Leave our trees and jobs alone, says Labour MEP

Labour Euro MP for North West and Labour's Agricultural spokesperson in Brussels, Brian Simpson MEP, has today reacted to news that the Tory-LibDem coalition government plans could lead to the sale of forests and woodland, including the area of Cumbria in his region.

The Government has already pledged to sell 15% of public forests by 2015 and this week will see the launch of a consultation on selling off the remaining 85%, including more than 40 forests and woodlands across the Lake District, which are enjoyed by many people across the North West and the rest of the UK.

"This morning I have joined almost 200,000 people in signing the online petition to Save Our Forests and I am urging others to do the same", said Mr Simpson after signing the petition on the well-known campaign website '38 degrees'.

"Whilst countries across Europe are protecting their woodland and forests from exploitation, here is Britain doing the opposite. This sell-off amounts to environmental and economic vandalism. Public forests must remain accessible to the public and not be sold-off to private logging companies who will not, in my opinion, fully respect the environmental benefits that forests and woodland bring. It's not just about trees, it's about the wildlife that inhabits these areas, the enjoyment the public gets from visiting, not to mention the 850 jobs that could be lost in England", added Mr Simpson.

Rigg Wood, by Coniston Water, was sold in October without many local residents being informed of the sale. Campaigners fear that Rigg Wood's fate will become a familiar tale if the Government presses ahead with their plans.

"Instead of protecting the natural beauty of this area, this government's short-sighted response is to sell it off at any price. They would even sell-off the fresh air we breathe if they thought they could get away with it", added Mr Simpson.