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Hackney Council Seize Imperial Weighing Scales
LONDON, September 17 /PRNewswire/ --
- EC has Relaxed - not Rescinded - Metric Directive
Hackney council officials, accompanied by police, seized weighing scales
belonging to market trader Colin Hunt. The offence was that the scales were
calibrated in pounds and ounces
Hackney Council appears to be acting in contradiction of the European
Commission announcement on 11 September 2007 that Britain can continue to use
imperial units
However, EC Commissioner Günter Verheugen did not propose that pounds and
ounces can be used in their own right. What he proposed was that conversions
could be displayed while conducting trade in metric. Metric remains the only
system for lawful transactions in the EU, other than for three purposes: milk
bottles, draught alcohol and road signs
This continuation of metric policy is confirmed by recent letters between
Günter Verheugen and BWMA Director John Gardner:
Letter from John Gardner to Günter Verheugen (25 July 2007): "We [ask]
that the Commission withdraws from this issue [using lb/oz], so that the
matter can be resolved within the UK. We therefore urge the Commission to
exempt the sale of loose goods from the Directive"
Reply from Günter Verheugen to John Gardner (29 August 2007): "...there
currently exists no general problem in the enforcement of the Directive
concerning the sale of goods sold loose and in bulk in the UK which would
need to be addressed by a change to Directive 80/18I/EEC"
BWMA standpoint:
We welcome the recent moves by the European Commission to allow the
display of conversions ("supplementary indications") beyond 2010, and to
allow the pub pint and mile indefinitely - but we again urge the Commission
to exempt pounds and ounces from the metric Directive so that they may be
used without metric. Selling fruit and vegetables is a domestic matter,
unrelated to EU cross-border trade; Britain's own Parliament should decide
the legality of these imperial measures.
About BWMA
The British Weights and Measures Association is a non-profit body that
exists to promote parity in law between British and metric units. It enjoys
support from across Britain's political spectrum, from all manner of
businesses and the general public. BWMA is financed by member subscriptions
and donations.
Contact:
- Website - http://www.bwmaOnline.com
- Postal address - BWMA, 11 Greensleeves Avenue, Broadstone, Dorset BH18
8BJ
