Newsletter
from Europe 03/02 |
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VETERINARY
MEDICINES The
EU bureaucrats wish to make it more expensive and more difficult for us to
maintain the health and welfare of our animals! Under the Commission's
proposed changes in regulation of veterinary medicine distribution, all
animal medicines for horses and farm animals would become Prescription
Only Medicines (POM) requiring a veterinary prescription. As
a pharmacist with over 30 years experience, I confirm that Britain already
has very stringent laws regulating the distribution of veterinary
medicines, supported by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The
current system in the UK is based on the Prescribed Merchant List (PML)
including veterinary products such as wormers, dips, vaccines and external
parasite treatments. We have been buying these veterinary medicines for
decades under supervision from Agricultural Merchants. Such facility
allows ready access to common medicines used in the treatment of minor
infections of farm animals and horses. The system works well, promotes
animal welfare and is cost effective. New
EU legislation would force all farmers keeping livestock and some of us
with pets to incur unnecessary costs in charges for consulting a
veterinary surgeon for a prescription! It would make almost 3500 SQPs
(Specially Qualified Persons) redundant and precipitate the closure of
Agricultural Merchant outlets, especially in rural areas! Why
should we succumb to the whims of faceless bureaucrats in Brussels who
seem to have nothing better to do than to create useless legislation? If
the Europeans on the continent do not have a distribution system as
effective as ours then let them adopt our system! I am the shadow Rapporteur for this EU Directive in the Industry Committee of the European Parliament. I will try my best to persuade colleagues to reject this idiotic legislative proposal from the European Commission! EU
BAN ON FOOD SUPPLEMENTS The
Müller Report, due for voting this month in the European Parliament, will
regulate the sale of products containing food supplements such as vitamins
and minerals. We
have an extensive list of such products available for sale in the UK –
products that have been issued for approval by our Ministry of Health.
Many of these products offer vitamins and minerals in different
combinations to suit the demands of so many, especially our elderly
citizens. The
EU wishes to change the criteria for sale of these products with the
result that over 300 supplements will be banned in the UK unless new
approvals are secured! Such a ban will seriously affect supply and those
using these products will be obliged to import them from outside the EU at
higher prices! How dare the European Commission restrict our freedom in
this way? If the EU is a free open competitive market for its member
states then why should such bureaucratic blunders be allowed?
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TEMPORARY
WORKERS More
new employment regulations have been adopted in the UK in the past two
years than in the previous twenty, thanks to Blair’s reversal of the
Conservative “opt out” from the Social Chapter that imposes high
non-wage costs for employers wanting to hire employees. We
cannot create new jobs and sustain existing ones if we impose extra
financial burdens on our businesses. Over a million temporary workers in
the UK, many employed in the Eastern Region, should be free to conclude
contracts with their employers without EU intervention. There is no
evidence of exploitation of our part time workers in the UK and if there
are bad employers there is a mechanism for immediate action – both our
media and the courts will oblige! I
shall vote against any extension of the Social Chapter legislation and
hope that all British MEPs will support me in this respect. EUROPEAN
CONSTITUTION 105 men and women from 28 European nations have started discussions
about the constitutional settlement of Europe. How can the EU institutions
be reformed to accommodate enlargement of the EU from its 15 Member States
to a possible 26? Should the EU Treaties be incorporated into some kind of
a Constitution? Should the EU citizens elect Commissioners and should
there be a limit on their number even if this means that some Member
States may not have representation? Should the European Parliament be
expanded and should it have the right to initiate and propose legislation
– a function of the European Commission at present? Should the EU impose
a direct tax on its citizens or continue with the present system? How
should the voting strength of each Member State in the Council of
Ministers be determined and should there be a veto for specific areas of
policy? Mr.Giscard, as the President, is associated with three major
changes in Europe – creating the Council of Ministers at which important
decisions are made; having the European Parliament elected directly and
establishing the monetary union that gave birth to the Euro. What will be the outcome of such an assembly? What authority should
the non-members of the existing EU have in determining the future of the
EU? Will there be a single European Referendum to seek approval or will
there be different national referenda?
Will the democratically elected European Parliament have the
opportunity to debate the outcome and express an opinion?
ACTIVITIES 1.
13-15Feb ACP-Conference - Nairobi, Kenya 2.
19Feb Woodbridge Women Group 3.
19Feb FCN Panel: farmers in Mendlesham 4.
22Feb W.Suffolk Ladies Forum, Barningham 5.
28Feb Norfolk & Suffolk Area Dinner 6.
1Mar Horning Branch lunch 7.
4Mar E.Region Cons.Women AGM
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Promoted & Printed by Conservative MEPs in the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, Brussels: Khanbhai, Sturdy, Beazley & Van Orden |
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