https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13865257/peta-investigation-horror-abuse-animals-cairo.html
Mark
Day: September 23, 2024
20 September 2024
LAV
Considered a byproduct of the egg industry, over 35 million male chicks are killed every year in Italy. In 2021, Italy approved a law to ban male chick culling by the end of 2026. But slow progress is being made on making the ban a reality.
In order to ensure the ban can be enacted by 2026, the government must support the transition of companies towards the adoption of more animal-friendly practices, and correctly inform consumers.
However, the adoption of the decrees is still incomplete. The deadline for issuing the pending measures was set for 7 April 2024, but failure to implement the legislation risks continuing to encourage the slaughter of millions of chicks every year.
In the egg industry, male chicks are shredded alive or suffocated within the first 24 hours of birth, and without the use of stunning techniques.
Viable alternatives already exist, such as in-ovo sexing technologies that detect male eggs before they hatch. In France, where a ban on chick culling has been agreed in principle but not yet implemented, the additional cost to consumers is estimated at only one cent per box of six eggs.
Animal Equality, CIWF Italia, Essere Animali, Animal Law Italia and LAV wrote to the Ministries of Health and Agriculture asking them to adopt the decrees necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the ban.
They called for the adoption the envisaged decrees, in particular:
- The labelling of eggs treated with in-ovo sexing technologies;
- The promotion and development of technologies for in-ovo sexing;
- The definition of criteria for managing chicks born by mistake within the egg industry.
Over 110,000 Italian citizens supported a petition by Animal Equality calling for the ban. The associations stressed that society is ready to take this historic step for animal welfare, and politicians must do their part so as not to betray citizens’ trust.
Regards Mark
Carlota Saorsa / HIDDEN / We Animals
Carlota Saorsa / HIDDEN / We Animals
22 September 2024
The European Pharmacopoeia Commission took a historic step by removing the rabbit pyrogen test from the European Pharmacopoeia in favour of the use of non-animal methods. This decision will not only spare the lives of tens of thousands of rabbits in the EU every year, but will also better ensure the safety of medicines and vaccines.
This long-debated method, which raised ethical concerns and had limitations in accuracy and reproducibility, now belongs to the past.
Pyrogens are fever-inducing substances that can unintentionally contaminate injectable medicines, and their detection is crucial to ensure the safety of these products.
Developed in the early 1900’s, the rabbit pyrogen test was the predominant method for detecting pyrogens. It involves injecting the test substance intravenously into a vein of the rabbits’ ears and observing their reaction, mainly an increase in body temperature. These injections can be repeated until their ears are severely damaged and can no longer be used, or until they show a reaction. In all cases, rabbits are killed at the end.
The limitations of the rabbit pyrogen test are widely recognized, including limited sensitivity and reproducibility. Repeated injections can lead to the development of pyrogen tolerance, while the inherent stress of the test can also affect results.
Alternative non-animal methods with improved sensitivity and relevance have been available for more than 20 years.
Despite many years of efforts to promote the use of non-animal methods for both ethical and scientific reasons, the rabbit pyrogen test remained the standard for detecting pyrogens, resulting in the suffering and death of approximately 25,000 rabbits annually in the EU.
In June 2024, the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, a regulatory body responsible for overseeing the safety of medicines, adopted 57 revised texts in the European Pharmacopoeia. Drug developers will now be required to choose non-animal methods for assessing the pyrogenicity of their products. Among the available methods, the Monocyte Activation Test (MAT) has emerged as a highly reliable and accurate solution for pyrogen detection. This test is based on the response of human immune cells to pyrogens, offering greater sensitivity and reproducibility than the rabbit assay.
This decision marks a significant milestone in the transition away from animal-based testing methods. It is hoped that it will pave the way for the adoption of more innovative and reliable non-animal approaches across various scientific fields.
Regards Mark
300+ civil society groups urge EU to strengthen wolf protection, not weaken it
19 September 2024
The coalition is calling for a new proposal to downgrade the protection of wolves to be rejected, as well as for increased efforts to promote coexistence with large carnivores, and to safeguard decades of conservation success.
A large coalition of civil society and animal welfare organisations is calling on EU Member States to reject the European Commission’s proposal to downgrade wolf protection under the Bern Convention. Their status would be lowered from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’, if the Member States approve the change.
It’s speculated that the change is politically motivated, whilst any change to conservation status of wolves should be justified by rigorous scientific data.
Peaceful coexistence with large carnivores is possible. Raising awareness amongst citizens is key, by providing science-based education on the ecological and socio-economic benefits of wolves. We can also strengthen preventive measures such as the use of fences and sheepdogs and make them more accessible to farmers.
Proper protection of wolves should also be enforced, ensuring that illegal wolf hunting is eradicated and the EU’s Habitats Directive is upheld. This would support efforts made for the recovery of wolf populations in the EU, allowing them their natural place in European ecosystems.
The EU’s inhabitants of rural areas have also highlighted their broad support to protecting wolves and large carnivores: in a recent survey among 10,000 Europeans in 10 Member States, 68% stated that wolves should be strictly protected and 72% agreed that they have a right to co-exist.
According to media reports, there has been a lot of political pressure on Member States to accept the European Commission’s unscientific and politically motivated proposal. Wolves must remain strictly protected – not just for the sake of the species and science, but for the health of our ecosystems and the credibility of the European Union. If the EU wants to be a trusted ally of nature and a global leader, we must set the right example now.
European Environmental Bureau
Regards Mark
17 September 2024
Press Release
The new Commission, announced today, will include a Commissioner dedicated to Animal Welfare, in a move very positively welcomed by animal protection NGOs. This will allow for better prioritisation of the topic, in line with the demands of EU citizens.
Animal welfare will be included in the title of the new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, President Ursula von der Leyen announced today as she revealed the structure and nominees of the new College.
Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi has been nominated to take this role, subject to his approval in the EP hearing in the next weeks.
It is welcome to see that the competence of Animal Welfare remains under DG SANTE, ensuring a One Health approach that acknowledges the interlink between animal welfare, public health and the environment.
The ask for a Commissioner dedicated to Animal Welfare aligns with the collective voice of 310,000 citizens and over 200 MEPs in the 2019-24 term of the Parliament, and already over 100 MEPs in the new one, in a years-long EU for Animals campaign, led by Eurogroup for Animals’ member GAIA. The new Commissioner will be crucial in ensuring the delivery of the promised revision of the outdated EU animal welfare legislation.
The work of the new Commissioner responsible for Animal Welfare will also greatly interlink with that of other Commissioners – including that of nominee for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, who is expected to “bring to life the report and recommendations of Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture”. The report explicitly recommends a revision of animal welfare legislation by 2026 as well as a transition to cage-free systems.
It will also include working closely with the Commissioners responsible for Fisheries, Trade and Environment, among others, to ensure ambitious EU legislation that ensures high animal welfare standards in all relevant areas.
It is great to see that finally, the new Commission is listening to the demands of citizens, who have continuously asked for better EU laws to protect animal welfare. The inclusion of Animal Welfare in the title will ensure that this topic remains a priority in all relevant discussions and we expect the revision of the animal welfare legislation to be the first file to be dealt with.
Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals
Regards Mark
World Animals Voice 