From ferrets to fish...New EU laws that are ruining Britain

THE merciless grip of Brussels on the lives of millions of Britons is laid bare today by the Daily Express.

EU, EU laws, eu laws britons, westminster eu, european union, foi eu laws, eu legislation, eu laws ferrets, eu laws fish labelling, eu laws air-conditMore than 150 new EU laws have been introduced by Brussels and are ruining Britain [GETTY]

European Union meddlers have forced the UK to make more than 150 changes to laws, ranging from ferrets’ welfare, how fish is labelled to checks on air-conditioning units.

The legislation, which was rubber-stamped by a powerless Parliament in Westminster, shows how the EU’s tentacles reach into every aspect of our lives from medicines to housing and transport, and from energy to the legal system.

There was outrage last night at the revelations, which were obtained under the Freedom of Inform­ation Act. Tory MP Peter Bone said: “We cannot do anything about this legislation. We cannot amend it, we are powerless to stop it. It is fundamentally undemocratic.”

The revelations provide further ammunition for the Daily Express’s crusade for Britain to leave the European Union.

Statman EU Special - What's the real cost of the EU?

Virtually nothing is decided by the British Government, it is not debated on the floor of the House of Commons, it is not voted on because we have, to a very large extent, given away the running of our lives to a set of institutions in Brussels

Nigel Farage

Mr Bone said: “If we want to be a self-governing nation again we have to come out of the EU.

“This just confirms to the British public that we are part of a European superstate and the sooner we leave the better.”

The list of 158 legislative changes enforced by Brussels in the past year touches on almost every Government department.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs brought in 34 laws, including complex regulations about fruit juice labels.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills introduced 33 laws, including rules on packaging which came with a 37-page guide and a 66-word definition of what packaging is.

The Department of Health brought in four pieces of legislation, including the Cross Border Healthcare Directive, which will give EU citizens easier access to the NHS.

Timber merchants have also been subject to a risk assessment when they trade in wood to show they are abiding by laws.

Legislation has also been brought in so a ferret cannot be imported into the UK without a vet’s certificate to say it has been examined and is fit to travel.

Brussels bureaucrats also compelled Parliament to change rules on energy efficiency, safety at sea and military courts as well as employment laws including the Working Time Directive and Parental Leave Regulations.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said that Britain no longer has a Government as it has been “given away to Europe”.

He added: “Virtually nothing is decided by the British Government, it is not debated on the floor of the House of Commons, it is not voted on because we have, to a very large extent, given away the running of our lives to a set of institutions in Brussels.

“Whether we are talking about primary legislation or trade deals, agriculture, fisheries or whether we are talking about huge swathes of our free democracy, the first thing for us to recognise is you have got to have a self-governing nation.”

Ukip MEP Tim Aker said: “Only Ukip believes that we should leave the EU and have our laws made in our own Parliament by our own elected officials.”

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