Friends of the Earth marked today's annual general meeting of the Environment Agency by calling on its Chairman, Lord de Ramsey to resign. The head of the government quango,which was set up to “make a better environment for present and future generations” has set a questionablel example on environmental protection in recent months, and has presided over a body whose limitations have been regularly exposed.

Lord de Ramsey, who is paid more than £50,000 for his two and a half days a week post at the Environment Agency, has become involved in a number of controversies which highlight his poor judgement and leadership. These include:

. Selling green field land that he owned to developers to build new houses. The schemes have created widespread controversy. In June of this year Lord de Ramsey was reported as saying ”I don't think that the people who are complaining understand the wildlife side of things. An old disused pony paddock is less of a wildlife interest than new house gardens with bird tables, flowers and hedges”. The former paddock had a pond which used to be home to great crested-newts, a protected species [1].

. Allowing genetically engineered sugar beet to be grown on farmland that he owns.The growing of these type of crops has created considerable controversy in recent months with nearly three quarters of the population calling for them to be banned.Amongst those calling for a moratorium is the Government's wildlife advisor, English Nature. When FOE wrote to the EA asking for its views on genetically modified

crops, the Agency didn't reply.

Tony Juniper, Policy and Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth said:
“ Lord de Ramsey has not had a distinguished career as a leading green figure.The Chair of the Environment Agency should set an example on how to protect the environment; not destroy it. The public will have little confidence in someone who so obviously demonstrates such poor judgement. The environment minister should find someone more suited to this important job, preferably a person who cares about the environment and who is prepared to stand and protect it.”

Environment Agency failings under Lord de Ramsey's leadership include:
. Continued to allow ICI to release over 20 tonnes of hormone disrupting chemicals into the Tees estuary. Teesmouth Flats and Marshes are recognised as one of Europe's most important wildlife sites.
. Reportedly losing control of waste regulation, with a senior waste regulator reported as saying of the Agency's top management that “They can't plan, they can't manage people, and they can't control money. What's left.” [2]
. Presiding over a 20 % increase in serious pollution incidents in 1997 (with the chemical industry doubling the number of “category 1" incidents they are responsible for).
. Only prosecuting 1 per cent of breaches of water pollution consents.
. Planning to allow a consultancy to sell the CD Rom on their waste life cycle analysis for £1,000, despite the research programme being publicly funded.
. Not publishing papers and minutes of Board meetings, despite their Scottish equivalent (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) doing so and allowing members of the public to observe meetings.
. Not publishing data on toxic emissions from industry for 1995, 1996 or 1997,despite promises by Michael Meacher, Minister for the Environment, to publish“comprehensive pollution inventories”.

[2] Reported in The ENDS Report, no 281, June 1998, “Agency makes a mess of waste”.

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