatives and experts are extremely worried about the consequences of Brexit and the government’s chaotic approach to the negotiations.
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UK Agriculture faces huge challenges from Brexit. Why aren’t the Leavers listening?
The House of Lords, leading agri-companies and individual farmers are very concerned about the impact of Brexit upon their their sector. Yet the government has given few assurances to this vital sector of our economy.
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Brexit and the Environment
One of the most important issues in the Brexit debate is the environment, but it is hardly a surprise that this Tory government does not appear to be concerned about how leaving the EU will threaten the UK’s environmental protections, given that one of Theresa May’s first acts as Prime Minister was to scrap the Department for the Energy and Climate Change.
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Does Britain face a Brexit blackout?
Since the government confirmed that it wants Britain to leave Euratom as well as the EU, there has been alarm over what this means for the UK’s energy supply. Leaving Euratom adds to an already problematic situation regarding traditional and renewable energy sources that arises if we leave the EU.
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A way up in the woods, among the evergreens
In large parts of Yorkshire, chances are that the electricity you use was generated using wood from Virginia, Georgia and other southern states of the USA. This is because Drax power station, the largest in the country, has switched from coal to wood for two (soon three) of its six furnaces. This is both for […]
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50 EU benefits #46
Criminals don’t respect borders. Nor does pollution. We need joint solutions to Europe-wide problems.
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50 EU benefits #43
The EU Nature Directive has helped slow the loss of our protected sites.
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50 EU benefits #33
EU bathing water rules prompted changes across Britain for cleaner beaches.
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50 EU benefits #20
With EU support, green business could add a further £20bn to the UK economy.
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50 EU benefits #17
Agreeing EU-wide laws improves air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
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No-one should have to choose between heating and eating
I was pleased last week to visit the British Gas Academy, an impressive facility only a few minutes away from my constituency office here in Leeds, where British Gas engineers from across the north of England are trained in the skills they need to install and maintain energy supply equipment for the company’s millions of […]
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The EU benefits the environment
It’s a shame that environmental issues have featured so little in the referendum campaign to date. Not only is environmental policy a vitally important part of the decisions we take jointly at European level, but it’s also one of the EU’s biggest success stories. So I was delighted to read the results of a major […]
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On fish, facts & Farage
Fisheries policy has always had a great impact not just on those who fish commercially, but also those who fish for fun. And the contribution the latter make to our economy is vast: in Europe’s north-western coastal communities, including Britain, more than €100 million a year is spent on recreational sea bass fishing alone. Indeed, […]
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Rebuilding Britain’s flooded communities
This winter, Britain witnessed all-too-familiar sights. The horrendous impact of flooding across Yorkshire & Humber and many other areas in the UK is clear: tens of thousands of households being left without power or adequate living conditions, public services being suspended and businesses closing for prolonged periods. Piecing together the devastated communities is not something […]
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Revision of daylight saving time
Question Has the Commission given consideration to revising daylight saving time, and would it be willing to propose having an equal number of days before and after the winter solstice of 21 December? Does it agree that there are strong arguments for revising daylight saving time? Health and safety: citizens would have extra daylight in […]
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Whaling in the Faroes: an update
I recently wrote about whaling by Faroese people, after a constituent from Millie Hall in East Yorkshire brought the subject to my attention. The Faroe islands (being outside the EU) not only have an exemption from the rules agreed by all EU countries banning whaling, but they also have secured exemptions from the Convention on […]
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EU legislation making a splash
I met recently with the public affairs manager at Yorkshire Water, who wanted to talk to me about the impact of European legislation on the water industry. His account was entirely positive. According to Yorkshire Water, Europe-wide agreements on environmental standards for rivers, drinking water and bathing water all continue to steer investment for the […]
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Ending overfishing: a welcome call from British businesses
During the much needed recent reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (reform which even Greenpeace hailed as a great success), several British businesses made the case that more sustainable fishing practices ensure the viability of their industries. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s now-famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea was a […]
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Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Question Does Denmark (or do Danish citizens) have any legal obligation under EC law or under the Berne Convention to refrain from participating in, or helping in any way, the killing of cetaceans, and is there any legal obligation on the 86% of the people of the Faroe Island who have chosen to hold a […]
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Bringing bass back to the agenda
Back in January, I welcomed emergency measures taken to protect sea bass during the crucial spawning season. But the fact that we had to resort to reactive emergency measures also served as a reminder that we need real, long-term, preemptive, evidence-based policy-making for sea bass fishing. That’s why, this week, the European Parliament voted in […]
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Real junk food
There’s a local ‘business’ in my constituency, the first of its kind, which was created just 18 months ago but has spawned more than 80 offshoots across the UK since it first opened its doors. This ‘business’ makes no profit, sets no prices for its services, and has no paid staff — yet its turnover […]
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Vote first, ask questions later
A strange thing happened last week in the European Parliament. UKIP MEPs refused to support a move to return EU decision-making powers to individual countries. The issue in question was the cultivation of genetically-modified organisms. Years ago, EU countries agreed to take decisions jointly on whether to allow genetically-modified crops to be grown in Europe. […]
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Scrapping good proposals for bad reasons
There are reports today that some proposed environmental measures put forward by the last Commission might be dropped — particularly those intended to combat air pollution and waste. At this stage, we should take these reports with a pinch of salt. This is an unofficial leak regarding an official announcement which isn’t due till next […]
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Pope speaks of grace, UK media misses the point
The trajectory of eurosceptic commentary during and after yesterday’s address to Parliament by Pope Francis was truly a wonder to behold. Flicking through UKIP MEPs’ Twitter feeds from yesterday is illuminating in itself. When the Pope arrived at Parliament, he was introduced to the leaders of all the political groups. Cue lots of excitable tweets […]
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Small hive beetle outbreak in Italy
Question In September 2014 the presence of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) in the European Union was confirmed for the first time, in two separate locations in the Reggio Calabria region of south-west Italy. Meanwhile, the European Food Safety Authority had already conducted a risk assessment on the entry of bee pests into the […]
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Suck it up, Henry
A lot of dust has been kicked up in the last couple of days about new Europe-wide rules on hoovers. As usual, things are not quite what the media is making them out to be. The European Commission does a nice job of laying out the facts about the new measures, which are (surprise!) somewhat […]
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More than just trade
As so much of the debate about Europe has simply been focusing on the single market, it’s worth recalling that the EU is about much more than trade. When we joined the EU (then the EEC), we actually left the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) because we wanted more than free trade: we wanted to […]
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Federation of Small Businesses hustings
The hustings debate with candidates from each party, organised by the Federation of Small Businesses in Sheffield on Wednesday, was exactly what a debate should be: about different options for policies and where the parties stand on them, rather than on the existence of the EU and our membership of it — this is a […]
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The EU for Christians
When we can’t trust the mainstream media or even our own government to talk straight on European issues, whom can we trust? A strikingly well-informed and constructive policy briefing on the importance of European issues was jointly published yesterday by the UK’s free churches (Methodists, Baptists and United Reformed). The briefing provides a Christian perspective […]
