Mole catcher digs in

A Shaw mole catcher whose livelihood has been ruined by European rules has had his appeal to the EU Ombudsman turned down.

But Peter Brown is not giving up and has now decided to petition the European Commission for help.

Mr Brown says the banning of strychnine poison in 2006 by a European Directive has destroyed his one-man business clearing moles for farmers.

No manufacturer was willing to pay millions of euros to provide scientific data supporting strychnine’s continued use and he says other methods, such as trapping and gassing, are too time-consuming and can leave the moles in agony.

He is also angry that the European Union’s own study into the impact of the directive was flawed, he says.

And he says small companies and farmers were excluded from the consultation on the ban.

But Mr Brown has been told by the European Ombudsman, Mr Nikiforos Diamandouros, that his claim does not show there has been maladministration, but is instead a criticism of the merits of EU legislation.

And he suggests that instead he petitions the EU Commission for more help.

Mr Brown, who is now working as a farm labourer, said: “The ban is wrong because the consultation was only sent to a selected few people.”

He also plans to ask North West Euro-MP Chris Davies to put his feelings to one side to help a constituent.

Mr Brown has previously picketed Mr Davies’s Stockport constituency office to ask for help, even though the MEP told him he supports the ban on strychnine.

He has also staged loudspeaker protests outside Mr Davies’ office, which he says he will continue if he does not get help.