Lead shot ban

[Elwood]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send it on, boo hiss to those of you who haven't, yet!

 

Keep it going everyone, this will have a impact on us all.

[tackb]

this is the only reply i've had so far , lib-dem !

 

Thank you for contacting Andrew Duff regarding the ECHA investigation into the impact of lead ammunition. This study is ongoing and at an early stage. It is impossible to predict the outcome of the study; it is far from certain that the ECHA would call for a blanket ban on lead ammunition as a result. Even if this were to be the case, such proposals would have to be taken up by the European Commission before being passed onto the Parliament. The Commission does not respond to each individual study by European agencies. In short: it is very unlikely that any legislation calling for a blanket ban on lead ammunition will be before the European Parliament for some time.

Nevertheless, Andrew is very much aware of the strength of feeling on this issue, and also of the important cultural and economic benefits that the shooting industry brings to the East of England. You can rest assured that he will have this in mind should any change to ammunition regulation be placed before the Parliament.

Thank you again for raising this important issue to Andrew's attention, and please do not hesitate to contact us again on this or any other European matter. We shall try to update you as any developments occur.

Best regards,

Amy Nerou

Amy Nerou

Assistant to Andrew Duff

Liberal Democrats MEP

[Dfor37]

Done.

[Gandy]

I recieved a e-mail reply today from-mr.Chris Beverley assitant to Andrew Brons mp,thanking me for taking time to fill in the lobby form and quote-" future voting would reflect the feelings and thinking of the sporting voters" so someone is taking notice.

well done IAN.

 

Got the same reply, lets hope it works.

[Arell]

Done

[foxwhistler]

Done!

[Wordsworth]

Another reply today

 

 

 

Thank you for your email regarding lead in ammunition. As you know, I am passionate about rural life and rural pursuits and am sure you can imagine that the concept of Brussels interfering in this was simply not acceptable to me. Due to the number of constituent queries I have received on this issue, I contacted ECHA directly to obtain the current state of play on this matter as quickly as possible.

 

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has informed me of the following:

 

ECHA is not working on a restriction dossier on this issue, nor has the European Commission requested them to do so. However ECHA did carry out a number of studies on the cost effectiveness of reducing emissions from hazardous substances. Lead in ammunition was included as part of this package due to existing obligations under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA.). ECHA also felt that this study would be a valuable fact-finding exercise.

 

At present there has been no formal notice made by Sweden, in the Registry of Intentions, regarding a restriction dossier and so nothing is likely to come forward in the near future. Any request for a European wide restriction at some later date would be subject to a widespread consultation process and there is no reason to believe that this will happen. We will certainly keep watching and act accordingly if anything comes forward.

 

As your MEP, I will continue to support our rural heritage and way of life and will continue to push for less interference from Brussels.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Julie Girling

MEP for the South West of England & Gibraltar

Chief Whip of the UK Conservative Party Delegation in the European Parliament

Agriculture and Rural Development

Environment, Public Health & Food Safety

Fisheries

[Wordsworth]

Thank you for your email regarding your concerns that the European Union might legislate to ban lead in ammunition.

 

I should clarify that whilst a study on the use of lead shot has been commissioned I am not aware of any imminent legislative proposal.

 

Back in 2004 the European Commission published a study into the effects of lead shot on human health and the environment. The report acknowledged the toxicity of lead towards humans and to the environment beyond wetlands, which are covered under the international agreement to which your letter refers.

 

The report also noted that the effects depend on the concentration of the lead particles. Crucially in this instance effects are localised, with the primary environmental concern being potential soil contamination.

 

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has more recently launched a study to look at the use of lead shot, including the possible impacts, costs and benefits of restrictions on the use of lead shot for shooting in the future. It is important to stress that no decisions have been made at this stage, with the ECHA merely seeking more data on the pros and cons of a ban.

 

While migratory birds on wetlands have an obvious cross border context, Liberal Democrat MEPs believe that soil protection can and should be an issue of national rather than European authority. It is, in any case, not presently clear that substitutes would be less likely to contaminate soil.

 

At present I am aware of only one Member State (Sweden) that is considering new restrictions on the use of lead shot and its rules are unlikely to come in before 2014.

 

Please be assured I will keep a close eye on developments, but such a ban on the use of lead in ammunition is unlikely to come before MEPs in the near future. In the event that it does, I will assess its merits with a strong degree of scepticism.

 

Thank you for contacting me on this matter and if I can be of any assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

In view of your interest in how I might be able to help you, it occurs to me that you might like to receive my weekly email newsletter providing news and my views on EU developments. If so, please let me know and I will add your email address to my distribution list.

 

Yours sincerely

Sir Graham Watson MEP

[Elwood]

Thank you for your email to Keith Taylor regarding lead ammunition, which he has asked me to reply to on his behalf. Sincere apologies for the delay in responding - we receive a large volume of constituency correspondence and it can sometimes take us longer to respond than we would like.

 

It is our understanding that the ECHA is currently working on proposals to restrict the use of lead in consumer products, but that lead shot will not be included in this proposal. The process of assessing the possibility of EU wide restrictions on the use of lead ammunition is only just beginning and there are no formal proposals for legislation expected before 2014.

 

As an initial step in this process, the ECHA is beginning studies on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of introducing restrictions and the Countryside Alliance response you refer to is a part of this ongoing assessment procedure. Following these initial consultations and studies, it will then be decided if a proposal to introduce legislation will be brought forward. So far, an intention to produce a proposal has not yet been submitted.

 

You mention in your email that the UK, along with 15 other Member States, has already banned the use of lead ammunition in Wetlands. This is in line with commitments made under the AWEA33 (African-Eurasian Waterbird) agreement, to which the European Commission is also a signatory. It is possible that the legislative proposal eventually put forward by the ECHA will only address this issue. In this case, Keith and his Greens/EFA colleagues would be fully in support of the legislation, as it is essential that the EU takes steps to meet its obligations under this international agreement.

 

Although it is difficult for us to comment on a legislative proposal which is still a long way from being finalised, the Greens/EFA group believe that the potential environmental risk posed by spent lead ammunition is too high to warrant its continued use. As well as the risk of lead poisoning to both birds, and humans, the continued use of lead in ammunition also has significant economic costs. Additionally the impact of the loss of biodiversity and the limitations that lead can place on the population growth of rare birds has a damaging effect on the ecotourism sector.

 

It is for these reasons that Keith would be in favour of a more general ban on lead in consumer products, including ammunition. Any change in the specification for ammunition however should be phased in to allow time for adaptation of equipment, and for alternative, more environmentally benign materials to be used for ammunition. In this way the impact on the hunting and rifle industry could be softened.

 

It is also important to remember that lead breaks down very slowly, and so the impacts of the lead which is released into the environment may not be felt for generations. As lead builds up over time, the environmental impact becomes severe - this means that at some point in the future we will have a more serious and deep-rooted problem to deal with.

 

Despite Keith's general support of a more far reaching ban on the use of lead in ammunition, his final position on any proposed legislation will of course be based on its content. We will also consider the findings of the ongoing consultation procedure when deciding on our group position. For that reason it is not possible to say at this point if we will vote in favour of new legislation.

 

Thank you, once again for writing to Keith on this issue. For more information on his work as an MEP please visit his website at: http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/

 

Kind regards,

 

Joanna

Joanna Sprackett

Parliamentary Assistant and Researcher

 

Office of Keith Taylor MEP

Green Party MEP for South East England

The European Parliament