Month: November 2021

Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized November 6, 2021November 6, 2021

England: Check Out the Viva! Podcast For Fun and News.

Russell Brand: Actor, Comedian, Vegan and Activist

In this episode, Viva! founder and director, Juliet Gellatley, chats with award-winning comedian, actor and activist, Russell Brand.

Russell is passionate about climate change, animals and veganism. He shares his thoughts on these issues in a lively conversation with Juliet.

The interview was recorded live at Vegan Camp Out 2021.

Helen and Faye’s chat

Viva!’s head of communications, Faye, joins Helen to break down the interview and expand on some of the topics discussed.

You can hear our show via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and on lots of other apps and websites.

The Viva! Vegan Podcast and Vegan News Minisode – available every month!

In addition to the Viva! monthly Podcast, we now have a Vegan News Minisode!

Together, they’ve got you covered with the latest vegan news, the best celebrity and thought-leader interviews, expert vegan advice and more than a few laughs as well…

Co-hosted by Helen Wilson and Viva!’s head of comms Faye Lewis, each month they’ll be serving up some cracking in-depth chats with some of the most interesting figures in the vegan movement.

Each Podcast episode features a different individual – breaking down their vegan journey and recounting their highs and lows – followed by a candid chat between Helen and Faye on everything from mushroom-based leather alternatives to terrible cooking blunders.

In our Vegan News Minisode, we deep-dive into the world of vegan news and politics in a quick five-minute round-up of newsworthy events in veganism.

No matter where you are in your vegan journey, there’ll be something for you in the Viva! Vegan Podcast and the Vegan News Minisode.

Check out and listen to the Podcasts via this link:

Viva! Vegan Podcast | Viva! The Vegan Charity

Fur and Fur Farming November 6, 2021

Canada: British Columbia will close its mink farms in 2025

BREAKING VICTORY: Following pressure from PETA and our honorary Director Pamela Anderson, British Columbia’s government is shutting down ALL mink fur farms 🎉

The Canadian province has already banned breeding minks — soon the sensitive animals will be spared from the violent cycle of being jammed together in filthy wire-floored cages and skinned for their fur.

And I mean…Exactly a year ago the following message came in Forbes Magazine:

“Health officials in Canada’s British Columbia have declared a Covid-19 outbreak at a mink farm after eight people tested positive for the disease, with employees and animals now undergoing testing and contact tracing in a bid to control the spread of the virus”.

Most people don’t want to know (or suppress) what exactly is going on in the fur farms.
The fur industry is to blame.

Behind closed doors, hidden from the control of the public and the government, millions of minks are bred, tortured, and skinned alive under brutal conditions for fur, and it is precisely on such mink farms that the coronavirus has been detected and workers who have worked there have turned away infected.

Denmark-2020

We would never have believed that this industry would cease to exist so quickly as a result due to Corona.

After the coronavirus outbreaks on 22 Dutch mink farms, the mink farms there were closed at the end of 2020.
It was followed by Denmark (until 2023), after an unprecedented genocide by Mink with 15 million living beings.

The same reasons have already led other countries to ban fur farming.
These include Great Britain, Belgium, Japan, Norway, Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.
In countries such as Germany, Sweden, Italy or Switzerland, the rules for fur farms have recently been tightened in such a way that the operation in these countries is no longer financially viable for the breeders.

Mink fur farm-Canada

Canada is home to a large fur industry for mink, fox, marten, chinchilla, and other fur-bearing species.
According to the statistics of Canada, more than 230 registered mink farms and 50 registered fox farms have been counted across the country. In total, over three million animals are bred.
And just like in Europe, the conditions there, under which the animals suffer because of their fur, are catastrophic.

Even after the corona outbreak on mink farms in the Netherlands, public pressure increased in Canada to give health priority and close fur farms.
British Columbia has taken the first step.

Now is the time for ALL countries to follow the example of many fur-free countries around the world and put an end to this bloody business once and for all.

My best regards to all, Venus

Hunting November 5, 2021

US-Iowa: A four-day event of hunting industry with 557 hunting trophies

November 3, 2021, Humane Society International / United States

Shocking undercover investigation exposes auction house of horrors where over 550 hunting trophies are sold to the highest bidder
Animal feet, skulls, legs, ears, claws, bones, hides and full body taxidermy, including threatened and endangered species, show the pitiful results of the trophy hunting industry!!

Animal feet, skulls, legs, ears, claws, bones, hides and full body taxidermy, including threatened and endangered species, show the pitiful results of the trophy hunting industry!

WASHINGTON—A shocking undercover investigation recently conducted in Iowa by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International found what can only be described as a massive garbage bin of the trophy hunting industry.

A four-day event where thousands of animals—including at least 557 hunting trophies of mammals no longer wanted by the people who killed them—were sold to the highest bidders.
Shelves and bins were packed with discarded trophies including threatened and endangered species like elephants and polar bears, other imperiled foreign species like giraffes and hippos, and countless trophies of American wildlife like grizzly bears, black bears and mountain lions.

Auction items included grotesque home décor such as tables and lamps made from giraffe legs and feet, tables made from African elephant feet and a juvenile giraffe taxidermy.

The auction also included at least 50 rugs made from animals including black bears, grizzly bears, zebras, wolves and mountain lions. The investigator saw piles of giraffe leg bones, sets of hippo teeth and a dusty box labeled “elephant ears and skin.”

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said: “It is unconscionable that not only are these threatened and endangered species of wild animals killed by trophy hunters, but the souvenirs from these hunts are ultimately mothballed and sold off at a fairground full of unwanted animal body parts.
This massive display of animal death is a devastating snapshot of what it looks like when species are being pushed to the brink of extinction.”

Continue reading “US-Iowa: A four-day event of hunting industry with 557 hunting trophies” →

General News, Uncategorized November 5, 2021November 5, 2021

England: 1605 – The Last Man To Enter Parliament With Honest Intentions. As the English say – “Remember, Remember, the 5th of November – a Gunpowder Treason and Plot; There is no Reason why Gunpowder Treason Should Ever Be Forgot”.

The best of plots always start in a pub !

For our overseas visitors:

I am sitting here in England tonight (5/11) listening to all the fireworks being let off where I live. Tomorrow is the weekend, and many areas will celebrate Guy Fawkes night by having big firework and bonfire displays. It is a special event celebrated by the English only for centuries.

Enjoy the videos explaining why November 5^th is a very special night for us.

Regards Mark

London, November 5^th 1605 – the gunpowder plot.

How very true – judging by the ‘lot’ we have supposedly representing us in Parliament today, Guy Fawkes is often toasted as:

England: 1604 – The Last Man To Enter Parliament With Honest Intentions.

Many would say that sadly it all went wrong; and that English history changed as a result.

As the English say – “remember, remember, the 5^th of November – a gunpowder treason and plot; there is no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot”.

Why ? – to celebrate the ‘Gunpowder plot’ – or ‘Guy Fawkes night’.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.

The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England’s Parliament on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which James’s nine-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was to be installed as the Catholic head of state.

Guy Fawkes, who had 10 years of military experience fighting in the Spanish Netherlands in suppression of the Dutch Revolt, was given charge of the explosives.

November 5^th 1605

Hunting November 5, 2021

US-Wisconsin: “the Department of Natural Resources have to obey the law.”

Decision could spare hundreds of wolves scheduled to be killed.

In the best news yet for wolf conservation in the United States in 2021, a Wisconsin court issued an injunction on 10/22/2021 requiring the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to lower the quota for the upcoming wolf trophy hunt that to begin on November 6th to zero wolves.

MADISON, Wis. — A judge on Friday halted Wisconsin’s fall wolf season two weeks before hunters were set to take to the woods, siding with wildlife advocacy groups who argued that holding the hunt would be unconstitutional.

Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost issued a temporary injunction halting the season, which was set to begin Nov. 6. The order comes as part of a lawsuit that a coalition of wildlife advocacy groups filed in August seeking to stop the hunt and invalidate a state law authorizing annual seasons.

Among other things, the coalition argued that the season is illegal because the Department of Natural Resources hasn’t updated its regulations setting up season parameters and has been relying on an emergency rule put in place shortly after then.

Wisconsin-2021

Cov. Scott Walker signed a law in 2012 authorizing annual seasons and a wolf management plan that hasn’t been updated since 2007.

Frost said the law creating the wolf season is constitutional on its face, but that the DNR failed to create permanent regulations enacting it.
The law gives the DNR great leeway in setting kill limits, hunting zone hours and the number of licenses making it all the more important that the department following the regulatory process to ensure it doesn’t violate the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches, Frost said.

“I’m not overruling the wolf hunt law. In fact, I’m saying it has to be enforced as it was written and intended,” Frost said.
“The DNR is currently not following the law or following the constitution. Its decisions are built on a faulty basis, meaning they can’t stand, either.”

Wisconsin-2021

The judge said the injunction will remain in place until the DNR implements updated regulations on determining quotas and the number of licenses it issues and updates its wolf management plan with new wolf population goals for the state
Hannah Jurss, an assistant attorney general representing the DNR in the case, asked Frost to stay his ruling pending appeal, calling his ruling “unquestionably a dramatic decision.” (!!!)

Frost refused!

Continue reading “US-Wisconsin: “the Department of Natural Resources have to obey the law.”” →

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized November 4, 2021

On the Brink – Climate Change Famine: the Situation in Madagascar; and S(hell) CEO Gets a Totally Deserved Roasting From a Climate Activist.

Must watch:

On the brink – climate change famine:

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Personally, I (Mark) think the Shell CEO needs to be made to sit and watch all of the above videos; he caused it; the little children to suffer because of utter muck like him.

This person is crap; but as the activist shows in the following brilliant attack, she does not let him get away with talking crap, which he specialises in (see video below).

Or to put it another way; big shit talk from the big Shell CEO:

UK; Twas The Night Before COP26 – British Comedian Joe Lycett Holds ‘Shell’ (Oil Giant) To Account For Their Green Sales Techniques. He Literally Talks Shit ! – World Animals Voice

For the innocents of Madagascar

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News November 4, 2021

Poland: Green REV Institute Urges Polish President to Introduce Carbon Pricing for Food.

Green REV Institute urges Polish President to introduce carbon pricing for food

4 November 2021

Green REV

Just ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP26), a press briefing was held at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw where Green Rev Institute and Democracy Action delivered an open letter to President Andrzej Duda from the international coalition “Carbon Pricing for Food”.

In the letter, numerous organisations from all over the world appeal to on the presidents of 50 UN member states to introduce fair prices for animal products (meat and dairy) that take into account the costs of their negative impact on the climate.

Reducing industrial animal production, which accounts for over 14% of greenhouse gas emissions, is one way to meet the Paris Agreement goals, which Poland also ratified in 2015.

At the same time, the organisations call for lower prices for plant products and compensation for farmers who turn to more sustainable plant-based food production.

Healthy food should be available here and now. That’s why we must stop subsidising animal production in our taxes: meat, dairy, eggs. Animal agriculture is responsible for nitrous oxide and methane emissions, for deforestation, for pollution and excessive use of water, for the decline in biodiversity and for lifestyle diseases (…) Therefore, together with NGOs and companies from all over the world, we turn to President Andrzej Duda to support the transformation of the food system and to support all actors in this process: farmers, consumers, decision-makers and politicians. It’s time for real leadership to change and fix the broken food system

Anna Spurek, COO of Green REV Institute

EU Invests €2m to Develop Cultivated Beef for Commercial Markets.

EU invests €2m to develop cultivated beef for commercial markets

3 November 2021

News

Funding from a Covid recovery package that was set up by the European Commission, known as React-EU, has been granted to two Dutch food firms – Nutreco and Mosa Meat – attempting to lower the costs of growing meat in vitro.

The React-EU package (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe) was first established in December 2020, setting aside €50.6bn in funding for countries to adopt a greener and more sustainable economic recovery in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The collaborative project “Feed for Meat” aims to address one of the the leading challenges in cultured meat development; affordability. The grant will fund research and development on lower-cost and sustainable nutrients for the base media in which the beef cells grow in order to make production more commercially viable for European markets.

According to an independent Life Cycle Analysis study, cultivated beef production is projected to reduce climate impact by 92%, air pollution by 93%, use 95% less land and 78% less water when compared to industrial beef production.

The project was ranked first place in this highly-competitive scheme, which received over 60 funding applications – yet another indicator that cellular agriculture has a critical role to play in helping the European Union meet the robust goals of the Farm to Fork strategy within the Green Deal.

France: Tribute to Doctor Jean-Pierre Kieffer – A Man Dedicated To Improving Slaughter Conditions.

Tribute to Doctor Jean-Pierre Kieffer

29 October 2021

News

Eurogroup for Animals would like to pay tribute to Doctor Jean-Pierre Kieffer, former President of OABA in France, who has dedicated years of his life to improve slaughter conditions in France.

It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of Doctor Jean-Pierre Kieffer.

Doctor Jean-Pierre Kieffer initiated the representation of French associations at Eurogroup for Animals, and he was at the origin of the Foundation’s entry into this international coalition.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family and to the OABA team.

And also from us at WAV – Thank You Sir.

European hamsters get support from the European Court of Justice

October 29, 2021

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has further strengthened the protection of the habitat of the European hamsters, which are threatened with extinction

This emerges from a judgment of the ECJ published on Thursday (case C-357/20).

Accordingly, the term “breeding site” includes all areas that are necessary for the successful reproduction of an animal species – including the area surrounding the breeding site.
In the case of the threatened European hamster, a different interpretation of the term could mean that the areas required for the reproduction and the birth of the young animals would not be protected, the ECJ found.

The background to the judgment is a request from the Vienna Administrative Court.
It is about the interpretation of an EU species protection directive. Specifically, it is about construction work in Austria for which a construction road was laid.
Not only was there no permit for this, they also destroyed entrances to hamster burrows.

As a result, an administrative authority imposed a fine on the manager of the company commissioned with the construction.
The latter then lodged a complaint with the administrative court.

European hamster on the red list since 2020

In an earlier judgment on the case, the ECJ had already ruled that resting and breeding sites for field hamsters may not be destroyed even if the animals no longer use them, but may return there.

The European hamster has been on the Red List as critically endangered since 2020 and could not survive for the next 30 years.
Environmentalists see the main reason for the intensive agriculture, which takes the cute animals away from their habitat.

In their new ruling, the judges have also clarified the differences between “damage” and “destruction” of a breeding site or resting place.

Accordingly, it denotes the gradual reduction in ecological functionality or its complete loss – regardless of whether this is done on purpose.

https://www.geo.de/natur/tierwelt/europaeischer-gerichtshof-schuezt-feldhamster-30876114.html

And I mean…It is estimated that the European hamster population has declined by 99 percent since the 1950s.

Not only modern agriculture with the use of chemicals and powerful technology is a threat to the European hamster, but also the land consumption by humans.

In the industrialized country of Germany, around 60 hectares are sealed every day, i.e. more than 80 football fields are built with asphalt or buildings. This area is lost to nature.
And also the habitat of many animals.

The European hamster is dependent on the agricultural landscape. There he finds steppe-like habitats in which he digs his burrows and finds rich food.
But because modern agriculture brings in the harvest earlier and almost completely, the European hamster not only lacks cover and thus protection from enemies, but above all sufficient food for wintering.
If they fail to gather enough food, they will not survive the winter.

Now the ECJ has finally strengthened the right of endangered animals to their habitat: not only their burrows should be protected, but the entire environment.

This is really good news and we are very happy.