Announcement on EU legislation

In response to concerns the raised in the wake of speculation following the announcement of this EU consultation the H.S.I has been in talks with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Invasive Species Ireland over the last week.

The NPWS have agreed to facilitate a face to face dialogue, via the H.S.I, with those concerned about this issue. In particular, NPWS encourage the participation of shop owners and traders who deal in exotic animals to attend or at the very least use the H.S.I as a facilitator to voice their opinions.

The new EU Invasive Alien Species legislation coupled with the implementation of the EU Bird and Habitats Directive will undoubtedly have effects on exotics trade.
Changes to what and how exotic species can be imported and sold is almost certain however the extent of this is still unknown. It is important to also realise that these change will not happen overnight.

These legislations will not affect the future or survival of the exotics trade in Ireland but they will result in changes to the current situation.

The Herpetological Society of Ireland has spent this last week in discussion for the benefit of all involved in the exotics trade whether they are H.S.I members of the or not.

Any dialogue with a governmental body will be facilitated by the H.S.I and as such our members and their concerns will be prioritised.
Again, our strength lies in our membership base, the more members we have the better equipped we are to represent herpetology in all it's shapes and forms on the island of Ireland.

On behalf of and for the Herpetological Society of Ireland

Rob Gandola
Senior Science Officer

For those interested the H.S.I has received a response from the EU Commission regarding this new legislation

see www.thehsi.org to read the reply it can be found under the "Featured Story 3" heading

Rob

Invasive Species Ireland Forum Registration now open

The Sixth Annual Invasive Species Ireland Forum will take place on the 3rd of May.
The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, will host the 2012 Forum.
The forum programme will include an update from Invasive Species Ireland and talks covering the freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments. Confirmed talks include:
Preliminary results from the invasive species economic impact assessment for Ireland and Northern Ireland – Anthony Jackson
Trends and introductions of invasive species – Colette O’Flynn
Update on the current status of the Ballast Water Convention – Tracey McCollin
An analysis of marine pathways in the UK and Ireland – Paul Stebbing
Muntjac and Sika in Ireland – Ruth Carden
There will also be at least two break out groups:
EU Strategy – gathering views of trade and industry
Local Action Groups – identifying needs and support mechanisms
More information will be made available in the coming weeks. Registration is currently open. Please register using the form available at:
http://invasivespeciesireland.com/forum/2012-forum/
or contact John Kelly directly by replying to this email or john@invasivespeciesireland.com.
Please note that registration will close on Friday the 27th of April.

As with previous years, this is a free event but attendees must register with the project team before hand.

I would like to point out that the H.S.I played a significant part in having the trade/industry workshop included in the program for the day.

This will be a chance to get up-to-date information on the EU legislation while also providing an opportunity to have your say.....so show up

I just wanted to say thanks to the HSI for all this, both for raising awareness and representing the hobby.
Both ill health and lack of money prevent me from travelling so far from home, though I do wish I could help somehow.
Do keep us posted, and thank you.

Hi,

Many thanks for the positive comments.

The H.S.I is working very hard behind the scenes to communicate with multiple national and international bodies about these kinds of issues, and will make sure that any answers we receive are communicated to our members and the general public as soon as we are able.

Thanks again for your post and continuing support of the H.S.I!!

Cat :)