Day: November 18, 2023

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

UK: Hopefully More Good News – An Official UK Ban On Live Animal Exports / Transport.

https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2023/11/bill-to-ban-live-exports-welcomed

Above Photos – Mark.

WAV Live exports links:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/?s=live+animal+exports

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2023/01/30/england-1-2-23-remembering-jill-a-brief-insight-the-live-exports-battles-of-se-england-to-be-a-voice-for-the-voiceless/

and dear friend John:

England: Another Terrible Loss – John Callaghan.

After years of campaigning by many animal welfare organizations, the announcement of a ban on live exports is a significant moment in the history of the animal welfare movement in the United Kingdom.

Above – more fighting at the EU, Brussels, Belgium.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill will prevent the horrendous shipment of calves and other farmed animals for days or even weeks on unsuitable transport vessels that have seen dreadful accidents in the past with thousands of animals dying.

Unweaned calves that were sent from the UK to Spain for fattening suffered from injury, stress, and exhaustion. Global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS said that it would fortify its efforts to advocate in next year’s EU elections, where a revision of Animal Welfare legislation is more than overdue.

“The last few years have seen too many fatal accidents with farmed animals being transported alive with countless documented infringements against existing legislation that are not prosecuted. The suffering the animals have to endure due to excessive temperatures in cargo, nonexistent veterinary care, and a constant shortage of water and feed is unimaginable,” said Corinna Reinisch, Program Lead Farm Animal Welfare at FOUR PAWS.

“Therefore, this milestone announcement in the UK shines a light on the upcoming proposals for transport that the European Commission has announced for December of this year. Eventually, the EU Parliament and the Council of the EU have to take those proposals, which raise the significance of live animal transport forward in the upcoming EU elections in 2024,” continued Reinisch. “This strong signal shall be the door opener for an urgently needed improvement for billions of farmed animals that are transported outside the EU to third countries every year. FOUR PAWS keeps advocating for animal welfare worldwide.”

Every year, millions of cows, pigs, birds, and sheep are exported from the EU to non-EU countries. This year alone, there have been several fatal accidents with animals being transported. After a three-month ordeal through the Mediterranean Sea, around 1,600 young bulls were killed in Spain after the transport ship Elbeik was not allowed to enter the Middle East due to feared bluetongue cases among the bulls on board. Almost 900 young bulls from the transport vessel Karim Allah experienced the same fate some weeks earlier, and only recently, 14 sheep died after the Phoenix III was stuck off the Italian coast due to bad weather conditions.

Link:

King Charles Announces Ban On The Live Export Of Animals For Slaughter In The UK In New Legislation – World Animal News

Regards Mark

Words from the recent past:

I (Mark) have fought the export of live animal exports from the UK (via English ports) for around 35+ years.  A ‘been there; done it; got the T shirt’ type of scenario.  Over those 30 or so years the ‘fight’ has taken me into Europe investigating the trade; to the EU no good hierarchy in Brussels; and to many ports around England which, to their regret, got involved with the live export trade.

We have experienced the countless, wet; windy; cold and tearful nights at the docks; bearing witness to all the suffering – the noise of the calves having travelled from all over the UK; the smells of days old urine on the transporter floors; and the sights of helpless animals (pigs, sheep, calves and horses) through the slats on their way to meet barbaric deaths in the far corners of Europe and beyond.  Yes, despite Ministry promises; horses were exported to Europe under the guise of going for riding; when in fact they were going for slaughter.  How can I say this ? – one way or another I got the paperwork (export certificates) and we trailed the transporters into Europe.  The Ministry said one thing; and we had the evidence for another.  See more on it all at:

About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

The corruption of the system bummed me off enough; that one night; after witnessing the horses going out through an English port; I had to get something down to show what an utter sham it was – hence:

Microsoft Word – EXH6.doc (wordpress.com)

Sometimes you worked alone; for me also, sometimes with a female campaigner; sometimes more; and I cannot even start to count all the wonderful folk that have shared this journey of compassion with me – folks who; if you need it; would give you the shirt off their back to help you out. 

I lost a wonderful campaigner friend; Mike Tucker; see his photo – from London, a few years ago.  He was a stalwart in the fight for the ban on live animal exports.  Sadly he passed before this great news has broken today.  It would have been his dream to know that this issue has now reached UK government for action; with the very real prospect of a positive result soon.  Like me; the fight got deep into his veins; and the tenacity to be a voice for the suffering animals stayed with him until his final minute.  You don’t forget people like him.

I can remember meeting up with him many times in Ol’ London town over the years to fight this bloody, barbaric trade in sentient beings.  Despite his disability from an accident many years earlier, Mike would always dress ‘dapper’ in suit and bowler hat; and would take his bucket of water and a mop to wash the steps of the Agriculture Ministry (responsible for authorising the exports); telling them to ‘clean up’ their act and stop the trade regarding live animal transport.

The EU, for what little it is worth; has a policy of ‘member states’ never being allowed to stop the trade.  With the UK sensibly voting to leave a few years ago; and our relationship with the EU hopefully coming to an end this month in 2020; the UK, as an independent nation, can now take the action to stop the live export trade; re the action starting in Parliament tomorrow (3/12/20).  Things will not change overnight; we know that; but the UK government; unlike the EU; is listening to its citizens; and hopefully in the near future, will introduce legislation to stop the trade.  If other member states of the EU cannot go independent and enforce their own nation legislation; then it is a sad state of affairs; especially as so many citizens of the EU (who’s wishes are ignored) wish to see the business / trade stopped for good.

Mark

Above – Livestock transporters wait at Dover harbour.

Fighting in Dover and Brussels, Belgium

Above – in all the cruelty, we had some fun nights as well- you have to !!

Farm Animals, General News, Stray Animals

South Korea: Finally An End To Dog Farming – Legislation To Phase Out All Farming Within 3 Years. Massive Victory !!

WAV Comment.

With thanks to Di for this update.

This is fantastic news for the welfare movement; and we send them our very best for what has been a massive campaign over so many years – they have had the tenacity to fight on regardless of some promises by politicians in the near past.

A 3 year phase out sounds long and is long; but with those in the business knowing their days are very limited; we may e a dramatic reduction in farming in say, the first year.  Once there is proper legislation in the form of a (legal) Bill; then this can be used for prosecutions etc.  The dog farmers will know it and the sooner we see them walk the better it will be for all.

We have attempted to give action and news support on this issue singe our foundation – you can see our past posts here :

Search Results for “south korea dog farms” – World Animals Voice

Congratulations again dear campaigner friends – in the end, good always wins over evil.

Regards Mark

Photos by HSI Korea

A historic announcement as the South Korean government has stated that before the end of 2023, it will introduce a bill to ban the dog meat industry, which farms and kills up to 1 million dogs per year for human consumption.

At a meeting in Seoul today, between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, representatives of the ruling Peoples Power Party and Korean animal groups, including Humane Society International/Korea, a government bill was confirmed with a three-year phase out period once legislation is passed, meaning the ban would come into effect in 2027.

Compensation will be offered to help legally registered dog meat farmers, traders, slaughter houses, and restaurant owners transition or close their businesses, similar to the Models for Change program run by HSI/Korea, which has worked with 18 dog meat farmers across the country since 2015 to switch to growing chili plants or parsley.

This news follows considerable public and political momentum for a dog meat ban, including the introduction of five legislative bills by National Assembly Members. The news is welcomed by HSI/Korea, one of the leading animal groups campaigning for an end to dog meat nationwide.

“News that the South Korean government is at last poised to ban the dog meat industry is like a dream come true for all of us who have campaigned so hard to end this cruelty,” said JungAh Chae, executive director of HSI/Korea, who attended the meeting with MAFRA. “Korean society has reached a tipping point where most people now reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books.”


“With so many dogs needlessly suffering for a meat that hardly anyone eats, the government’s bill delivers a bold plan that must now urgently be passed by the Assembly, so that a legislative ban can be agreed upon as soon as possible to help South Korea close this miserable chapter in our history and embrace a dog friendly future,” said Chae.


With growing concern for animal welfare and over 6 million pet dogs now living in Korean homes, demand for dog meat has dwindled. Latest opinion polls by Nielsen Korea, commissioned by HSI/Korea, show that 86% of South Koreans won’t eat dog meat in the future and 57% support a ban.

HSI recognizes that a short phase out period is an inevitable consequence of dismantling the trade and helping farmers and traders transition to other livelihoods. However, HSI urges the government to use the phase out period to work with animal welfare groups like HSI/Korea to rescue as many dogs as possible in a state-sponsored, coordinated effort.


HSI/Korea’s Models for Change program has rescued more than 2,700 dogs from dog meat farms across South Korea. The program has found adoptive homes for the rescued dogs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, with a small number rehomed in South Korea. Most of the farmers with whom HSI/Korea has worked experience mounting societal, family, and financial pressure to get out of farming dogs for their meat.

“This is a momentous day for HSI’s campaign to end the horrors of the dog meat industry in South Korea, and one we have been hoping to see for a very long time,” said Kitty Block and Jeff Flocken, CEO and President of HSI globally, in a joint statement.

”Having been to dog meat farms and seen HSI/Korea’s Models for Change program in action, we know only too well the suffering and deprivation these desperate animals endure in the name of an industry for whom history has now thankfully called time,” continued Block. “This is the beginning of the end of dog meat farming in South Korea, and HSI stands ready to contribute our expertise until every cage is empty.”

Regards Mark

Link:

Victory! South Korea Announces Plans To Ban Dog Meat Industry By The End Of 2023 With A Three Year Phase Out – World Animal News