Category: Environmental

Environmental, General News, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

Australia: Australian Government hides behind kill industry as EU considers kangaroo product ban.

24 October 2022

The Federal and New South Wales governments are being accused of turning a blind eye to the commercial killing of kangaroos, while Europe considers a ban on kangaroo meat and skin imports.

A New South Wales parliamentary report into the Health and Wellbeing of Kangaroos and other macropods examined the way the NSW government manages the commercial kangaroo industry, with the inquiry recommending there be greater transparency of kangaroo management plans, programs and practices.

“There was unanimous agreement from the inquiry that there was an appalling inability from both the NSW government and representatives from the commercial kangaroo industry to answer basic questions about their methods,” Kangaroos Alive co-founder Mick McIntyre said.

“Despite the inquiry handing down 23 recommendations to the New South Wales government, only two were accepted in full,” he added.

McIntyre said the inquiry proves Australia has dropped the ball when it comes to monitoring the commercial killing of kangaroos, missing an opportunity to get on the front foot to try to fix issues raised by this New South Wales parliamentary inquiry.

“The government will be left red faced over its dismissive response to the inquiry into kangaroos which found evidence of an unsustainable animal welfare crisis in the commercial kangaroo industry.”

Both the NSW and Federal Government were forced to admit that no one is monitoring this commercial killing at the point of kill and that no records are kept on the number of baby joeys killed each year.

“It is Australia’s shame that we cannot tell our colleagues in Europe how many baby joeys are killed each year in Australia within the commercial kangaroo industry. Nor can we have any faith in the so-called ‘codes of practice’ on kangaroo killing if no-one is monitoring how the animals are actually killed in the field.”

New evidence presented to the parliamentary inquiry shows that up to 40% of kangaroos killed in the commercial kangaroo industry are mis-shot and forced to die slow deaths from secondary trauma.

“The fact is, Europe will act first by banning the import of products, which will in turn cripple this industry,” he said.

A European Parliamentary committee will hold a parliamentary debate in Brussels this month to discuss petitions submitted by three European animal welfare organisations: LAV, World Animal Protection and Eurogroup for Animals. The petitions highlight the numerous issues raised by the kangaroo trade for animal welfare, consumer protection and the environment and call for a ban on imports.  

The NSW parliamentary inquiry heard new evidence shining a light on the number of areas in Australia that have declining kangaroo populations. Again the NSW government was unable to answer basic questions on why there were such big discrepancies in the kangaroo population numbers from one year to the next.

“Kangaroos are shot for their meat and the skins then exported, but it happens with little monitoring and now with new evidence that points to a massive loss of kangaroo bio-diversity, that’s going to be a problem for the European Union,” McIntyre said.

“Kangaroo body parts are sold across Europe and the US for pet food, sausages and soccer boots, but we are seeing push back against the inherently cruel slaughter.”

McIntyre says it is compelling that the European Parliament debate on the import of kangaroo products will coincide with World Kangaroo Day on October 24th.

“We are pleased this is happening on World Kangaroo Day, an international day of celebration. It’s sending a strong message that the EU cares about the future of our national icon.”

“EU countries are the largest importers of kangaroo products – for pet food, handbags and soccer boots.”

Australian export data shows the EU remains the first destination of Australian exports of kangaroo meat, with Belgium accounting for 775 tonnes or about a third of the total export.

“Supermarket giant Carrefour has already banned kangaroo meat from its stores, while luxury brands like Gucci, Prada and Versace have also stopped using kangaroo skins in their bags, belts and shoes because of the way the animals are killed.”

“English soccer icon David Beckham even stopped wearing Adidas shoes made from kangaroo skins after watching a video of a young joey and a mother being killed.”

McIntyre and other advocates from Kangaroos Alive and a coalition of 78 other animal welfare groups and NGOs from Europe will be observers at this important debate at the EU.

KA will also meet representatives of the Netherlands Government, as they are a country considering a national ban of kangaroo products.

The US could also follow suit. A bill presented to Congress has already proposed a ban on the sale of kangaroo products. It would mean major manufacturers of football boots, who are believed to buy hundreds of thousands of kangaroo skins a year, would need to find another way of making them.

Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinctions in the world, with 54 native animals becoming extinct and an additional 400 listed as threatened.

“Many Australians are appalled by Japan’s slaughter of whales and dolphins or Canada’s killing of fur seals, but what we are doing to our kangaroos is far worse than that,” McIntyre said.

“We need to learn to value these international icons and acknowledge that they are worth much more to Australia alive. Our tourist industry relies on them and World Kangaroo Day highlights this.

“It invites us all to stop and celebrate this magnificent icon alive.”

About World Kangaroo Day

Monday, 24 October 2022 is World Kangaroo Day. A day to celebrate one of the world’s great icons and recognise the importance of kangaroos to our nation. Despite the kangaroo being such an integral part of Australian culture they are also victims of the largest terrestrial wildlife slaughter in the world. Kangaroos Alive, the not-for-profit organisation behind World Kangaroo Day aims to rally support from around the world for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos.

Legendary Australian Test Cricketer Jason “Dizzy” Gillespie is lending his support as an ambassador.

The World Kangaroo Day Photo Competition has attracted hundreds entries. Professional and amateur photographers from across Australia have sent in photographs. Wildlife photographers Robert Irwin and Steve Parrish will judge the competition. The winner will be announced on WKD.

World Kangaroo Day is supported by Animals Australia, World Animal Protection, Australia Zoo, Animal Welfare Institute, IFAW, Eurogroup for Animals,  among other wildlife warriors.

 About Kangaroos Alive

Kangaroos Alive is a global movement for the ethical treatment of kangaroos. It is the brainchild of the producers of the award-winning film Kangaroo: A love hate story.

They joined forces with Diane Smith and Greg Keightley to create Kangaroos Alive, who provides funds for; emergency response and ongoing care for kangaroos injured from commercial shooters, fires, road and fence accidents. They have launched World Kangaroo Day to lobby for a moratorium on commercial kangaroo killing.

Read more at source

Kangaroos Alive

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

UK: Truss Meets Her Teutoberg – The Conservative General Who Fell On Her Own Sword. The Viper Who Ceases To Hiss.

Give me back my legions !

WAV Comment – On 5th September 2022 I posted the following:  Liz Truss, very bad for animal welfare and bad for the environment.

UK: Liz Truss, new UK Prime Minister – very bad for animal welfare, bad for the environment; and bad for the Conservative Party. – World Animals Voice

Well today, 20/10/22, Liz Truss was forced to resign by members of her own Conservative Party.

UK: Tin-eared Truss is about to embark on the greatest betrayal of animal rights imaginable. – World Animals Voice

She is officially the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history – resigning after just 44 days in office.  With our dinner tonight we made a toast to the environment and animal welfare; 2 issues that have not passed her lips since she was elected.  Is it me, or is the environment, global warming, the turmoil which results in so many nations at this very moment due to it, something which should really be at the forefront of political leaders in boxes ?

I am gonna have another drink later – I am so pleased to see her go; especially if she takes Rees Mogg with her, a foie gras production supporter (and no doubt eater) who hopefully will get his marching orders at the cabinet reshuffle which will take place as soon as the new PM is elected in just over a week.

Liz Truss has refused to enshrine animal welfare in trade deals, says minister | Animal welfare | The Guardian

England: Liz Truss has REFUSED to enshrine animal welfare in trade deals, says minister. – World Animals Voice

England: Liz Truss ‘has sewage on her hands’; Defra, Live Animal Exports, and …… – World Animals Voice

For the Brits; and being English I am one of them; environmental and animal welfare issues are big (maybe massive ?) vote winners; but this woman refused to see that, or even start to get a grip on them and the issues.  We carry on with our hardened battle campaigning for the badgers, live animals in transport, vivisection issues, factory farming and the rest.  We don’t come and go in a matter of just a few weeks – we are in for the long fights; however long the victories take to achieve.

So, now, Conservative MP’s are trembling at the thought of what the British public will do to them at the next General Election.  So now, more than ever, we have the opportunity to really turn up the gas with them on issues that we all care about – animal welfare and the environment.

THE Conservatives could face an electoral wipeout at the next general election, according to recent polling data.

A YouGov/Times poll published yesterday puts Labour some 33 points ahead of the Conservatives, understood to be the largest lead for Labour in any poll since 1998.

The poll puts Labour on 54 per cent, with the Conservatives down to just 21 per cent.

Another poll, by election forecaster Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now predicted that an imminent general election would see Labour win a majority of over 100 seats, while the Conservatives would be reduced to their lowest share of the national vote in history.

This is how the Conservatives could face a wipeout at next general election (yahoo.com)

So we battle on now after witnessing our opposition anti environment and anti animal welfare general fall on her own sword in London today.

I (Mark) personally have a great interest in (ancient) Roman military history.  The romans lost 3 entire legions (Legio XVII, Legio XVIII and Legio XIX) under the control of Publius Quinctilius Varus in AD 9; ambushed by Arminius, the leader of the Germanic tribes, in Germany, at a battle known as that of ‘Teutoberg Forest’ which is near the modern German town of Kalkriese.

The Romans hated the forests of Northern Europe, as their excellent fighting machines always won best in the wide, open lands of Southern Europe. The North European forests were a haunted danger to them. The fight in the Teutoberg forest which included the slaughter of Varus and his legions, led to the abandonment of any plans to transform Germnmania Magna into a province and which also resulted in the river Rhine acting as a border between the roman world and the German tribes.

Roman casualties have been estimated at 15,000–20,000 dead, and many of the officers were said to have taken their own lives by falling on their swords in the approved manner.  Tacitus wrote that many officers were sacrificed by the Germanic forces as part of their indigenous religious ceremonies, cooked in pots and their bones used for rituals.[37] Others were ransomed and some common soldiers appear to have been enslaved

Read more – Battle of the Teutoburg Forest – Wikipedia

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest | Summary, Facts, & Significance | Britannica

Finally, as the Germanic tribes sliced the tongues out of the Roman soldiers they had captured, they uttered the words:

‘At last, the viper has ceased to hiss’.

The animal rights / environmentalists gained a victory today, with the forced resignation of a viper – a ‘general’ of the Conservative armies that sit encamped in and around Downing Street, London. Waiting now for their massacre ? – time will tell.

Our battles have been long and drawn out for decades; our animal rights movement has tenacity, whilst politicians just come into senate and then go.

Today, one viper ceased to hiss any more; now the Conservatives must very seriously address the issues of animals and their rights and act to the positive; otherwise they will meet their own ‘Teutoberg’ massacre at the next UK general Election.

Regards Mark.

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: Meet the Animal Rebellion ‘Milk Pour’ Protesters You’ve Been Seeing All Over Twitter.

WAV comment: These guys acted for what they believe in – animal justice and the non abuse of animals in the dairy industry. They both have university degrees – Robert was actually arrested several times just after graduating from Uni of York, with a degree in Politics and International Relations, and Skylar the activist is actually a Uni of Sussex grad, having finished their BA in International Development with a first in 2020. Very intelligent activists; and if you want to see more on dairy abuse; then watch this, especially the end footage. Please, dont do dairy !:

One of them ‘had a nap and read Horrible Histories’ in jail

You’ll have seen it dominating your Twitter timeline over the weekend and, to be honest, you probably have 101 opinions about it. On Saturday (15th October), animal rights group Animal Rebellion staged a nationwide “milk-pour” in different high-end food shops across the UK.

Protestors in an Edinburgh Waitrose were the first to go viral, uniting Union Jack Twitter and… well, everyone else, alike. Young volunteers were seen opening bottles of milk and pouring them all over the floor, prompting people to raise questions about food waste and making more work for minimum-wage staff during the cost of living crisis.

These organised milk-pours also happened in London’s Harrods, Fortnum and Mason and Selfridges; as well as different Waitrose, Whole Foods and M&S stores around the country.

While Animal Rebellion has chosen to keep the identities of their volunteers anonymous, two of the demonstration’s organisers have since spoken out about its motives. Here’s everything you need to know about them:

Skylar Sharples

Skylar was among the Animal Rebellion protestors pouring milk in Harrods. They stood at the front of a meat counter and emptied glass bottles of milk onto the floor, before being escorted out. They later told the Daily Mail: “Supporters of Animal Rebellion are back acting because Liz Truss and Ranil Jayawardena (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) are again deciding to ignore calls to start building a better future.”

The activist is actually a Uni of Sussex grad, having finished their BA in International Development with a first in 2020. Before this, they actually *founded* the Sussex branch of Extinction Rebellion, volunteered for Greenpeace, and worked in Outreach for The Humane League.

Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon has been a vocal orchestrator and supporter of the nationwide milk-pouring. A hugely active member of Animal Rebellion, Robert was actually arrested several times just after graduating from Uni of York, with a degree in Politics and International Relations.

In 2021, he was arrested at McDonald’s Leicester Square for carrying out a “sleep-in” – a demonstration where protestors pitched tents outside the door. He was taken into custody for trespassing and spent five hours “napping and reading Horrible Histories”.

WAV -For overseas visitors – https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories

The volunteer has been incredibly open about his privilege in the past – citing his upbringing as one of the reasons the police haven’t treated him harshly. “I am fortunate that owing to my privileges as a well-spoken, straight white male my arrest experience was relatively pleasant… My mum used to be a criminal lawyer and regularly talks about instances of injustice and police brutality so she was more concerned for me but I assured her I was fine,” he wrote in a blog post.

Animal Rebellion: Meet the grads who organised the Milk Pour Protest (thetab.com)

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

USA: There’s a Big Difference Between Stealing and Rescue.”  Animal Activists Found ‘Not Guilty’ After Rescuing Pigs From Smithfield Factory Farm (Utah). Jury Unanimous In Its Verdict – A Big Day for ANTI AG GAG.
Hsiung and Picklesimer took two sick piglets from a farm in Utah in 2017 – MediSA: There’s a big difference between stealing and rescue.” Credit: Direct Action Everywhere
Hsiung and Picklesimer stood trial in the US

WAV Comment – A brilliant day for US activists. And the same day that Ag Gag is kicked into the dust.  Great that this means activists can enter facilities if they are getting evidence of animal abuse and cruelty.  Congats to all !

Animal Rights Activists Found Not Guilty After Rescuing Pigs From Smithfield Factory Farm

Wayne Hsiung said his and and Paul Darwin Picklesimer’s animal rescue trial is “a matter of conscience”

BY POLLY FOREMAN

Two animal rights activists who rescued pigs from a Smithfield meat factory farm have been acquitted after standing trial in the US.

Wayne Hsiung and Paul Darwin Picklesimer, who filmed themselves taking two sick piglets from a Utah farm in 2017, were facing burglary and theft charges. If found guilty, they risked a prison sentence of five years each. 

On Saturday night, the jury unanimously found them not guilty. Activists said the trial has set a “powerful precedent” for the right to rescue animals.

Hsiung, an attorney who represented himself, told the jury in his closing statement: “I don’t actually want you to acquit us on a legal technicality. I want you to acquit us as a matter of conscience. There’s a big difference between stealing and rescue.” 

The rescue

In 2017, Hsiung and Picklesimer entered Circle Four Farms in Utah. The farm is one of the United States’ largest pork producers, processing one million pigs a year. They were investigating the use of gestation crates, which Smithfield promised to ban back in 2007. 

When they entered the farm, they saw “row after row” of the cages. These two foot by seven foot metal stalls offered the pigs no room to turn around. The animals could spend up to five years of their life in them while pregnant. 

The two pigs they rescued, later named Lizzie and Lily, are still alive today. Hsiung previously said in an interview that the pigs were ill and close to dying when they found them. 

The trial

Hsiung and Picklesimer filmed the conditions on the farm, but the footage wasn’t allowed to be used in the trial due to the fact that it may have caused “horror” to the jury. 

The activists claimed this was a violation of their constitutional rights and is part of a broader pattern of undue corporate influence.

Hsuing previously stated that the FBI, dozens of agents, and attorneys tried to prosecute the case “for years.” This is despite the fact that the commercial value of each piglet was around $42.20. The FBI were sent to raid sanctuaries in search of Lily and Lizzie after they were rescued. 

“State and federal authorities have consistently shielded factory farms from transparency and accountability,” said Matthew Strugar, a constitutional lawyer involved in all successful efforts to overturn “ag-gag” statutes. 

“In nearly two decades of legal work, this case is one of the most egregious I’ve seen, in terms of denying defendants’ constitutional right to a rigorous defense.”

Regards Mark

Previous posts:

USA: Animal rights whistleblowers stand trial as supporters rally outside Utah courthouse. – World Animals Voice

USA: Iowa State Finally Sees Sense And Strikes Down ‘Ag Gag’ Law. Animal Cruelty Investigators Can Now Do Their Work. – World Animals Voice

Animal Rights Activists Found Not Guilty After Rescuing Pigs From Smithfield Factory Farm (plantbasednews.org)

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: ‘Hogwood’ Is Now On Netflix – Watch The Trailer Here Plus More Info On This Campaign To Read.

Hogwood is now on Netflix!

Dear Mark,

Since Hogwood: a modern horror story launched in 2020, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring this incredibly important film to an even wider audience.  

We can now confirm that Hogwood is live on Netflix, having premiered on Saturday 15th October 2022!🎉 

Joining the world’s largest streaming service will allow Hogwood to reach millions more people and show that we need to End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us.

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for your ongoing support and for helping us to share Hogwood with the world.  

Presented by Jerome Flynn

Jerome originally shot to fame as one half of pop duo Robson & Jerome and is now best known for his role as Bronn in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Other roles include Bennet Drake in Ripper Street and Paddy Garvey of the King’s Fusiliers in the ITV series Soldier Soldier.

“It is an honour to be presenting this very important film. After seeing the horrendous conditions and animal abuse that is happening behind Hogwood’s walls I had to do something. The pigs of Hogwood aren’t just meat products, they are sensitive, emotionally aware beings just like us and they deserve better than this.”

Running at just over 30 minutes, HOGWOOD explores the reasons behind factory farming and exposes the negligence and inaction by government bodies and corporations alike. It highlights how meat pollutes our planet and puts us at risk from disease outbreak. It explores why factory farming is supported and follows the brave fight to expose the truth and change the world.

The documentary centres around a seemingly idyllic pig farm, named Hogwood. Jerome Flynn opens the documentary against the picturesque backdrop of rural England, just minutes away from Hogwood Farm. He tells the captivating tale of HOGWOOD and how it came to be one of the most infamous pig farms in the UK. His narrative is intertwined with undercover footage and interviews with investigators and activists representing the animal welfare group Viva! — who spearheaded the campaign. The film goes onto feature interviews with a livestock vet speaking out about her horrific on-the-job experiences for the first time. It concludes with expert comment from GP and public health expert, Dr Josh Cullimore and Oxford University researcher Joseph Poore.

Directed by Tony Wardle 

“I have been producing investigative documentaries for many years and no film has been more harrowing than HOGWOOD. The name ‘a modern horror story’ could not be more apt; there are modern horror stories taking place each day in the British countryside. Not only are these horrors hidden from sight, but they are endorsed by huge corporations and the Government. That is why this film had to be made — because the public has a right to see what takes place beyond the factory farm walls.”

Viva! investigated Hogwood pig farm four times from 2017 to 2019. Year after year, we recorded a catalogue of cruelty including extreme overcrowding, routine mutilation, sick and dying pigs abandoned in gangways, painful lacerations and live cannibalism. This was one of our biggest campaigns to date and with your overwhelming support, Red Tractor and Tesco finally dropped Hogwood. Like many of our supporters, we couldn’t help but think about the pigs trapped inside Hogwood. We know that Hogwood is a typical pig farm; these conditions are enforced and supported by huge corporations and government bodies alike. We realised that Hogwood is part of a bigger story, one that aims to end factory farming for good — and so we created HOGWOOD: a modern horror story. Now we need your help to get this film seen by the masses.

Viva! has investigated Hogwood pig farm four times from 2017 to 2019. Hogwood  was a Red Tractor approved farm, supplying supermarket giant Tesco, and major food producer Cranswick plc, supposedly representing the best of British farming.

In 2019, Hogwood farm was dropped by Tesco, Cranswick plc and Red Tractor. Despite this landslide victory, it remains the most disturbing and harrowing investigation of them all.

Each person who has seen the investigation footage had a powerful reaction and so Viva! crowdfunded to produce the documentary, smashing their target and raising over £10,000 in the first 24 hours alone.

HOGWOOD has already sent ripples throughout the animal agriculture industry. It sparked a nationwide Day of Action where thousands of people came together to protest outside 150 Tesco stores. Over 70,000 people signed a petition urging Tesco to drop Hogwood. It became one of Viva!’s most far-reaching campaigns to date.

Running at just over 30 minutes long, HOGWOOD takes you beyond the factory farm walls. It is the culmination of months of investigative work by the Viva! team who worked tirelessly to expose the kind of unspeakable cruelty to animals many mistakenly think we have consigned to the history books.

HOGWOOD is narrated by Jerome Flynn, the Game of Thrones star who shot to fame as one half of Robson and Jerome. He tells the captivating tale of Hogwood, intertwined with interviews with the intrepid Viva! investigators and with expert comment from GP and public health expert Dr Josh Cullimore, pig vet Dr Alice Brough and Oxford University environmental researcher Joseph Poore.

HOGWOOD is set to launch on March 26 at the Houses of Commons. The launch will be followed by a Q&A with Jerome Flynn, Labour MP Christina Rees, Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale, and the producers of the film.

Juliet
Founder and Director

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

EU: World Octopus Day: NGOs unite to call for EU ban on cruel octopus factory farming.

8 October 2022

NGOs from all over the world have joined forces this World Octopus Day (8 October 2022) to call on the EU to ban the cruel and environmentally damaging practice of octopus farming.

Eurogroup for Animals and 36 other NGOs have written a joint letter to the European Commission warning that octopuses are ‘profoundly unsuited to farming and there are serious sustainability and animal welfare problems associated with the development of such an industry’. It also points out that allowing this practice would be in conflict with the EU’s own strategy on sustainable food production and calls for a ban on the importation of farmed octopus products.

The move follows announcements by company Nueva Pescanova that it plans to open the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. These plans sparked worldwide outrage when they were revealed last year.

A powerful report, Octopus Farming – A Recipe for Disaster, released by Compassion in World Farming, shows how octopuses are highly intelligent and sentient wild animals who would suffer greatly in unnatural factory farm conditions. Solitary in nature, these fascinating animals generally live and hunt on their own. Confining them to underwater tanks would also lead to high levels of stress which could lead to aggression or even cannibalism.

In addition, the cost of farming octopus to the environment would be high and unsustainable. Octopuses are carnivorous animals that would need to be fed huge amounts of human edible fish products just to be kept alive before their slaughter. In fact, to produce one kilo of octopus meat, three kilos of marine life would be needed as feed, leading to more over-fishing and pressure on other marine environments.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament adopted MEP Clara Aguilera’s report on “Striving for a sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture: the way forward”. This vote was a missed opportunity to call for a ban on introducing new carnivorous species, such as octopus, into industrial farming systems.

This World Octopus Day, we should be celebrating these incredible wild animals rather than allowing them to be confined in an underwater factory farm. It’s time to end factory farming – not expand it. Octopuses are highly intelligent, sentient beings that feel pain and distress. They should never be forced together in factory farms while other sea life is decimated in order to rear them. The EU must ban the farming of octopuses and other cephalopods to ensure this cruel practice cannot be developed.

Elena Lara, Research Manager at Compassion in World Farming

To mark World Octopus Day, Eurogroup for Animals is co-hosting an online event with In Defense of Animals, Animal Save Movement and Plant Based Treaty, including a virtual book talk with author of The Soul of an Octopus, Sy Montgomery on Saturday, October 8 at 18:00 CEST.

Regards Mark