Your MEP’s in England – do they support the 8 hour limit ?

 

Researched and compiled by Mark Johnson

 If you are a English (UK) citizen AND SOMEONE WHO VOTES, then please take a look via the following link to see who your regional MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) are.. These are also detailed in the regional tables which form part of this document and are given at the end:

http://www.europarl.org.uk/view/en/your_MEPs.html

 I live in Kent.  As such, I am ‘represented’ at the European Parliament by ‘South East’ MEP’s; as Kent is part of the South East region.  If you live elsewhere in the country, then by using the above link or the regional table information provided in this document, a listing of MEPs who represent ‘you and your region’ are shown.

You can click on any MEP name given in the following tables, and should be taken immediately to their page which provides a contact e mail address and phone numbers.  These are the e mail addresses which should be used for contact, in conjunction with the sample letter given later in this document.  Note – you should ONLY make contact with MEP’s who represent your region.  Please DO NOT contact all MEP’s from all regions; just your own.

As well as providing a listing of MEP’s for each region, I have also provided against each members name, either an ‘x’ or the word ‘SUPPORTER’.  These represent the following:

‘SUPPORTER’ = Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who HAVE expressed their support for the 8hours campaign as a whole.

Note – This is NOT a list of MEPs who have signed Written Declaration 49/2011 – there are over 300 of these, but we are not allowed to make their names public.

‘x’ = Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who have NOT CURRENTLY expressed their support for the 8hours campaign.

The 8 Hour Campaign

Web link:  http://www.8hours.eu/

Today, too many animals are transported under unacceptable conditions on European highways.  The most important issue is the duration of the transports. Current EU legislation allows for animals to be transported for several days. This has to be changed. Live animals for slaughter should never be transported for more than eight hours.

Why 8hours?

Every year millions of animals are transported along European highways, and too often under unacceptable conditions.  In 2002, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare published the report “The Welfare of Animals during Transport” concluding that animal transports, as a ground rule, should be as short as possible. This recommendation is, however, not reflected in the current EU legislation.

According to current legislation, animal transports which can last up to several days are acceptable as long as the haulier fulfills simple demands concerning rest, feeding and watering of the animals etc. These demands are detailed in the current Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 of 22^nd December 2004 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations.  A copy of this regulation can be viewed at:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32005R0001:en:NOT

Select ‘EN’ for English.

The 8 hour campaign does not think this is acceptable.  As the EU Correspondent for ‘Kent Action Against Live Exports’ (KAALE), and with 23 years personal experience in all aspects of live animal transport, I do not feel that the current EU legislation is acceptable either.  It is time for a major change in animal transport regulations throughout Europe.

For a long time, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, concerned EU citizens and politicians have argued that something has to be done. Animals for slaughter should never be transported for more than eight hours.

The following link provides a full listing of all MEP supporters for the 8 Hour campaign across the EU.  http://8hours.eu/mep_supporters/

The following is the 8 hours campaign web site statement:

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for 8hours

This is a list of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who have expressed their support for the 8hours campaign as a whole.

This is NOT a list of MEPs who have signed Written Declaration 49/2011 – there are over 300 of these, but we are not allowed to make their names public – but of supporters of the campaign and of its aims as a whole. In fact, some of the MEPs listed on this page have not signed Written Declaration 49/2011 because they don’t sign Written Declarations in general, but they are supporting the review of Regulation 1/2005 to include a maximum journey limit of 8 hours, whenever possible in the relevant parliamentary bodies. – See more at:

http://8hours.eu/mep_supporters/

The above supporters listing, which includes English MEP’,s is a pathetic one (regarding English MEP support) to say the very least; when you consider the term that we in the UK are supposed to be an ‘animal welfare supporting nation’; a nation which hates cruelty to animals.

Current situation – Only 8 English MEP’s have currently given their name to the 8 hours campaign out of a total of 60.  This needs to be changed.

Please use the regional tables following to select your area and then view how many of ‘your’ MEP’s have either added their name as a ‘SUPPORTER’ to the 8 Hours campaign, or are currently given a ‘x’ to represent them as a non supporter of the campaign.

But things could be on our side

Between 22 and 25 May 2014, the next European Elections will arrive, this is where all of the MEP’s representing your country and region are elected.  So if current MEP’s have not supported the campaign and will be standing for re-election next May, then you, as a European, and as a voter, can mail or write to them ask they either support the 8 Hour campaign (by adding their name to the listing), or you may decide to take your vote elsewhere at election time.

This is your opportunity to demand of MEP’s what you wish to see – after all, they are there supposedly in Europe to represent you, their regional electorate.

English Political Party Contributions To 8 Hours – Current Situation

The following table is a summary of support to the 8 Hour campaign by MEP’s from all the (English MEP) represented political parties.  The order is not given with any preference.

Whilst past experience has shown us that we never expect much in the way of animal welfare support from UKIP MEP’s and very little from the Conservatives; despite their documented continual talk of supporting animal welfare issues – (we all know how Defra always start their letter – ‘animal welfare is so important to us blah blah ….. ), the elections next May are now providing us with a very good opportunity to request to our regional MEP’s that they either join the ‘8 hour SUPPORTER club’ and as a result, possibly get  a vote from you next May, or they stay as non supporters and definitely do NOT get your vote at Euro Election time.  The choice is theirs !

In the following tables as stated earlier I have outlined each of the English regions and the full listing of MEP’s which represent them.  I have identified supporters of the 8 hour campaign, or current non supporters.  For those non supporters (MEP’s) who have not yet signed up; it is suggested that the following sample mail could be copied (and if you feel, modified) and sent to them; asking them to consider giving their support AND signature to the campaign.

SAMPLE MAIL  SAMPLE MAIL  SAMPLE MAIL

Dear ??  MEP;

As one of your Euro constituents, I notice that you are currently NOT a supporter of the 8 Hours campaign as a whole.  Supporting 8 Hours as an official MEP supporter on the web site is different to the signing of Written Declaration 49/2011 which you may or may not have given your support to.

Today, too many animals are transported under unacceptable conditions on European highways.  The most important issue is the duration of the transports. Current EU legislation allows for animals to be transported for several days. This has to be changed. Live animals for slaughter should never be transported for more than eight hours.  This is why the 8 Hour campaign was founded.

May 2014 sees the next European Elections at which ALL MEP’s are elected.

I, as an animal welfare campaigner who fully supports the need for a maximum journey time across the entire EU of 8 hours maximum, write to ask if you will add your name to the list of MEP supporters for 8 hours.

I have heard concerns from some quarters that it would not for example, be possible to move animals from the islands of Scotland to the mainland under these time regulations.  I ask you to not accept this argument, as special derogations would be structured by the EU for any such special circumstances.  This 8 hour limit is one which would apply to the long distance live transport of live animals within / across the main EU.

If you are unable to support this campaign with the addition of your signature, then I am afraid I will have to consider giving my vote at the Euro Elections to an MEP / Political Party which ARE much more supportive of this specific issue.

Thank you for your consideration of my request. I am keen to hear your response.

To become a full signed up MEP supporter of the 8 hour campaign, please go to http://8hours.eu/mep_supporters/ for further details.  You can contact the 8 hour team and add your name via http://www.8hours.eu/contact .

I very much hope that you will consider becoming a signed up member of the 8 hour campaign which will lead to my support and vote for you in may 2014.

Yours Sincerely

Add your name and importantly, your address to show that you are from the region represented.

South East – 10 MEP’s

• Daniel Hannan  –  Conservative
• Nigel Farage  –    UKIP
• Richard Ashworth  –  Conservative
• Sharon Bowles – Liberal Democrats
• Keith Taylor  – Green Party 
• Njri Deva  – Conservative
• Marta Andreasen  – Conservative (was UKIP)
• James Elles  – Conservative
• Peter Skinner – Labour 
• Catherine Bearder  – Liberal Democrats

South West – 6 MEP’s

• Giles Chichester  –  Conservative
• Trevor Colman  –  UKIP
• Sir Graham Watson –  Liberal Democrats
• Julie Girling  –  Conservative
• William (The Earl of) Dartmouth  –  UKIP
• Ashley Fox  –  Conservative

North West – 8 MEP’s

• Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Atkins  –  Conservative
• Arlene McCarthy –  Labour
• Paul Nuttall –  UKIP
• Chris Davies –  Liberal Democrats
• Sajjad Karim  –  Conservative
• Brian Simpson –  Labour
• Jacqueline Foster –  Conservative
• Nick Griffin –  British National Party

North East – 3 MEP’s

• Stephen Hughes –  Labour
• Martin Callanan –  Conservative
• Fiona Hall –  Liberal Democrats

Eastern – 7 MEP’s

• Geoffrey Van Orden –  Conservative
• David Campbell Bannerman –  Conservative
• Robert Sturdy –  Conservative
• Andrew Duff –  Liberal Democrats
• Richard Howitt –  Labour
• Vicky Ford –  Conservative
• Stuart Agnew – UKIP

East Midlands – 5 MEP’s

• Roger Helmer –  UKIP
• Glenis Willmott –  Labour
• Derek Clark – UKIP
• Emma McClarkin –  Conservative
• Bill Newton Dunn – Liberal Democrats

London – 8 MEP’s

• Charles Tannock –  Conservative
• Claude Moraes –  Labour
• Baroness Sarah Ludford –  Liberal Democrats
• Dr Syed Kamall –  Conservative
• Jean Lambert – Green Party
• Gerard Batten –  UKIP
• Mary Honeyball –  Labour
• Marina Yannakoudakis –  Conservative

West Midlands – 7 MEP’s

• Philip Bradbourn OBE –  Conservative
• Mike Nattrass –  UKIP
• Michael Cashman –  Labour
• Malcolm Harbour –  Conservative
• Phil Bennion –  Liberal Democrats
• Nicole Sinclaire –  Independent
• Anthea McIntyre –  Conservative

Yorkshire & the Humber – 6 MEP’s

• Edward McMillan-Scott –  Liberal Democrats
• Linda McAvan –  Labour
• Godfrey Bloom –  UKIP
• Rebecca Taylor –  Liberal Democrats
• Timothy Kirkhope –  Conservative
• Andrew Brons –  British National Party

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Mark is the founder of ‘Serbian Animals Voice’ which provides support for stray and street animals in the Balkans:

Site – https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SerbianAnimalsVoice/?ref=ts&fref=ts

and is also the EU Correspondent for ‘Kent Action Against Live Exports (KAALE);

http://www.kaale.org.uk/

 

PLEASE CHANGE THE LEGISLATION, GO 8 HOURS MAXIMUM

 

 

Photos – Valerie Cameron.

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