Back in 2001 the European Parliament agreed to bring an end to sow stalls across the EU by 2013, by banning the use of these metal crates to confine pigs throughout their entire pregnancy.

The response from EU Commissioner Dalli states that three countries are already compliant, 22 countries are still using sow stalls and only 11 of the 25 member states will be ready when the new legislation comes into force next year.

Keith said, "The Pigs Directive gave EU farmers a generous 12 years to phase out the sow stall, therefore there is no excuse that 14 member states are expected not to be ready come January 2013.

"We have already witnessed wide-scale non-compliance of the barren battery cage ban, resulting in 84 million hens being kept in illegal cages. It is extremely disappointing that once again EU legislation is being ignored and millions of pigs could be illegally confined in sow stalls after January 2013."

A sow stall is a metal crate or cage which is so narrow that the sow cannot turn around and can only stand up and lie down with difficulty. These individual crates prevent nearly all natural activity and interaction with other pigs. Pig producers in the UK have led the way in pig welfare by banning the use of sow stalls in 1999."

Keith continued "Failure to act may result in illegal pig meat ending up on our shelves. This is unfair to consumers, disadvantages those farmers who have invested in the new law and of course lets down those pigs which the EU agreed to protect many years ago."

In the response, Commissioner Dalli stated that the Commission is using all the tools at its disposal to push Member States to reach compliance by 1 January 2013.

Keith said: "I will continue to put pressure on the European Commission to ensure EU legislation is adhered to. Member States are primarily responsible and I will be writing to all the relevant Ministers calling for full compliance of the pigs directive".

For further information on EU Pigs Directive visit: http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/farm/pigs_en.htm

In the submission he emphasises the disruption that night flights would cause local residents, especially increased noise levels. Independent assessments have shown that night flights have the potential to cause sleep deprivation and health problems. They would also reduce house prices in the local area. Keith is concerned that local residents' concerns have not been adequately addressed. The airport's aim to turn Manston into a freight hub will also result in more disruption caused by an increase in heavy goods vehicles travelling to the airport.

Keith also raises his concerns about the environmental consequences of an increased volume of flights, especially the rise in green house gas emissions which would threaten the UK's binding emission reduction targets.

Keith questions the airport's claims about the benefits of night flights, in particular the claim that this increase will create more jobs

Keith said: "The job creation figures used are widely disputed and fail to stand up to scrutiny. Manston would be best to concentrate on making better use of the capacity they currently have for daytime flights before resorting to inconvenient and disruptive night flights. For the airport to use questionable figures to promise jobs and use the implicit threat of unemployment to persuade the local community to accept the many problems that night flights will bring is especially pernicious in the current economic climate. There is a history of airports promising jobs which they then fail to deliver, and Manston Airport's case for job creation does not inspire me with confidence."

Keith continued: "While I welcome development and job creation in the South East generally, and in Thanet particularly, this development offers only uncertain employment potential based on speculative assumptions. I do not believe residents should have to settle for an unsustainable development which will negatively affect the environment and their quality of life."

The full response to the consultation is at: http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/night-flights-Manston_Thanet-council_30.3.12.pdf

Local people have organised a demonstration because they are concerned about the impact of high levels of air pollution on their health. Part of the centre of Farnham was designated an ‘Air Quality Management Area' in 2005 and this area was extended by Waverley Borough Council in 2006 because air pollution had spread. Local people say that annual mean levels of the harmful pollutant, Nitrogen Dioxide, in Farnham are in excess of the National Air Quality Objectives, set by the EU to protect our health.

Keith said: "The right to breathe clean air is fundamental. Yet thousands of lives in Surrey and across the South East are being shortened because air is heavily polluted in many places, mostly by traffic. Government data shows that air pollution contributes to over 200,000 premature deaths every year in the UK. This is an invisible public health crisis which urgently needs to be tackled."

"I'm pleased to be joining local people in Farnham today to highlight the growing levels of air pollution in the town. Waverley Borough Council acknowledges that the major cause of the high Nitrogen Dioxide levels is road traffic emissions and they must do more to tackle this growing problem. Only by making it easier for people to be less dependent on their cars will we start to improve the air around us and make Farnham a healthy and more pleasant place to live and work. A traffic plan which addresses the growing congestion in the town is urgently needed."

Keith recently published a public information leaflet, ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer', to raise awareness of air pollution and its damaging health impacts. The leaflet explains how air pollution is created, how widespread the problem is, how it affects our health and how pollution can be reduced. During his visit to Farnham Keith will also be calling on local people to write to Surrey County Council and Waverley Borough Council to ask them to do more to tackle this invisible public health crisis.

Last week, the environment secretary Caroline Spelman gave a formal response to parliament's Enviornmental Audit Committee's report. She said that she did not dispute evidence presented in November that air pollution was the second biggest public health risk in Britain after smoking, and was linked to nearly one in five deaths a year in London. But for the first time, the government admitted that the costs of meeting EU pollution targets may not match the benefits. Keith has consistently argued that the health of pedestrians is paramount and that affordability should not be a criteria for tackling harmful air pollution.

Commenting after the vote Keith said: "While EU legislation has already gone some way towards improving the rights of air passengers, more needs to be done to get them a fair deal and to ensure broader rights for all travellers. Today's vote is an important step to this end, with MEPs calling on the EU Commission to come forward with further measures in key areas."

He continued: "The report calls for improved rules regarding assistance and reimbursement for delays and cancellations (including for luggage delays), as well as guarantees to ensure passengers are not left stranded when airlines go bust. In spite of existing EU legislation, online flight sales continue to fall short in terms of delivering transparent pricing. The report calls for the Commission to do more to enforce current EU rules. The report also includes proposals for addressing some of the problems faced by persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, with a view to ensuring barrier-free access to air transport.

He concluded: "Crucially the report also calls for better information on the environmental performance and impact of air journeys. Given the enormous environmental impact of flying, this would help passengers make a more informed choice about their travel."

Keith said: "Given yesterday's announcement of drought in the region it's vital that we do not put our limited water supplies at risk. In America the commercial use of fracking to extract shale gas has led to concerns about water contamination and some people have needed to boil their water before drinking."

He continued: "With water at such a premium in the South East region we can't afford to gamble with what little we have. Taking any decision to procced with fracking without a full understanding of its possible effects is reckless. That's why I'm calling for an immediate moratorium on fracking until we understand more fully the environmental impact it can have."

In the USA fracking has been associated with risks to drinking water sources. Water from Ardingly reservoir is fed into the river Ouse, leading to concerns about potential impacts on the local water supply as well as the surrounding environment and wildlife.

Keith has contacted South East Water who manage the reservoir. They said that "although water companies would not wish to hinder economic development there is a view that the risks to water supplies (and in particular drinking water supplies) need to be addressed to ensure the safety of our customers' water quality is maintained."

Keith will argue that we do not need any more airport capacity in the UK as this will increase harmful climate emissions, jeopardizing our ability to avoid runaway climate change. He will also highlight the environmental impact of these proposals including damage to an internationally important habitat for birds, noise and air pollution which local people would have to suffer.

The Committee on Climate Change has indicated that even if the volume of air travel in the UK was reduced to 2005 levels, by 2050 this would account for 23% of the UK's total emissions budget. Recent scientific work suggests that if the non-CO2 impacts of aviation, such as nitrogen oxides and water vapour, are taken into account this could double our estimates of aviation's climate damage. These figures clearly show that a rapidly growing aviation sector cannot co-exist with serious attempts to tackle climate change.

In response to comments about airport capacity in the South East, Keith will point out that Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted already have more than double the number of flights to key business destinations each week compared with Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. He'll suggest that a new airport would probably necessitate the closing of existing airports, with resulting problems from unemployment.

According to the RSPB, twelve species of bird are found in the Thames Estuary in internationally important numbers, the highest concentration anywhere in the South East region. Any plans to build a new airport in the estuary could well be illegal under EU laws which exist to protect areas of special environmental significance.

Keith said: "This is not only a misguided, but also an absurd and highly damaging idea. Any new airports would increase the amount of harmful emissions, noise and pollution but the idea that we can build an airport on an island in the middle of an estuary in one of the world's top five waterbird sites, on a key EU protected migration route is beyond ridiculous. Not only would this scheme devastate a locally crucial habitat, it would also mean large volumes of flights overhead, damaging the quality of life for all of those who live in Essex and Kent."

He continued: "Currently air fuel is not taxed but with the threat of climate change and peak oil ever more prominent we will not be able to continue to fly without paying the true price of flying. This will lead to an inevitable decrease in the number of flights and so this airport would be out of date before it's even been completed."

Keith was compelled to sign the Equal Love pledge when the organisers of an International Marriage Week event in the European Parliament rejected the LGBT Intergroup's calls for the event to include same sex married couples, despite the fact that in Belgium all couples can rightly get married.

Ahead of signing the pledge Keith, a member of the parliament's LGBT Intergroup, said:

"I am shocked and saddened by the discrimination shown against same sex marriages in Belgium by the organisers of the International Marriage Week event in the European Parliament. I echo the views of my fellow LGBT Intergroup members in saying that such an event can also serve to discredit single parents, or unmarried couples raising children, as well as homosexual married couples.

"This is why I have chosen today to sign Equal Love's petition to end the ban on homosexual couples marrying, and heterosexual couples having civil partnerships. This is such a positive campaign in the face of much discrimination and inequality. Unfortunately there is still so much to be done both in the UK and across Europe in terms of equal rights for LGBT people, and there are still so many prejudiced and antiquated views around which must be challenged.

"My signing of the Equal Love petition sends a clear message that marriage is about the love and union of two people irrespective of their genders or sexual orientation. The law must change in order for opinions to change and for discrimination to become a thing of the past. I hope that many others will sign this pledge as I have done today."

Keith said, "At the moment these export costs are being covered by the public purse, despite widespread opposition locally and nationally to the practice of exporting live animals. This means that the public are effectively subsidising an activity that's inhumane, unnecessary and unjustifiable. I hope that Thanet council will endorse a levy that reflects the true costs of this horrific industry".

Keith recently detailed his concerns about live exports at a public meeting in Broadstairs, along with local MPs and campaigners. He has previously visited Ramsgate to meet with campaigners who are demanding an end to live animal exports from the port. Keith has written to James Paice MP, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, to ask whether DEFRA is adequately monitoring EU transportation standards and whether these standards are being met at Ramsgate port.

At an EU level Keith has written to European Commissioner Dalli to raise his concerns over live animal exports and to ask him to support an eight hour limit on animal transport times, as a step to banning all live exports.

Keith is urging his constituents in the South East to support a Compassion in World Farming campaign which encourages people to write to Thanet Council requesting an increase in the export levy and an end to the inhumane live animal export trade. The charity has recently worked with actress Joanna Lumley to launch a campaign to end live animal exports in 2012.

Keith will join campaigner Vanessa Vine, a member of ‘No Fracking in Sussex', for a visit to the site where Cuadrilla, an American oil and gas company, plans to carry out exploratory drilling for shale gas. The company has already received planning permission and regulatory approval to carry out these investigations.

Later in the day, at 3pm, Keith will attend a public meeting at the village's Parish Room to hear their concerns and discuss what action he can take in the European Parliament.

Keith said: "This week Bulgaria followed France's example and became the second EU member state to ban fracking. These countries are responding
to growing concerns about the use of fracking to extract shale gas. More evidence is emerging about the possible dangers of this practice, such as the contamination of drinking water, and people are right to be concerned about the impact on their environment and their health. Until the UK government has carried out a thorough and independent investigation I'm calling for a moratorium on fracking."

"The European Parliament's environment committee has identified loopholes in the current EU legislation that should regulate fracking and is therfore calling for a European framework directive on mining. I'm particularly concerned that the current EU requirements to register harmful chemicals do not apply to fracking and that regulations on the need to conduct environmental impact assessments do not cover shale gas extraction. The parliament's environment committee is calling for a new law on mining to ensure that fracking is better regulated. Later this year the European Commission has promised to publish a study of the climate related impacts of possible future shale gas developments in Europe. It will also provide recommendations with regard to possible climate related regulatory needs and frameworks for shale gas exploration and production."

"Energy companies are rushing to exploit the UK's shale gas as if it's the answer to our energy needs. But a recent report from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research shows that extracting shale gas could threaten the UK's ability to meet our carbon reduction targets. Instead our government should be investing in renewable energy which is clean and does not risk wreaking havoc with the environment."

Last week villagers met with Cuadrilla at a public meeting and expressed their concerns about the impact of fracking on their health and the environment. The risk of minor earthquakes, the use of toxic chemicals, increased traffic and the contamination of drinking water were all raised as issues of concern at the meeting.

Uprising against fracking nuisance

Your report (13 January) of a packed village-hall meeting standing up to the chief executive and PR machine of the US multinational Cuadrilla over its plans to drill for gas clearly exposed the strength of feeling on this issue. The villagers are determined to oppose this oil and gas company's attempt to expand its dangerous fracking practice from Lancashire to the south of England.

There is growing evidence that fracking can cause a range of environmental problems. A recent study by the US Environmental Protection Agency reported evidence of pollution, finding a range of chemicals in the groundwater around shale gas wells in Wyoming. Last year in Lancashire a report to investigate minor earthquakes found it was "highly probable" that fracking in the Blackpool area by Cuadrilla was the cause. Mounting evidence about the negative impacts of shale gas extraction, along with the growing number of applications to drill in the UK, mean that now more than ever a thorough and independent investigation is needed into the possible effects on the environment and people's health. Until then the government should halt drilling operations.

In any case, shale oil will contribute little towards meeting our emissions targets. We should instead be investing in renewable energy, which is clean and safe. Other European countries are aware of the risks - France recently banned fracking. In the European parliament the Greens are questioning the European commission about whether this technique complies with EU regulations on water and chemicals, and I will be meeting constituents next week to support their campaign against fracking.

Keith Taylor MEP
Green, South East England

Dear Sir,

I am astonished, but not surprised, that the Government has taken the misguided step of approving the HS2 rail scheme. This is a short-sighted and costly scheme that will take 15 years to complete. The unproved economic and social benefits which the scheme claims to bring do not merit the irreparable environmental damage which will be caused through higher energy consumption, noise, CO2 emissions and biodiversity loss. Creating deep cuttings and tunnels through EU protected wildlife sites is not a price to pay for what is likely to be a rich man's railway which will only serve four stations.

There is a strong case for enhancing the capacity and performance of Britain's inter-city rail network, but the HS2 proposals are costly, flawed and a wasted opportunity. It would be far better, and more cost-effective, to spend some of that money on upgrading and improving the existing rail infrastructure. The money saved could be put into investment in jobs and regeneration in the north. HS2 will be a slightly faster, yet very expensive rail service, which will create a two tier rail network in this country.

Last July I was one of 54,909 people to submit a response to the government consultation on HS2 setting out why I am opposed to this scheme. You can read this on my website. In a time of constrained finances, spending over £32 billion of public money on a scheme that won't improve rail transport for the vast majority of travellers shows me that the government is entirely on the wrong track.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Taylor

Green MEP for South East England

Welcoming the news, Keith said: "That the 8 hours campaign has reached one million signatures shows the strength of feeling on this issue both in the UK and across the EU. Transporting live animals in terrible conditions for hours on end only to meet an early slaughter is a barbaric, cruel and unnecessary act which should be stopped. A limit of eight hours would help to alleviate some of the suffering inflicted on animals being transported to slaughter. Ultimately I am calling for a total ban on live exports as i don't believe that there is any public appetite for this kind of cruelty to animals."

To find out more about the eight hour campaign visit http://www.8hours.eu/

A public meeting is taking place tonight to discuss concerns about Cuadrilla commencing hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking' just 1 mile south of the village. The meeting has been organized by local group ‘NO Fracking in Sussex' to raise awareness of the likely effects of the process on the local environment and community. Cuadrilla has received planning permission and regulatory approval to start exploratory drilling for shale gas in Balcombe.

Green party members in Lancashire have been very vocal in opposing fracking by the same company, Cuadrilla, near Blackpool. Test drilling in Lancashre to access deposits of shale gas deep beneath the ground was linked to earthquakes and Cuadrilla was forced to admit that its activities were the "highly probable" cause of earthquake tremors of magnitude 2.3 and 1.5 recorded in the Blackpool area last spring.

Fracking involves injecting water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to fracture the rocks in which the shale gas is embedded. The volumes of water used will mean increased congestion and air pollution from tanker traffic and could put serious pressure on water supplies at a local level. Local people have concerns about the use of toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and methanol and possible contamination of aquifers used for drinking water. In areas affected by drilling in America, concentrates of methane and other contaminants in water supplies have produced dirty looking tap water which can be ignited.

Keith said: "Fracking has already been banned in France and several US states. Because more evidence of the damaging consequences of this practice is still emerging we need to call for a UK moratorium on the practice. In addition, the government needs to commission thorough and independent research into the possible effects of drilling for shale gas on the environment and people's health."

He continued: "A recent report (1) shows that extracting shale gas could threaten the UK's ability to meet our carbon reduction targets. Instead we should be calling on the government to support renewable energy which is clean and does not risk wreaking havoc with the environment in an area of outstanding natural beauty."

Local resident and ‘NO Fracking in Sussex' member, Vanessa Vine, said: "We have got to nip this potential ecocide in the bud. America's hindsight shows us that fracking has the potential to cause tremendous damage to our water, our air and our seismic security. The planned site in Balcombe is in an area of outstanding natural beauty, close to a reservoir, to a main railway line and to The Millennium Seed Bank. If smaller companies like Cuadrilla are allowed to set this precedent, then there is a danger that the larger firms will move in behind them.

She continued: "The fracking industry must not get in under the radar here as they have in the bigger, less populated lands of the States, Australia and South Africa, with this utterly unsustainable technology that does not even make economic sense. They haven't reckoned on the huge groundswell of well informed and highly capable opposition in the South of England."

Dear Editor,

I'm sure many of your readers will enjoy an egg in the morning. So
they may be interested to know that an important change takes place
this month, affecting the millions of hens who lay the eggs that we
boil, fry and scramble.

As of 1st January it is illegal to farm hens in barren battery cages
anywhere in the European Union. As a member of the European Parliament
and a free-range egg buyer, I welcome this important piece of
legislation that outlaws the worst kind of confinement for hens.

Recent research carried out by the RSPCA found that 91 per cent of
people in the South East of England had not heard about the new law
and a quarter of people wrongly guessed that the new law will mean
that all battery cages are banned or that all hens will be free range.
Sadly this is not the case and so I believe that the new law does not
go far enough.

It still allows the so-called ‘enriched' battery cage to be used. This
provides additional benefits to hens, such as a perch and scratching
area, but it is still a cage that restricts many of their natural
behaviours. The Green Party opposes all kinds of intensive farming and
believes these cages should also be banned.

A further concern is that despite all producers in the UK being ready
for the new law, many farms across the EU are not yet compliant,
meaning illegal eggs could end up in food products we eat here in the
UK, such as cakes, quiches and mayonnaise. I've raised this issue with
the European Commission and have called on them to impose financial
penalties and implement a trade ban to stop any illegal eggs being
exported from countries which have failed to implement the new law.

To ensure you're eating eggs from non-caged hens, join me in choosing
eggs labelled: Free-range, Barn or Organic. I hope you'd agree that
they leave a good taste in your mouth.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Taylor
Green MEP for South East England

In the case against the government brought to the High Court by the environmental NGO, ClientEarth, the government was forced to concede that they are failing to meet their legal obligations to keep air pollution within EU limits. The court also ruled it was a matter for the European Commission, rather than the UK government, to pursue. In light of this ruling Keith this week asked the Commissioner what steps the European Commission is taking to ensure that the UK government addresses breaches of air pollution limits.

The British government has applied to the European Commission for the deadline to meet Nitrogen Dioxide levels to be extended from 2010 to 2015, the latest possible date for compliance with EU law. However the government's recently published air quality plans for 17 regions and cities recognise that the UK will not achieve the legal limits for air quality until well after 2015.

In the case at the High Court ClientEarth drew attention to the fact that the Secretary of State is under a duty to ensure that levels of air pollution in the UK comply with limits set by EU law. Where these limits are exceeded, the Secretary of State must produce plans to ensure compliance as soon as possible. ClientEarth argued that the Secretary of State had acted unlawfully by failing to fulfil her legal obligation to draw up plans which show how the UK would achieve legal compliance throughout the UK by 2015.

Keith said: "The fact that the UK government readily admits that it is planning to miss even the extended 2015 deadline makes a mockery of its legal commitment to comply with air pollution limits and demonstrates that it is not serious about tackling this growing invisible public health crisis. The UK's continued breach of EU air pollution limits shows a shocking abdication of responsibility for health protection. Air pollution adversely affects poorer people who live in very built up areas, those who already have heart problems and asthma as well as children whose lung capacity is being permanently damaged.

He continued: "As the court ruled that this is now a matter for the European Commission to pursue I've called on the Commissioner to follow up this issue with the British government as a matter of urgency. He must demand that it takes immediate action to improve plans so that these show how they will comply with the pollution limits by January 2015 at the very latest."

In the UK air pollution causes 29,000 deaths and contributes to 200,000 premature deaths every year. Under the EU Air Quality Directive the UK should have achieved reduced levels of the pollutant Nitrogen Dioxide by 1st January 2010. These targets have been missed in 40 out of the 43 air quality zones in the UK.

The British government's Environmental Audit Committee recently released a damning report on the government's failure to meet air pollution targets. It notes that the UK has been in breach of EU rules since 2005 and questions whether the government is serious about tackling air pollution. The UK last reported to the EU on air pollution 18 months ago, but the Environmental Audit Committee report says that since then there has been ‘no meaningful evidence' to suggest progress towards meeting the EU standards.

The EU does not currently have any legislation which covers these animals, as it does for chickens, laying hens, pigs and calves. New legislation is not only vital for ensuring that no European animals suffer cruel and harmful treatment, but is also needed to ensure the proper functioning of the cross-compliance provisions of the CAP.

The European Parliament agreed back in 1999 to outlaw keeping hens in conventional battery cages for egg production by 1 January 2012. All producers in the UK are expected to be ready for the new law, however around a third of cage eggs from elsewhere in the EU are not expected to come from systems that comply with the new legislation.

Keith said "The EU laying hens directive gave farmers a generous 12 years to phase out the barren battery cage, therefore there is no excuse for member states not to be ready. If the European Commission fails to act on non-compliant egg producers it means around 84 million hens will still be kept in illegal barren battery cages, which is unacceptable.

"Failure to act may also result in illegal eggs ending up on our shelves. This is unfair to consumers, disadvantages those farmers who have invested in the new law and of course lets down those hens, which the EU agreed to protect many years ago."

In a letter to Commissioner Dalli Keith and Jean call for the European Commission to:

* work with member states which are expected to have non-compliant farms to ensure those farmers are unable to continue in egg production from 1 January 2012.

* take swift action with meaningful financial penalties against any countries with non-compliant egg producers after 1 January 2012

* to implement an intra community trade ban to stop any illegal eggs that could end up on the market being traded outside the countries where they were laid.

While the ban outlaws ‘conventional' barren battery cages, it still allows ‘enriched' battery cages. Confined to a wire cage, hens are kept in small groups, with less usable space than an A4 piece of paper each. Limited facilities will now be provided for scratching, nesting and perching, but the hens will still be unable to properly carry out many of their natural behaviours, like dustbathing and foraging.

The Green Party opposes all forms of intensive farming and believes the so-called enriched battery cage should also be banned.

To ensure you're eating eggs from non-caged hens, check the label for:

* Freedom Food
* Free-range
* Barn
* Organic

And don't forget ingredients! Eggs can be found in thousands of products such as mayonnaise, cakes, quiches and fresh pasta. Foods made with free-range eggs will often be advertised - just check the ingredients - or ask!

The EU Birds Directive provides protection for all wild bird species naturally occurring in the EU. Its was adopted in 1979 as a response to increasing concerns about declines in Europe's wild bird populations due to pollution, habitat loss and unsustainable land use.

On three occasions, the EU Court of Justice has found that Italian law falls short of EU standards to provide adequate protection for wild birds. A number of regions in Italy have adopted and applied regional legislation authorising hunting, for example in the Southern Alps during the autumn migration, the shotting of chaffinches, bramblings, hawfinches and meadow pipits occurs. These derogations are in clear contravention of Italian legislation and the European Commission wild bird protection guidelines which ban activities that directly threaten birds, such as hunting during periods when birds are most vulnerable.

Keith said "The EU has over 500 wonderful wild bird species however unfortunately 43% are threatened or facing serious decline. The EU Birds Directive aims to protect these vulnerable bird populations and a report in 2007 reported that the legislation has made a significant difference in protecting many of Europe's most threatened birds from further decline. This is why it is important to ensure that all EU member states are enforcing the measures that are in place.

"It is important to remember that wild birds, many of which are migratory, are a shared heritage, and that effective conservation requires international co-operation."

In a letter to the Italian Environment Minister and EU Environment Commissioner Keith calls for swift action to put an end to this practice and ensure that the provisions of the EU Birds Directive are effectively implemented.

Speaking at the event Keith said:

"In today's working group, parallels have been drawn between the financial crisis, and regulation of the banking sector, and the crisis of food supply chains, and the regulation of supermarkets. I am reminded of the words of Professor Tim Lang that supermarkets are banks who sell food. What makes the agri-food industry different to the financial sector, however is that we have a tripartite relationship between consumer, supplier and producer, which throws up greater difficulties for tackling unfair practices.

"We need to get over this notion of ‘cheap food'. There is no such thing as cheap food. The cheaper the food appears to be in a supermarket, the greater its actual costs, be that the cost to the environment, or the price paid by suppliers, producers and workers in the food industry.

"Regulation is a key management tool, but voluntary regulation, as proposed by the Commission, will not work. It is about getting a fine balance between incentives and penalties. What is also crucial is the development of local food distribution and processing, so that we encourage sustainable farming which focuses on smarter working and on reducing the number of huge buyers with shrinking margins. We need a fair deal for the 40 million people working in the agriculture sector, and a fair deal for the environment, which so often pays the price for ‘bargain' food."

Monday

Into the Brussels office for an early meeting about air passenger rights. I'm the rapporteur for a report on this issue, looking particularly at travel for passengers who are disabled or have reduced mobility and at the arrangements for passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. This morning is the first discussion with staff and advisors since we met with the shadow rapporteurs from other political groups to hear their views. It's great to have so much agreement on the importance of passengers' rights. My report calls for passengers to be guaranteed a refund and help if an airline goes bust. I'm also hoping that my suggestions, such as detailing the carbon emissions of your journey on a plane ticket and being able to change an online flight booking without extra charges, will still be in the report by the time it reaches parliament.

Tuesday

After four months of development, including meetings with passenger rights groups, airlines, travel companies, airports and disability rights groups I finally submit the air passenger rights report for translation. Fortunately I don't have to do that bit. In the transport committee I speak in the debate supporting the implementation of new low sulphur content marine fuel. In the evening I have dinner with farmers from south east England's National Farmers Union to discuss issues such as eggs from chickens in undersized cages, supermarket price domination, farmers' safety at work and Freedom Food pork. I find myself sat next to a farmer who is exporting live animals from Ramsgate in Kent, something I will be protesting against later in the week, so it makes for a lively exchange.

Wednesday

This morning's international trade committee hears a report on a recent visit that we made to Japan ahead of discussions about an EU-Japan free trade agreement. I used this opportunity to meet with anti-nuclear campaigners and to lobby the Japanese government about their continuation of their annual whale hunt under the guise of scientific research. That evening I take the train to London and then on to Southampton for three days' work in the constituency. I'll be in three counties in three days so that's not bad going.

Thursday

In Southampton, I am the key note speaker at a conference for planners at the Environment Centre. I speak about the British government's proposed new planning rules, in particular on sustainable development. Earlier in the year my fellow British Green MEP, Jean Lambert, and I responded to the government's consultation, branding the proposals a "developers' charter".

Friday

Up at crack of dawn for pre-recorded radio interviews in advance of my speech the next day at a public meeting against live animal exports from Ramsgate. In Reading I meet with local Green councillors and community groups calling for improvements in air quality. After lunch at the Reading International Solidarity Centre I travel to Shinfield in Berkshire to campaign for safer roads. Currently traffic whizzes past the nursery school on the village's main road at 40mph. We stand with our 20mph signs while two press photographers get to work. Next I have a useful meeting with Wokingham Borough Council and the police to discuss improving road safety and reducing speeds in several villages.

Saturday

I meet a local BBC TV crew before heading into a well-attended public meeting about live animal exports from Ramsgate port. I share the stage with Compassion in World Farming, the local Conservative MP and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Ramsgate is currently the only UK channel port shipping live animals destined for slaughter. I have worked closely with community groups and non-governmental organisations on this issue, as well as lobbying the European Commission and the British government. Back to my hometown, Brighton, in time for a super Thai meal with my son.

Sunday

I visit my daughter and her partner to see my latest grandchild Jude, who is absolutely gorgeous. Aren't they all? He is three months, Lucia is four months and Lily is nearly five. I used to look after Lily one day a week and I wish I was able to spend more time with them all, but the job means a lot of travel. Brighton and Hove was looking good on this crisp, sunny autumn day. I am very lucky to have lived there, especially the 11 years I spent as a city councillor. This was a shorter stay than usual, as I have to leave on the evening Eurostar to Brussels - a fantastic service - to be back in my office bright and early on Monday morning.