Special Interests
Farming
Struan devised the idea and led the protest march of Conservative MEPs in the centre of Paris in 1999 at the height of the French illegal ban on British beef. He was subsequently stopped by riot police and escorted to the Gare Du Nord and placed under guard on a train back to Brussels amid a huge media circus!
He has participated in hearings in Scotland of the Special Committee of Inquiry into Foot & Mouth Disease set up by the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament.
He published a major guide to GMOs in 2002.
Struan has campaigned relentlessly on behalf of farmers for a better deal from Brussels, Westminster and Holyrood and for justice over CAP reform.
Struan won a major victory for farmers and tractor drivers when he achieved a five-year exemption from the proposed "Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive" in votes in the European Parliament. This Directive would have placed unrealistic limits on daily Whole Body Vibration (WBV), supposed to be a prime cause of back pain. Under these limits, drivers of industrial vehicles (tractors, excavators, bulldozers, dumper trucks and forklifts) could reach this limit after as little as two hours per day.
More recently Struan supported Scottish farmers in their campaign to challenge the compulsory electronic identification (EID) of sheep which secured a number of concessions. With EID now a reality, being gradually implemented over the next two years, Struan wants financials assistance from the Rural Development Fund to be made available. He has also challenged the need for sheep in Shetland to be tagged and is awaiting a response from the European Commission.
He also supported the Scottish farmers’ campaign to postpone the introduction of the pesticide ban until detailed research and a full impact assessment was conducted.
He was Conservative Front Bench spokesman on Scottish Rural Affairs and Conservative Deputy Spokesman on UK Agriculture & Rural Affairs in the European Parliament from 2004-2009.
- Stevenson hits out over clone claims
- 'Dolly the Sheep' off the menu thanks to clone ban
- 'Victory for common sense' on rat poisons
- MEPs must abandon 'crazy' rat poison plan
- If Europe can't control its rats, we may have to call the Pied Piper
- EU must overhaul GM legislation
- Scotland could lose out as EU softens stance on GM crops
- Name and shame the retailers 'milking farmers dry'
- Anti-GM zealots are hurting the hungry - Stevenson
- What will shape the future of farming in the EU after 2013?
- Dalli responds to Stevenson on issue of animal transportation
- March Brussels Briefing
- Turn 1m tonnes of dumped fish into ‘super food’, Scots MEP urges
- Scottish farmers and hauliers say ‘No’ to more EU red tape
- Compliance not more legislation for animal transport
- Scots Tory MEP to address animal transportation issue in Highlands
- 2010 brings about new challenges
- The Scottish Government must dig deeper to fund cost of EID
- Scots want to buy food that is home grown
- Scots Tory MEP expresses disappointment at rejection of EID derogation in Shetland
- Scots Tory MEP expresses disappointment at rejection of EID derogation in Shetland
- Scotland’s sheep farmers braced for new ‘E-ewe’ tagging rules
- Euro MP wants Shetland sheep to opt out of elecrtonic eartags
- Sheep tagging continues to potentially threaten Perthshire sheep farmers
- October Brussels Briefing
- Hopes dashed for electronic sheep tag concessions
- Hopes dashed for electronic sheep tag concessions
- We must continue our fight against plans to electronically identify sheep
- June Brussels Briefing
- Scottish Farmers need change
- Scottish Tory MEP speaks at NFU Scotland Hustings
- Familiarisation trips must be welcomed
- Electronic sheep tagging will halve national flock says Euro MP Struan Stevenson
- Sheep Tagging Battle in Brussels
- Scots lead EU on animal transport compliance
- Speech to Plenary in Strasbourg on Animal Transport
- UK faces pesticides fight in Brussels
- Scots Tory MEP welcomes EU's firm stance on Single Payments fiasco
- Letter to the Editor on the transportation times of live animals
- MEP launches petition to stop long animal transport to slaughter
- SAC Annual Dinner - 13th November 2008
- One farm going bust every two minutes in the EU
- Tory MEP leads charge for action against pesticide ban
- ID cards for sheep
- MEP says banning pesticides will cut production and increase food prices
- The road to hell is paved with green intentions
- Struan Stevenson answers questions on key rural issues
- EU threat means Scotland would need to import barley...to make whisky
- Euro MP slams proposed pesticide ban
- Genetically modified foods a viable alternative
- Damaging effects of pesticide ban
- Scots Tory MEP shares Scottish farmers concerns
- Food or fuel? Are biofuels the answer?
- French Farm Minister shows sympathy for Scot's cereal growers
- Scottish drinks industry under threat from Brussels pesticide ban
- Zero tolerance on GM foods makes zero sense
- Stevenson calls for review of unfair and inefficient European policy on GM feed
- Rules need to be relaxed
- Transformation of the CAP and food prices
- Race to cash in on lucrative subsidies for biofuels is potentially threatening the lives of millions
- 'Insane' EU biofuel policy could cause famine
- Financial aid for pig farmers in France
- European Commission bans imports of Brazilian beef
- Why cheap food is no reason to celebrate
