East Midlands MEP pledges support for action on Wildlife Crime

East Midlands Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin has recently pledged her support for action against Wildlife Crime.

She has also joined a new ‘MEPs for Wildlife Interest’ group, which is a cross-party initiative aiming to keep the pressure on the European Commission to propose a EU Action Plan against Wildlife Crime.

Wildlife crime is now the fourth largest illegal trade in the world, providing a growing source of revenue for armed and terrorist groups and pushing many species to the brink of extinction.

Following a European Parliament resolution on wildlife crime last November, 82 MEPs, including Miss McClarkin, wrote a letter to the European Commission calling for an Action Plan against Wildlife Crime.

She is now supporting the new group as they seek to keep the pressure on the Commission to ensure that this plan is proposed and implemented.

Miss McClarkin said:

“I’m a great supporter of wildlife and our natural environment, so I wanted to pledge my support for action against Wildlife Crime.

“In South Africa, a rhino is killed every 7 hours for its horn, so urgent action needs to be taken.

“The Commission needs to ensure that a proper plan is formulated and then put in place, to stop the illegal trade and help combat the terrorists and criminals that it funds.”