November 2001

COSTING THE ENVIRONMENT A PACKET?

We all know the frustrations of getting at a product through its packaging - whether it's a packet of cereal or a new washing machine. As time goes by there seems to be more and more material going into `protecting' the article. Of course, for the manufacturer, eye-catching, shape- and size-enhancing packaging is the best way to market a product.

But does half a rain forest need to die in the cause of attractive packaging? The Environment Committee of the European Parliament thinks not and is taking the view that manufacturers and retailers should be made responsible for preventing packaging waste. This will mean discouraging over-use of packaging and encouraging the re-use and re-cycling of materials. The good news is that the member states have met recycling targets set by the Commission in 1994 although most of them were over two years late in doing so. The Committee hopes that the new packaging regulations will encourage producers to use the most environmentally-friendly packaging, while ensuring the hygiene and safety of foodstuffs for which two thirds of packaging is used.

UK GENES SCENE VISIT

My membership of the European Parliament's temporary committee on human genetics took me on a fact-finding trip this month, with three European colleagues, to check out the 'genes scene' in Scotland and the rest of the UK. We talked to scientists and politicians to get a better feel for the UK's position on the use of the new technology. This technology can lead to greater health and longevity through, for example, therapeutic cloning which provides replacement tissue. Or it could lead to human cloning which most people - including some of the scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep - feel would be an abuse of the research.

We visited the Sanger Institute in Cambridge where much of the pioneering research into the mapping and sequencing of the human genome took place. We discussed bioethics with members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons Committees and then on to a debate between leading scientists at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. I was particularly proud to bring my European mainland colleagues to Scotland, which is at the forefront of research in biotechnology. Prospects for breakthroughs in health are tremendous but we Scots also have strong ethical and religious concerns in our makeup. Hearing these views first hand will help us make decisions about future policy on these issues.

PIGGING OUT

Having a place like a pig sty will take on a whole new meaning when new EU rules come into force at the start of next year. Pig farmers will have to raise standards of accommodation, lighting, noise levels, fresh water and furnishing. Measures have already been announced for minimum living space, floor area and proper feeding systems. All EU governments will now have to enforce strict rules on the farming of pigs to improve their general conditions which I must say are generally better throughout Scotland than they are in some mainland European countries. It all means that, where farmers have already provided good conditions for their animals, at additional expense, the new rules will even out the competition from elsewhere.