THE Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is very concerned at moves in the European Parliament to weaken the protection given to migratory birds, including those nesting in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

A 'declaration' proposed by an MEP from Italy, calls for "the European Commission...to apply the subsidiarity principle to sustainable management of migratory birds, leaving member states to set their own dates for hunting seasons according to the most recent scientific data available."

This may sound innocuous, but experience shows that some EU governments cannot be trusted to implement the current legislation correctly. Only last week the European Court found France not to have respected opening and closing dates for hunting seasons, which would have protected migratory birds -- including species which pass through France on their way to the UK.

Any readers who are concerned at the possibility of bird protection laws being weakened in Europe should write immediately to their North West MEPs.

LAURENCE ROSE, Regional Manager, RSPB, Wakefield Road, Denby Dale, West Yorkshire.