Category: Farm Animals

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

New Zealand Live Export Ban – Another 2 Years Is Too Long; Demand A Ban NOW – E Mail The Government Here.

WAV Comment – we need to help SAFE (NZ) to get an immediate ban from the NZ government on the export of live animals.  Please take action and send your mail as per the link below – it only takes a minute or two, but will make a huge difference – Thanks.

Regards Mark

Ban on live export by sea announced!

On 14 April 2021, Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor announced a ban on the export of live animals by sea. The trade will be phased out over the next two years.

Please email the Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture to thank them for banning live export by sea and to demand that this ban be implemented immediately.

Take Action

Two years is too long – Demand an immediate ban on live export

This email will be sent directly to Rt Hon Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Minister of Agriculture Hon Damien O’Connor, and Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare) Hon Meka Whaitiri. You will also receive a copy for your records. Emails are public information ‒ if you would like any of your information withheld, please state this in your email.

This month, the New Zealand Government announced a ban on all livestock export by sea. More than 57,000 of you directly pleaded with our Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, asking them both for a ban on cruel live export – and our voices were heard.While this is a historic step forward, we are concerned about the tens of thousands of animals that will continue to suffer for the next two years during phase-out, as well as the animals that continue to be exported by air.
 
The Minister for Agriculture has said he could end this trade now and he’s chosen not to.

This isn’t good enough for animals, and it’s not good enough for us as campaigners. 

Help SAFE take action by emailing the Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture to thank them for banning live export by sea and to demand that this ban be implemented immediately.

TAKE ACTION:

Call for an IMMEDIATE Ban

Government moves to ban live export – SAFE | For Animals

Thanks and regards

Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

EU: EU’s farmed animal welfare rules need ‘serious and extensive review’.

EU’s farmed animal welfare rules need ‘serious and extensive review’

The European approach to animal welfare has recently been the subject of a renewed debate. The pandemic has stressed the importance of a strong and sustainable food system and highlighted the links between our health, ecosystems, supply chains, and consumption patterns. Notably the one with farmed animals.

COVID-19 and climate change have alerted us of the need for a systematic change in the treatment of animals, says Inês Ajuda, farmed animals programme leader at Eurogroup for Animals.

Polls across the block confirm our interest in the well-being of farmed animals.

“The welfare of farmed animals is a shared concern for Europeans and it is part of our shared identity to ensure that farmed animals have a life worth living,” says Olga Kikou, head of the charity Compassion in World Farming.

But animal welfare rules have not just come to the forefront during the pandemic and have been a hot topic for decades.

In the European Union, discussions started in the 80s, which led to the adoption of a series of directives to protect farm animals. But they are often criticised for being too vague.

The directives and recommendations advise on matters such as space, balanced diets, environment, and limitation of harmful procedures. But animal welfare laws vary across Europe with northern states generally more strict.

Globally, the animal welfare acquis should ensure they have good physical health, mental wellbeing, and the ability to carry out natural behaviour. But the current rules can be problematic.

“As current things stand, it is easy to have a vague interpretation of what the general farming directive means, and this can lead to serious problems for animal welfare,” says Ajuda.

Some companies do not comply with the directions, but what’s more important is that even when they do adhere, many irregularities occur because laws are so outdated.

For example, “there is no legislation requiring particular space or housing conditions for fish, or for transporters to provide for their welfare.”

Ajuda says science has considerably advanced since the rules were first established, so the “Animal Welfare acquis needs a serious and extensive review.”

The opportunity for change appears to be in the works

The European Green Deal has come to set core policy initiatives to make Europe climate neutral in 2050. A healthier and more sustainable EU food system is a cornerstone of this deal, and a special programme has been designed to achieve it, Farm to Fork.

The initiative has set an ambitious target for the European agriculture industry, which animal farming is considered an integral part of.

Good animal welfare standards have been shown to help reduce the dependence on excessive veterinary medication, which is also one of the key goals of the Farm to Fork strategy.

The extensive use of antibiotics is a concern because of the potential development of antibiotic resistance, which could compromise animal and human health.

When an animal is suffering from stress because it is, for example in a cage, like a mother pig that can’t properly interact with her piglets because she can’t turn around or reach them, “it usually leads to an impact on the immune system, which then leads to susceptibility, making them more prone to disease, and this means more antibiotic use,” says Ajuda, who is also a veterinarian.

The Farm to Fork strategy is calling for a review of the EU’s animal welfare legislation, which brings many promises to change current standards and ensure that the welfare of farmed animals is substantially improved.

“Phasing out cages is indeed one of the most pressing issues that require the EU’s attention. Another key issue the EU needs to tackle is the transport of live animals and their exports to third countries,” says Olga Kikou.

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Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

Brazil: Why 2022 Must See A New President Committed To Amazon Protection Elected.

I watched the following on the BBC last night – the ‘Our World’ is a series of special investigations and reports on issues of concern around the globe.  The Brazilian elections are to be held in 2022; and the current President, Bolsonaro; shows that he cares very little about protecting the magnificence of the Amazon rainforest.  To him, like many global politicians, the end game is all bout money and how much they can make; regardless of the destruction.

Justin Rowlatt (BBC) returns to the Amazon which he reported from a decade ago.  The report is very disturbing; as you can see in the video.  More than ever it is now time for a massive change to save the remaining Amazon and the indigenous peoples that live within it.  Despite what Bolsonaro says, it is not about gold, diamonds and the riches of the Amazon; it is about protecting the environment, the lungs of the planet and the people of the forest. 

Cattle ranching as the main farming system in the Amazon basin. Since the beginning of the colonization in the 1960s, around 15% of the Amazon forest has been removed through agricultural practices.

While there are many causes, one of the main causes is cattle ranching, particularly in Brazil. Trees are cut and the land is converted into a pasture for cattle grazing. According to one report, an estimated 70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon basin can be attributed to cattle ranching.

The environmental impact of meat production varies because of the wide variety of agricultural practices employed around the world. … Some of the environmental effects that have been associated with meat production are pollution through fossil fuel usage, animal methane, effluent waste, and water and land consumption.

Undercover of Covid, the Amazon rainforest is under attack. Deforestation is at levels not seen for more than a decade. Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, talks of opening up the forest to development while the environmental policy is under attack from loggers.

Our World obtained a recording of the Environment minister talking about using the cover of Covid to “change all the rules” in the Amazon. For Our World, Justin Rowlatt is on a mission to find out how a tribe he visited a decade ago is faring the face of this assault.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/02/revealed-amazon-deforestation-driven-global-greed-meat-brazil

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Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

UK: Government Minister Says – “We Must Be the Last Generation To Industrialise Animals”, and He promotes Veganism.

Vegan Conservatives welcome Business Secretary’s comments on growth of veganism | Vegan Conservatives

Vegan Conservatives welcome Business Secretary’s comments on growth of veganism

We must be the last generation to industrialise animals

The Vegan Conservatives group has welcomed Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s call for more people to give up animal products in order to meet the UK’s target of cutting carbon emissions by 78% by 2035.

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Kwarteng, the MP for Spelthorne, said, “There are challenges in terms of people changing their lifestyle, but that is happening already, without government legislation. The number of people who are vegans, who are reducing their meat intake, is going up all the time. I think that there is a lot of societal change that will actually help us and drive the progress to 2035, where hopefully we will hit the 78 per cent reduction target.”

It’s the strongest signal yet from the Government that it is impossible to address climate change without reducing meat and dairy consumption.

The industrialisation of meat and dairy contributes a triple whammy to the environment: the emissions and pollution created by the animals themselves, the destruction of forestry to feed and graze them, and the haulage and distribution involved. That’s not to mention the £6.1bn annual cost to the NHS, the loss of food sovereignty and the obvious welfare consequences of the industry.

Co-chairman of the Vegan Conservatives, Alison Knight says, “Kwasi Kwarteng is spot on with his call for more veganism in British society. Meat and dairy are environmentally-destructive and categorically not essential elements of a healthy diet and we should follow Canada’s lead in ignoring industry-sponsored “science” in formulating Government policy.

“The alternatives to cheap meat are better for health, better for the environment, better for growers, better for food security and better for the animals – not to mention reducing the risk of global pandemics.

So-called ‘clean meat’ and plant-based meats are on the rise and will be responsible for 35% and 25% of meat consumption respectively by 2040. The Vegan Conservatives are calling for the UK’s Industrial Strategy to include incubators, National Centres of Excellence and national prizes for discoveries and commercialisation, if Britain wants to lead in these areas.

Mrs Knight continues, “Veganism is not at all a political statement – it’s an ethical and pragmatic one. As Conservatives, we want to leave the world a better place than we found it.”

London Assembly Member Andrew Boff says, “Veganism is growing by itself, but were the Government to introduce incentives to drive it, set targets and nudge societal change, those climate targets start to look considerably easier.

“Switching to an electric car is an excellent step, but it’s much more effective to stop consuming animal products.”

Baroness Anne Jenkin says, “It needs to be really easy for people to make better choices. Anybody who has made the change already feels healthier and saves money, as well as knowing that they have cut carbon emissions, so it’s a win-win. As with tackling obesity, the Government needs to make sure that healthy choices become the default option.”

Co-chairman Graham Godwin-Pearson says, “Our grandchildren will look back and wonder why on earth people chose to consume animal products, knowing the cruelty and damage that these products caused.

“People still need to eat and so agricultural reorganisation and retraining is required but the Government can help by offering conversion grants for industrial animals farmers to switch to vertical farming, and for intensive fish farmers to switch to seaweed.

“We must be the last generation to industrialise animals.”

Regards Mark

Farm Animals

Alt Tellin, Germany: the Fukushima of meat industry

Alt Tellin: For the meat industry, the Alt Tellin fire is something like the Fukushima reactor disaster is for nuclear power.

In the pig breeding facility Alt Tellin (one of the largest in Europe), more than 55,000 animals perished in agony on March 30, 2021.  (https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2021/03/30/germany-hell-of-fire-in-europes-largest-pig-fattening/

There was no effective fire protection, the rescue services could not save anything from the stables, only 1,300 pigs were loaded back into the trucks alive and driven to the next slaughterhouse.

The stables were completely burned down.

The worst prognoses of the animal rights activists, even from the time before the establishment of the fattening plant in 2012, have been confirmed.
Because of attacks against the environment and animal welfare, there was then a court case as to whether the facility could be granted a permit.

101 violations alone were registered between 2011 and 2014, according to a response from the ministry to a request from the left-wing parliamentary group. Even then, that would have been enough to revoke the approval of the fattening operation.
During the trial, animal rights activists said that in the event of a fire it would be impossible to evacuate animals. The number of animals alone would not allow it and because the fire protection system of the fattening facility never worked anyway.

There had been repeated citizen protests and demonstrations against this form of factory farming because not only animals but entire regions suffered from the mega stables.

The stall was approved by the local council many years ago, despite many concerns and even an accompanying survey of citizens with rejection.

The stable complex (with 18 stalls) belongs to one of the largest pig breeding companies in Germany – Agricultural Piglet Breeding Germany (LFD) Holding. This was taken over by the Swiss company Terra Grundwerte AG in the previous year.

And now we read that it is a decided matter: the burned down mega-stable in Alt Tellin is to be rebuilt – and the politicians are selling the new business as a “model project with a nationwide model”, which wants to rebuild modern slave breeding with our tax money.

Now it’s no longer about the pain, now it’s about the anger, and it comes up dangerously!
The question is: who approved this?
It is said that the approval process was independent of the country.
In clear words: The approval documents were drawn up by another planning office commissioned by the Straathof company (do you remember him?).

That means: a permit for the new factory in Alt Tellin is feasible even without the involvement of the state, according to the Ministry of Agriculture!!

Now the Ministry of Agriculture has other worries anyway; is trying to get up to 3000 tons of carcasses into the landfill, but the costs are high, and therefore a cheap solution has to be found for the “hazardous waste”!

https://fb.watch/57-LcDD4pI/

Such animal factories have nothing to do with agriculture, they are just the business of unscrupulous farm owners and their lobbyists in politics.
We don’t need mega stables, we have to abolish factory farming.
It is no longer a matter of feeding one’s own population with it. Germany is the world champion exporter of pork.

It is always and only about criminal business, of criminal farm owners and their accomplices in politics at the expense of the animals
They must be banned, we will fight hard for this.

https://www.topagrar.com/schwein/news/auf-schweinezuchtanlage-in-alt-tellin-soll-stall-der-zukunft-enthaben-12531879.html

https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/Nachrichten/MV-aktuell/Alt-Tellin-Mega-Stall-soll-wieder-aufgebaut-haben-als-Musterbetrieb

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News

Fire at German Farm Likely Killed 55K Pigs

Pigs stand in front of a building after a fire broke out in a large pig farm in Alt Tellin, Germany, on Tuesday, March 30.

Pigs stand in front of a building after a fire broke out in a large pig farm in Alt Tellin, Germany, on Tuesday, March 30. Photo – Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP

Venus will probably have more on this from Germany later.  Probably the first time they have ever been outside and stood on grass !

Regards Mark

Fire at German Farm Likely Killed 55K Pigs

Some 7,000 sows and 50,000 piglets were listed as being at the facility at the time, and only about 1,300 animals were rescued.

Apr 1st, 2021

Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — A fire at a pig-breeding facility in northeastern Germany is believed to have killed more than 55,000 animals, the operator said Thursday.

The fire broke out on Tuesday at the facility in Alt Tellin, in Germany’s northeastern corner. It spread quickly, in part through ventilation shafts, and destroyed the stalls where the animals were kept.

A spokesman for operator LFD Holding, Ralf Beke-Bramkamp, told German news agency dpa that over 55,000 animals died. Some 7,000 sows and 50,000 piglets were listed as being at the facility at the time, and only about 1,300 animals were rescued.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear. Police spokesman Andrej Krosse said it was an “incredibly difficult” investigation and a drone was being used to survey the devastated site.

The Alt Tellin facility was one of the biggest of its kind in Germany. Groups of demonstrators, carrying placards with slogans such as “Stop animal torture,” gathered at the scene on Wednesday.

Fire at German Farm Likely Killed 55K Pigs | Manufacturing Business Technology (mbtmag.com)

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

Ireland: Introducing ‘Ethical Farming Ireland’ – A Voice For The Animals. Check Them Out.

Hi everyone;

Like us at WAV, Ethical Farming Ireland is into live animal transport – live exports; in a big way.

Below at the end of this post is a link to their site, which features many interesting articles for you to have a look at, and see the reality of very young calves being exported live from Ireland – something we have been personally very involved with in the past. 

PMAF Inv 7
PMAF Inv 5

Check out all our investigation work at  About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) – scroll down until you see the young calf pictures (as above); and you can read one of the investigation reports we produced (one of five) and which were presented to the EU in report form.

Here is the direct link to the aforementioned report if you wish to avoid visiting SAV; although we suggest a look as the site also covers many other campaign actions from the past:

Undercover investigation report link as presented to the EU (1 of 5 investigations):

Microsoft Word – JH.04.03.2010_REPORT on NON-COMPLIANCE with RESTING TIMES in relation to CONTROL POST at F-HEAUVILLE.doc (wordpress.com)

Here below is the EFI link:

Regards Mark

Ethical Farming Ireland

Ethical Farming Ireland

Ethical Farming Ireland – Campaigning for farm animals

 

 

Farm Animals, General News

USA: ‘Indigo’ – Joaquin Phoenix Speaks About ‘Los Angeles Animal Save’ To Help Rescue a Mother and Baby Cow From An L.A. slaughterhouse.

Thanks as always to Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ – Indigo | Our Compass (our-compass.org)

Regards Mark


“US Rejected”: Imagine having your entire life defined by how you will be used in death: the control, fear, and violence these gentle creatures experience at the hands of “humanity” is nothing short of depraved and an absolute, scathing indictment of human apathy disguised as normalized “humane” violence. SL

Source Nation Earth, Animal Save Movement, Veg World Magazine

One day after his best actor Academy Award win last year, Joaquin Phoenix joined Los Angeles Animal Save to help rescue a mother and baby cow from an L.A. slaughterhouse. He named them “Liberty” and “Indigo” after his beloved sister and nephew. 

Today, L.A. Animal Save released a short documentary by Earthlings filmmaker Shaun Monson – INDIGO – in which Phoenix speaks frankly about the rescue, and visits the cows at their new sanctuary home in an emotional reunion. “We spend one day each year paying homage to our planet, Earth Day, but the other 364 days, we consume with impunity,” Phoenix said. “It’s undeniable the detrimental impact that animal agriculture has on the environment.

This simple act of rescuing Liberty and Indigo…in some ways, it’s just as simple as sparing the lives of these creatures. But it’s also an acknowledgment of not only the destruction they feel at our hands but the environment as a whole. By our actions, we either have the choice to continue to destroy other beings and the environment, or we begin the process of reversing the damage that we’ve done.” 

The film premiered online today (April 22) and is available above or at https://youtu.be/eJ9iQLfeGBk 

A Q&A with the filmmakers aired following the premiere can be viewed at https://youtu.be/rd7xpy_8UMc





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Want to do more than go vegan? Help others to do so! Click below for nominal, or no, fees to vegan literature that you can use to convince others that veganism is the only compassionate route to being an animal friend:

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Farm Animals

 the dark secret in Kibbutz Lahav

• 01.03.2020

This investigation was carried out at the breeding facility and the pig slaughterhouse at Kibbutz Lahav
** New Covert Investigation 2020 **

This investigation was carried out at the breeding facility and the pig slaughterhouse at Kibbutz Lahav
Operating for about 60 years!

This historical record tells the reality in which the pigs live
And the variety of practices and experiences they go through to the last day of their lives.
Feel free to watch and learn about this industry
And of course anyone interested in making a change
And stop eating animals

Text and source: Glass Walls-https://www.facebook.com/Glass-Walls-1656635714569806/

And I mean…On the internet, we read …

The 10 best countries for vegans and vegetarians
India
Israel
Taiwan
Australia
Greece
Italy
Indonesia
Jamaica
Poland
Canada

we read on …”When it comes to pure vegan food, Israel could also be at the top. There is the highest per capita rate of vegans in the world and there are more and more.
Accordingly, the selection of vegan food and vegan restaurants is huge. As in other countries in the Middle East, falafel, hummus, couscous, and tabouli are part of everyday life and are vegan anyway”

On Facebook, we also read from Yair Netanyahu,  son of the country’s president:

“Have mercy on animals! Please don’t eat meat! 🐄🐐🐓גלו רחמים כלפי בעלי החיים! בבקשה אל תאכלו בשר!”

Most of the people in the country don’t know about such crimes or they just don’t care.

There are about 200,000 pigs on the land of the State of Israel killed for the pork industry in the same or a similar way.

Of course, German investments also show similar situations at German slaughterhouses.

But Germany is not even in eleventh place among the vegan countries.

And apart from that! The fact that the same animal torture happens elsewhere does not make the bad conditions in this country any better.

India, too, the first country on the list, is not on the right track and is becoming more and more capitalist and therefore worse and worse.

But Israel has received much praise from many media and animal welfare websites for the allegedly increased vegan awareness of the Israelis and is very often reported on the latest developments in animal welfare in the country

Apparently, it is purely media and travel- industry propaganda. This is how media propaganda works.

P.S: Following this investigation, a criminal complaint has been filed into the location.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

Vietnam: Lets Get Cam the Bear Out of His Bile Farm Cage Now – Please Donate If You Can.

As you read this, Cam is desperately waiting to get out of his tiny cage. He is trapped in a bile bear farm in Hai Phong province in Vietnam.  

When we visited him at the farm, he was pacing around in the cage, climbing up and down and biting the bars, trying everything to escape this sad and barren environment. 

We don’t know anything about his past but can see he is pretty young. He still has his whole life ahead of him. 

Without help, his life would consist of nothing but the bars of this cage.

Never getting the chance to feel the grass under his feet. Never climbing up a tree. Never playing with another bear. 

Together, we can rescue Cam 

Lets get Cam out:

Bear Cam needs our help! (four-paws.org)



Nothing would make us happier, than bringing him to our beautiful BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh. How excited would he be, when he discovers the huge outdoor enclosure for the first time? Experiencing all the lush vegetation, trees, climbing platforms and pools to swim in. Experiencing what a bear life can look like.

Mark, we can’t leave Cam behind, right? Will you help to free the young bear from his tiny cage?

Kind regards, 

The FOUR PAWS team

Lets get Cam out:

Bear Cam needs our help! (four-paws.org)

Regards Mark