LETTER: In favour of a leghold trap ban

From Mr Ken Collins, MEP

Sir: I refer to the full-page advertisement in today's Independent placed by a coalition of animal welfare groups (7 December). It states that the European Commission has decided to propose a postponement of the implementation of the leghold trap ban.

The European Parliament will of course be consulted on these proposals, possibly as early as this Monday. The Environment Committee, which will be the lead committee, has already made it clear in previous discussions that it supports an immediate implementation of the ban, and that it abhors the Commission's failure to enact the necessary implementing regulations.

This is also the view of the Parliament's largest political group.

Although we have not yet had an opportunity to study the Commission proposals, it is unlikely that our view will change.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Collins

MEP for Strathclyde East

(Lab)

Brussels

7 December

The writer is chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection.