Lobby deadline looms for action on EU Commission Proposal

Leading garden conservation charity, Plant Heritage, is warning that a new deadline has been set for people to lobby MEP’s over the proposed EU legislation which could endanger many National Plant Collections, numerous nurseries centres and threaten the survival of many ornamental plants.

This deadline has been set for the 4^th December, but in order to influence their proposals, comments or letters must arrive by the end of November.

The MEP’s that need to be contacted sit on the Agriculture and Environment Committees, details of which can be found below.

Plant Heritage has drafted a letter aimed at maximising the impact of communications to the MEP’s and can be found on its website at: http://www.nccpg.com/News/EU-regulation-on-Plant-Reproductive-Materials.aspx
This action has been called for after the charity announced last month that the proposed legislation, as it stands, could prevent threatened plant material from being propagated and shared for the future.

Speaking at the time Plant Heritage Conservation Officer Mercy Morris urged people to write to MEP’s to ensure they were made aware of the danger that this potential legislation poses, and ask that the wording be amended to ensure the survival of small nurseries and National Collection Holders.

Plant Heritage, along with other leading industry organisations is asking that the regulation is not applied to ornamental plants and that the definition of ‘organisations’ in the documentation involved in conservation is broadened to include professional operators, thus protecting National Plant Collections and nurseries.

Environment Committee (ENVI)
Rapporteur UK members
Pilar Ayuso	pilar.ayuso@europarl.europa.eu
Martina Anderson	martina.anderson@europarl.europa.eu
Martin Callanan	martin.callanan@europarl.europa.eu
Chris Davies	chris@chrisdaviesmep.org.uk
Jill Evans	jill.evans@europarl.europa.eu
Nick Griffin	nick.griffin@europarl.europa.eu
Linda McAvan	linda.mcavan@europarl.europa.eu
Paul Nuttall	paul.nuttall@europarl.europa.eu
Glenis Wilmott	glenis.willmott@europarl.europa.eu
Marina Yannakoudakis	marina.yannakoudakis@europarl.europa.eu
Godfrey Bloom	godfrey.bloom@europarl.europa.eu
Vicky Ford	vicky.ford@europarl.europa.eu
Jacqueline Foster	jacqueline.foster@europarl.europa.eu
Julie Girling *	julie.girling@europarl.europa.eu
James Nicholson *	james.nicholson@europarl.europa.eu
Struan Stevenson	struan.stevenson@europarl.europa.eu
Rebecca Taylor	rebecca.taylor@europarl.europa.eu
Agriculture Committee (AGRI)
Rapporteur UK members
Sergio Silvestris	sergio.silvestris@europarl.europa.eu
John Agnew	johnstuart.agnew@europarl.europa.eu
Diane Dodds	diane.dodds@europarl.europa.eu
Julie Girling *	julie.girling@europarl.europa.eu
George Lyon	george.lyon@europarl.europa.eu
James Nicholson *	james.nicholson@europarl.europa.eu
Alyn Smith	alyn.smith@europarl.europa.eu
Richard Ashworth	richard.ashworth@europarl.europa.eu
John Bufton	john.bufton@europarl.europa.eu
Jill Evans	jill.evans@europarl.europa.eu
Anthea McIntyre	anthea.mcintyre@europarl.europa.eu
Brian Simpson	brian.simpson@europarl.europa.eu