Five Myths About Dairy–Busted
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Category: Farm Animals
Livestock vessel Queen Hind capsized off Romania, leading to the deaths of more than 14,000 sheep. Photograph: Animals International
Read our posts on the Romanian live export situation at:
Search Results for “romania live export” – World Animals Voice
WAV Comment – the situation is not un expected; “Romania has been accused of “complete silence” over its investigation into the sinking of the Queen Hind last November, which resulted in the deaths of more than 14,000 sheep”.
We have reported on some Romanian ‘baddies’ in the past – Romania: Portrays Himself As ‘Jeckyll’, The Child Lover; But In Reality He Is ‘Hyde’ – The Mass Animal Killer. – World Animals Voice
But there are some great Romanian animal welfare campaigner friends fighting continuously for the animals; such as a special lady and friend; Carmen.
Remember the name – Carmen Arsene.- a wonderful lady and campaigner who never stops fighting for animals !
Romania: Animal welfare round table – YouTube
Carmen Arsene, president of the National Federation for Animal Protection in Romania, Ruud Tombrock, Europe director of World Animal Protection and Dr. Marlene Wartenberg, animal welfare strategic consultant (Four Paws) discuss the situation in Romania, where corruption and criminal activities in connection with brutality is becoming a health threat to Romanians. Interviewed by EU Reporter’s Strasbourg correspondent, Peter von Kohl (DK).
Regards Mark
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Romania accused of ‘silence’ over ship that capsized killing 14,000 sheep
An investigation into the Queen Hind sinking a year ago is yet to be published and the live export trade continues to boom
Romania has been accused of “complete silence” over its investigation into the sinking of the Queen Hind last November, which resulted in the deaths of more than 14,000 sheep.
Rescuers who rushed to the sinking Queen Hind vessel, which left Romania’s Black Sea port of Midia a year ago, managed to save just 228 sheep out of a total 14,600, but only 180 ultimately survived the ordeal.
Romania’s prime minister Ludovic Orban vowed on television last year to end live exports in the “medium-term”. However, since the Queen Hind disaster more than 2 million live animals have been exported from Romania – mostly to north Africa and the Middle East.
Romanian authorities have claimed the vessel was 10% below capacity and that the animals were “clinically healthy and fit for transport”. But campaigners say the vessel was overloaded and this ultimately led to the thousands of sheep drowning in the Black Sea.
The only information to emerge since the sinking has been the discovery of secret compartments onboard with dead animals inside, by the company hired to remove the ship from the water.
Romania’s transport ministry told the Guardian this week that investigations are concluded and said a summary of the report will be published on the ministry’s website. They also said that the purpose of the technical investigation was to establish maritime safety issues and to prevent future accidents, and “not to establish guilt in people involved”.
EU law stipulates that investigations into maritime accidents should be reported in full within 12 months, but that if a final report is not possible in that timeframe, then “an interim report shall be published within 12 months of the date” of the event.
“They promised a cross-check investigation to find out what happened, and since then – complete silence,” said Gabriel Paun, EU director at Animals International.
The Guardian contacted MGM Marine Shipping, the management company behind the Queen Hind, and they denied any knowledge of secret decks. They said company procedures hadn’t changed since the disaster.
“Nothing has changed, I don’t want to talk any more about this vessel – I want to forget about it,” a company representative said in a telephone call before hanging up.
A European commission audit on Romania between September and October last year, which aimed to evaluate animal welfare during transport by livestock vessels to non-EU countries, raised multiple concerns, including “a general lack of records in the system of controls to ensure animal welfare during transport by sea to non-EU countries”.
“There is no evidence of checks confirming that the animals are fit to continue the journey. The absence of documented procedures, records and support to official veterinarians in checking vessels provide little assurances on the effectiveness of most controls carried out,” the report said.
“The Queen Hind was an iconic example of the intrinsic failures of the system,” said Reineke Hameleers, CEO of Brussels-based Eurogroup for Animals, an EU umbrella group for animal advocacy organisations. “The EU likes to pride itself as a global animal welfare leader, but it still makes its hands dirty with this cruel industry.”
A Guardian investigation found that livestock vessels are twice as likely to suffer a “total loss” from sinking or grounding as standard cargo vessels. Livestock ships are often old and originally built for other purposes before being converted to carry animals. The Queen Hind was 39 years old at the time of the disaster.
Mary Pana, president of the association of cattle, sheep and pig breeders and exporters in Romania, said: “EU competition with Australia and New Zealand is acute.”
“Naval accidents have happened to us and to them. But these are accidents … I trust the EC [European commission] will find an efficient way to change the current legislation so that the animals have superior welfare conditions for breeding, transport, and slaughter,” Pana said.
Campaigners have complained that since the disaster little has changed to improve animal welfare standards for live exports.
“These are not five-star cruises,” said Paun. “I’ve spent time on cargo ships and conditions cannot be improved – there are always an enormous amount of problems that occur, and there is not one single [long-haul] shipment where there are no animals dying.”
Vasile Deac, a veterinarian and owner of a live export company, said a ban on live exports would harm the livelihoods of Romanian farmers.
“The live animal export trade is very important for Romanian farmers,” Deac said. “If there was no live export market farmers wouldn’t have anywhere to sell their animals and it would be a big loss for them.”
“As an exporter it’s very important for me to see the ships that the animals are exported on,” he said. “The Queen Hind was an accident, it wasn’t done intentionally.”
Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the best farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. You can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com
View all our Danish mink articles at Search Results for “denmark mink” – World Animals Voice
WAV Comment – “Denmark’s health ministry said last week that the C5 mink variant was “very likely extinct”. Well what else would you expect ? – time will tell over the coming weeks and months. Denmark is the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, and so we would expect nothing but an ‘all is ok, no need to worry’ from the health ministry.
By the way, we have still NOT had any response from the Danish Ambassador in London re our letter of the Danish mink cull situation. See:
We wonder why ? – do they not have answers or are things just so jumbled and up in the air, despite what the health ministry says ?
We also say ‘Karma’ – Denmark is now reaping what it sowed years ago by becoming involved with the fur trade. We have no sympathy.
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Escaped infected Danish mink could spread Covid in wild
Scientists fear fur farm animals in wild could create ‘lasting’ Covid reservoir that could then spread back to humans
Escaped mink carrying the virus that causes Covid-19 could potentially infect Denmark’s wild animals, raising fears of a permanent Sars-CoV-2 reservoir from which new virus variants could be reintroduced to humans.
Denmark, the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, announced in early November that it would cull the country’s farmed mink after discovering a mutated version of the virus that could have jeopardised the efficacy of future vaccines.
Around 10 million mink have been killed to date. Fur industry sources expect the fur from the remaining 5 million to 7 million mink will be sold.
A number of Covid mink variants were identified by Denmark’s state-owned research body the Statens Serum Institut, but only one, known as C5, raised vaccine efficacy concerns. However, Denmark’s health ministry said last week that the C5 mink variant was “very likely extinct”.
Mink are known to regularly escape fur farms and the risk that infected mink are now in the wild was confirmed on Thursday.
“Every year, a few thousand mink escape. We know that because they are an invasive species and every year hunters and trappers kill a few thousand wild mink. The population of escaped mink is quite stable,” said Sten Mortensen, veterinary research manager at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
This year, Mortensen said, there was a risk that about 5% of the minks that escaped from farms were infected with Covid-19.
The risk of the escapees infecting other animals was low, he said, because mink were “very solitary creatures”. But, if they did, the animals most likely to catch the virus would include wild animals such as ferrets and raccoon dogs and “susceptible domestic animals” such as cats.
The most likely transmission route, he said, would be by an animal eating an infected mink or via their faeces.
Mink do not normally die from Covid-19, he added. “Once a mink has had Covid it usually recovers well. Some might have a few days of respiratory difficulty, but most recover and develop immunity.”
The risk of Sars-CoV-2 moving into wild populations has drawn concern from other scientists. Prof Joanne Santini, a microbiologist at University College London, said that, once in the wild, “it will become extremely difficult to control its further spread to animals and then back to humans”.
Transmission to the wild meant “the virus could broaden its host-range [and] infect other species of animals that it wouldn’t ordinarily be able to infect”, Santini said.
Prof Marion Koopmans, head of viroscience at Rotterdam’s Erasmus University, in an email to the Guardian, said: “Sars-CoV-2 could potentially continue to circulate in large-scale farms or be introduced to escaped and wild mustelids [weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks, and wolverines] or other wildlife” and then “in theory, as avian flu and swine influenza viruses do, continue to evolve in their animal hosts, constituting a permanent pandemic threat to humans and animals.”
In the US, there are hopes a mink vaccine will soon be ready. Dr John Easley, vet and research director at the Fur Commission USA said he hoped “one of three vaccine possibilities” would be available by spring for mink farmers in the US and beyond.
However, a mink vaccine is a contentious issue for animal welfare organisations. “Instead of dealing with the fact that the appalling conditions of high-volume, low-welfare fur farming make mink so vulnerable to disease in the first place, it’s easier to distract everyone with talk of a vaccine that could be used like a yearly sticking plaster to compensate for the consequences of those poor welfare conditions,” said Wendy Higgins of Humane Society International.
Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the best farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. You can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com
Brilliant articles as always: Guardian, London.
https://nspca.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/nspca-live-export.mp4?_=1
THEY NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER
It has been a long and trying year as we continue to fight against a trade that is inherently cruel.
We have lost battles and we have won some, but the war is far from over ….
On 06 August 2020, the National Council of SPCAs was back in the Grahamstown High Court fighting to interdict the impending export of live animals by sea to the Middle East. On 25 August 2020 Acting Judge Dukada handed down an order, allowing the Kuwaiti exporters, Al Mawashi and KLTT, to export no more than 56,000 sheep over the equator on the Al Messilah vessel in the hottest month of the year.
Acting Judge Dukada also ordered the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to monitor the loading process and provide reports to the court – this is the same Department that the NSPCA has laid animal cruelty charges against in previous shipments.
The Al Messilah, filled with some 51000 sheep, left South Africa on the 05 September 2020. A further two criminal dockets were opened against the exporters and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
In October 2020 written reasons for Acting Judge Dukada’s order was received from the Grahamstown High Court. The application was not dismissed nor granted, it seems to have been an impractical compromise. Furthermore, in his judgement, Acting Judge Dukada stated that the NSPCA had ignored the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) – Specifically, chapter 7.2 of the OIE Standards Transport of Animals by Sea. These guidelines are not even recognized as international law by the very body who developed them. These guidelines are in place as bare, minimum “recommendations” for countries which do not have adequate legislation for the protection of animals.
The Acting Judge further stated that Al Mawashi and LTTC would be expected to adhere to this ‘law’ during the loading and transportation of the animals aboard their vessel. This, however, was not the case as these basic guidelines were still observed to be disregarded by members of Al Mawashi and LTTC. It is interesting to note that the Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF) who opposed the NSPCAs application has now launched a contempt of court application against the South African Government for not following the Acting Judge Dukada’s directives.
The NSPCAs’ legal team launched an application for leave to appeal Acting Judge Dukada’s order which was heard on 06 November 2020 and then declined by the Acting Judge Dukada On 17 October 2020. The NSPCA is left with no choice but to approach the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
It has been a long and trying year for the NSPCA as we continue to fight against a trade that is inherently cruel. The undeniable suffering that these animals experience during these journeys to the Middle East is both unnecessary and unacceptable.
Unfortunately, this appeal process is a very costly battle as we continue to pursue the ban of live export.
We need YOUR help to protect these animals from unnecessary suffering.
YOUR support can help us win this fight and leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren for a much kinder world!
Donate to the NSPCA –
Donate to The National Council of SPCAs | Donation Details for NSPCA
Read lots more about live exports to the Middle East by clicking on this link: ‘The Journey So Far’ –
The NSPCA’s Battle Against the Live Export of Animals to the Middle East
First cases of COVID-19 in Polish mink
26 November 2020
Polish scientists have identifies the first cases of coronavirus in mink at a farm in the north of the country.
The Medical University of Gdansk said that eight animals were found to be infected at a breeding farm in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Poland, a major producer of mink fur, started coronavirus tests among its farmed mink and workers this month after a mutation of the virus was found in Denmark.
Veterinary and sanitary authorities in Poland said last week that 18 coronavirus cases had been identifies among mink farmworkers since the start of the pandemic, but it was unlikely that to have been spread by the animals.
“The obtained results indicate the possibility of transmission of the virus from humans to minks,” the Medical University of Gdansk said in a statement.
Poland is the world’s third-largest fur producer after China and Denmark, according to animal rights groups that are campaigning for an end to breeding animals like mink for fur.
Read more at source
WAV Past posts on Polish fur:
Hungary Bans Fur Farming Of Minks, Foxes And Ferrets Due To ‘Public Health Concerns’ Amid COIVD-19
The announcement follows a slew of COVID-19 outbreaks on mink fur farms across the globe
Hungary has announced a ban on mink fur farming due to ‘public health concerns of zoonotic diseases’.
The ban also includes the farming of foxes, polecats/ferrets, and coypu. However, it does not include chinchilla.
The news follows COVID-19 outbreaks on slew of mink fur farms across the globe. Reports now suggest the COVID-19 variant found on a Danish mink fur farm could spark a new coronavirus pandemic.
‘A good outcome for human health’
Dr. Joanna Swabe is the senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe.
In a statement sent to Plant Based News she ‘applaued’ the Hungarian government for enacting the ban.
Swabe said: “Although these species are not currently farmed for fur in the country… This ban is more than just symbol politics. There’s a very real and present danger that fur farmers from elsewhere in Europe may attempt to move their operations to Hungary.
“This is a precautionary measure that shuts the door to that happening. [It] is a good outcome for human health and animal welfare.”
‘Make fur farming history’
Moreover, Swabe points out the ban ‘fails’ to include chinchila, who ‘could also be susceptible to viruses’.
She added: “As long as the animal exploitation of fur farming is tolerated, the potential for reservoirs of animal to human pathogens will persist….
“HSI hopes that the Hungarian government will also consider strengthening its ban by shutting down the country’s chinchilla fur farms too, and make fur farming history in Hungary.”
Please watch the video from AA by clicking on the following:
Donate now. Give your Christmas gift to animals (animalsaustralia.org)
Fur industry faces uncertain future due to Covid
By Adrienne Murray
Business reporter, Copenhagen
Europe’s fur industry is back in the spotlight after Denmark’s mass culling of millions of mink following an outbreak of coronavirus at farms in the country.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that all mink would be slaughtered. Denmark is the world’s biggest mink producer, farming up to 17 million of the animals, and Covid has swept through a quarter of its 1,000 mink farms.
Officials say this “reservoir” of disease poses a significant health risk for humans, and worry that mutations detected in mink-related strains of the virus might compromise a future vaccine.
But images of mink mass graves and farmers in tears were followed by outcry after the government admitted its order had no legal basis. The agriculture minister has since resigned. On Saturday hundreds of tractors drove into central Copenhagen to protest about the handling of the crisis. There have also been protests in the cities of Aalborg and Aarhus.
The proposed ban on mink farming until 2022 now has parliamentary backing but negotiations over compensation are dragging out.
- Denmark shaken by cull of millions of mink
- What’s the science behind mink and coronavirus?
- Coronavirus: Calls to shut down ‘dirty fur trade’
Authorities say all 288 infected herds have been killed and they have put down approximately 10 million animals. It is believed the majority of remaining mink on farms where no infection was detected have also been killed. In a short while, Denmark’s fur industry has almost been wiped out. Around 6,000 jobs are at risk.
“It is a de facto permanent closure and liquidation of the fur industry,” said Danish Mink Breeders Association chairman Tage Pedersen in a statement. “This affects not only the mink breeders, but entire communities.”
Mink farmer Per Thyrrestrup doubts business will ever come back: “To have the same quality of the skins, to have the same colour – it’s going to be 15 to 20 years before that’s possible.”
The world’s largest fur auction house, Kopenhagen Fur, has also announced a “controlled shutdown” over two to three years until this season’s pelts and older stockpiles are sold.
Thousands of buyers, mostly from China, once flocked to auctions held in the Danish capital. It has been a giant in the business, trading 25 million Danish and foreign furs last year.
But even before the pandemic struck, there were signs it was struggling.
A decade ago trade boomed, fuelled by an appetite for luxury goods as Chinese incomes grew. In 2013, Kopenhagen Fur sold about $2bn (£1.5bn) of furs, with global mink production worth $4.3bn.
Mink pelts then cost over $90 (£69) each, but the bubble burst and last year skins fetched only a third of that. Local farmers have struggled to make money – and it is a pattern seen elsewhere. China is by far the biggest fur importer, but it is a major producer too.
Else Skjold, head of fashion at the Royal Danish Academy, says this competition has driven prices down: “A lot of new farmers went into the market and so there was simply an overflow of fur.”
There’s also significant fur farming across Europe. In 2018 there were 4,350 fur farms in 24 European countries, says industry group Fur Europe. Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, Lithuania and Greece are the biggest producers after Denmark – though the US, Canada and Russia also operate farms.
Since the cull began prices have shot up. “People were concerned that there might be a shortage,” says Mark Oaten, chief executive of the International Fur Federation (IFF). Denmark accounts for at least a quarter of the global mink trade.
Continue reading this on Sht 2
Continue reading “Fur Industry Faces Uncertain Future Due to Covid.”
WAV Comment – Like so many live animal transport issues which is always backed up by hard evidence; the EU ignores the same and continues to live up with the fairies on another planet. Over 8 years ago this issue was covered by NGO’s in Argentina; and the EU has not acted. What is the point of the EU we ask ?
Horsemeat imports in regular breach of EU rules
25 November 2020
Today, the Animal Welfare Foundation, supported by other NGOs, released a new documentary underlining animal welfare abuses in the production of Argentinian horsemeat. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by our report, this is not an isolated case.
The documentary, entitled “A Web of Lies”, (click on title to see video) reveals that eight years after the first investigation carried out by NGOs in Argentina, the severe abuses and neglect of horses destined for slaughter continue, despite claims that the situation has improved. The film also puts the spotlight on key shortcomings in ensuring the traceability of the horses.
Similar issues can be witnessed in several countries providing horsemeat to the EU, like Australia, Uruguay and Canada. Consumption and trade of horsemeat in the EU has overall declined between 2000 and 2015; yet, since 2017, EU imports of horsemeat from foreign countries have started to grow again, especially from Argentina.
It is thus high time for the European Commission to address the concerns around these imports.
Eurogroup for Animals launches today a report presenting an overview on animal welfare and traceability-related issues encountered in key producing countries. The report puts forward the following recommendations in order to ensure better equine protection:
- All imported equine meat must comply with EU animal welfare standards at slaughter (which are currently the only applicable animal welfare requirements for imported meat).
- All imported equine meat should also respect other animal welfare standards applied in EU horse meat production (e.g. related to transport, in assembly centres and in horse feedlots). This means trade agreements should contain provisions on conditional liberalisation of horse meat imports (e.g. liberalised access to the EU market would be contingent on meeting equivalent welfare standards).
- Suspension of imports from countries if EU audits demonstrate a lack of enforcement of the applicable provisions of the regulation on welfare at the time of killing and traceability requirements.
- Allowing for the possibility of unannounced audits.
- Suspension of imports (e.g. from Mexico and Brazil) are not reversed unless the production meets the required EU animal welfare standards as confirmed by EU audits.
- Working to improve equine welfare outside the EU through cooperation on animal welfare with relevant partner countries (at present Argentina, Australia and Canada), using technical assistance where required.
- Greater traceability of horse meat products by introducing Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) for fresh and frozen equine meat.
- Reduced consumption of equine meat and derived products (through member organisations reaching out to retailers and consumers).
WAV Comment: Just shows; even with all the evidence; how bloody useless the EU is.
Live export from Europe to third countries is booming despite tragedies
23 November 2020
Animals International
Press Release
1 year after the live export vessel MV Queen Hind capsised killing thousands of sheep no one is held responsible. Eurogroup for Animals and Animals International, its member organisation in Romania, today remember the thousands of sheep who endured the most horrible death a year ago in the Romanian harbour of Midia.
For immediate release: Brussels, Bucharest 24 November 2020
The tragic anniversary is the opportunity to remind the lack of action by the Romanian Government and the EU Commission which led this barbaric trade to continue, with over 4 millions cattle, sheep and goats being shipped in despicable conditions to countries where animal welfare doesn’t meet the European standards.
Romania alone experienced a major raise in live animal exports since the Queen Hind capsised, with more than 2 million animals leaving the country by sea to reach North Africa and the Middle East, a journey that may take up to three weeks.
While Romanian authorities insist that the density was 10% less than usual, the company hired to take the ship out of the water found secret decks with extra animals that were not part of the official vessel documents. The Romanian Government has not published their conclusions on the incident’s investigation.
The Queen Hind was overloaded, and animals were sentenced to an unavoidable death caused by greed and corruption. The Romanian Government has made no step forward to end live export and has also failed to progress in its commitment to work towards phasing out the trade.
Commented Gabriel Paun, EU Director of Animals International.
Temperatures in the Gulf may reach 50 degrees Celsius in the shade. Despite evidence of Romanian sheep suffering extreme heat stress, in July the Romanian Parliament passed a new law allowing live exports to take place when temperatures rise above 35 degrees Celsius. Even with the added requirements to shear animals and reduce stocking density by 10%, thisnew law breaches the EU transport Regulation that clearly demands Member States to freeze exports if temperatures soar above 35 degrees.
This bill was debated after the Queen Hind tragedy and was initially aiming to improve the welfare of exported animals by freezing exports during summer, as Australia has done, and having a veterinarian on board all ships. But interference by foreign animal trading companies in the Parliamentary debates saw the bill watered down in a form that breaches the current EU Regulation.
The audits carried out by the EC in European harbours indicate major deficiencies, especially in Romania which dedicates more than half of their maritime fleet to export of EU animals to third countries. The Commission concluded that these authorisations were granted superficially and that the fleet endangered animals and crew.
Moreover, within the Farm to Fork strategy the EC intends to revise the EU animal transport regulation and the EP created the Committee of Inquiry on the protection of animals during transport (ANIT).
Thanks to the ANIT Committee we believe that MEPs will have all the evidence they need to investigate how Member States apply the current Transport regulation and finally stop live transport in favor of meat and carcasses trade.
Commented Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals.
Animals International and Eurogroup for Animals call on the EU Commission to start an infringement procedure against the Romanian Government for continuously failing to comply with the EU animal transport regulation.
In the aftermath of the incident Eurogroup for Animals members Animals International and Four Paws were both involved in the rescue operations.
ENDS
Above – The ‘do nothing EU Commissioner Andriukaitis
Below – the ‘animal welfare’ ignorant Romania Minister Petre Deae
Some of our WAV posts associated with this:
Regards Mark
World Animals Voice 