Industrial farming kills bees with pesticides, over-fertilises our fields, and tortures animals in factory farms. And yet, it is subsidised with €59 billion every year from our taxes. [1] What more? This is the biggest part of the EU budget! [2]
Right now, politicians are discussing how to redistribute this money. Will future subsidies go to farmers who feed us healthy food and treat animals humanely? Or will it remain as bad as it is now?
Thousands of us, farmers and consumers, from Malta to Aarhus, from Warsaw to Madrid, will come together next weekend in days of action. We’ll protest, we’ll cook sustainable food for the public, we’ll teach about sustainable farming and we’ll demand a U-turn away from harmful farming practices.
Today we’re launching an open letter, which we will publish in a press release on Friday to open the action days. We need a great big boom for the start: 100,000 signatures, in order to show the media and decision-makers that we, Europeans, care about our food and our farming. Please sign now.
|
At last, some of the European Ministers of Agriculture are realising the disaster happening before our eyes: insects, pollinators of our plants and nourishment for birds, are vanishing. [3] The German government, for instance, is discussing a program to protect insects. The Ministry for the Environment wants to spend €100 million per year on the program (great!), but the Minister of Agriculture is not in favour of it. [4] €100 million is a lot of money, but it’s a tiny amount compared to €59 billion that industrial farming gets from the EU. Instead of taking decisive action, they are spending their time bickering! This sort of thing is happening all over the EU.
But this arguing also shows we have an opportunity. Some politicians are open to our call for better farming. But others still aren’t listening. That is why we chose a pot and a spoon as symbols for the campaign: We will bang one against another and make enough noise to be heard.
In another three weeks we will repeat our action, this time in Brussels. We will show up in front of the building where EU Ministers of Agriculture will meet to decide about the future of our food. We’ll bring vegetables, pots, pans and cutlery with us. We’ll cook for the politicians, we’ll make noise, and we’ll deliver the demands of European citizens for a U-turn against harmful industrial agriculture.
|
Agricultural policy is a hotly contested issue because of the massive amounts of money involved. The proposed EU budget for the next seven years provides far too much money for industrial agriculture and far too little money for more sustainable farming and environmental protection. It’s time for governments to put the public interest before the interest of big business.
The past year has shown us that we can prevail against the lobby of the big agricultural industry. Just last year, our community and our partners managed to cut the length of the license for the toxic pesticide glyphosate down to only five years, when EU politicians wanted 15!
Your signature shows that we care about food and farming: We want our daily bread to be healthy, we want our farmers to prosper and we want animals to be treated humanely.
|
From kitchens and farmlands (and offices) all over Europe,
Mika (Bordeaux), Jörg (Lübeck), Virginia (Madrid), and the rest of us at WeMove.EU
PS: Whenever we eat something, we depend on the agricultural industry. Our food can only be as good as the agricultural model with which it’s produced. For us and for our environment, let’s grow our food in ways that reduce waste, reduce the amount of toxic chemicals, and promote a resilient and diverse food and farming system.
References:
[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/central-europes-big-farms-cry-foul-over-eu-commission-funding-cuts-phil-hogan/
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/sites/agriculture/files/cap-post-2013/graphs/graph1_en.pdf
[3] https://www.truthdig.com/articles/insects-are-vanishing-at-an-alarming-rate-new-study-finds/
[4] https://www.archyworldys.com/ministry-of-the-environment-100-million-against-insect-deaths/ and http://www.taz.de/!5542911/
We have personally been involved with live animal transport issues in Europe for 25+ years.
We know that Reg 1/2005 has failed the animals from the very start – and so you could say that the EU Commission has also been failing animals in transport from the very start.
To see a bit about our own past involvement with the live animal transport business. Please check out our info at https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/about-us/ – scroll down quite a way to see our own battles with a useless EU.
Here is a message from Silvia at Animals Angels.. who are based in Germany.
We want to thank Silvia for her info and the video which we have repeated below. I am sure you will find it interesting.
It goes without saying that we give our full support to Angels and as individual welfare groups right across the EU, we work hard to expose the failures of the legislation 1/2005.
Please watch the video and see how the mighty EU Commission is failing anima;ls in transport.
Regards Mark.
Silvia says:
Dear Mark,
I hope this email finds you well.
On the 6th of September this year, we presented the premiere of a new film of Animals´ Angels in Brussels, at the EU Parliament. The video summarizes 10 years spent on the roads collecting data about the conditions of transported animals, after having interviewed some experts. The aim was to make the point of 10 years of application of Regulation EC 1/2005, analyzing what has been achieved and what remains to do. The final balance is very bitter. It is crystal clear that the original intention of the Council of EU has been betrayed. As you know, too many animals continue to travel crammed in trucks and ships over longer and longer distances. Animals´ Angels asked the EU Commission to take a stand and be faithful to its duties as “the guardian of EU laws”. A limit must be set to profit.
To know more, please watch our recently published video “10 years of Regulation EC 1/2005 – Animals’ Angels field experience 2007-2017”: www.animals-angels.de/10-jahre
More than a million EU citizens already expressed their opposition to long animal transports already twice. Pressure of public opinion is a powerful means to demand EU institutions and governments a change. Please, help us spreading knowledge about animal transports.
Kindest regards,
Silvia
World Animal Net (WAN) is a site which we use quite regularly – as it provides links to animal welfare associations based in just about every country of the globe. We have found it very useful.
Here is the main link – http://worldanimal.net/directory/search-wan-directory
As you can see; you can do a search in a couple of ways – we suggest that going directly to a country is the best way. You can literally just select the country you wish to gets results for from the drop down, and then press the ‘search’ box. You should then be given all the organisations for welfare groups in that country.
Just for example; today we have had several visits from Greece; so what better than to use this as an example.
So we simply go to the main link
http://worldanimal.net/directory/search-wan-directory
Select ‘Greece’ from the drop down list of nations.
Then hit the ‘Search’ button.
Then we are given a full listing of all the Greek organisations which can help with animal welfare. The link to this is given here:
http://worldanimal.net/directory/search-wan-directory/results?country=84&fanda=0
So a good and very useful tool no matter where you are located in the world; if you need animal help. You may find you get a lot more results than you expected – Great !
Have a play around with it and make sure you keep WAN as a source in your directory / contacts list.
Regards Mark
Bear bile farming is one of our greatest hates. That’s why we were very pleased to be able to donate towards the rescue of No Name Bear; a female bear who has spent the last 16 years undergoing daily bile extraction.
We have offered to have her named ‘hope’ – in the competition which is open to all members who donate to her rescue.
Now today she has been rescued by Animals Asia and can look forward to utterly different future of love, care, health treatment, kindness and great food.
Follow her recue on this timeline:
https://www.animalsasia.org/uk/media/news/news-archive/nonamebear-follow-the-rescue-timeline.html
https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoNameBearRescue?src=hash
500,000 People Tell KFC: No More Cruelty to Chickens!
Image Credit: WAP
World Animal Protection (WAP) delivered an important message to KFC headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky this week, presenting a petition with more than 500,000 signatures to the fast food giant.
The petition urges KFC to stop supporting horrifically cruel factory farms and commit to sourcing their chickens from farms that support natural growth rates and a better environment for the animals.
“We are deeply grateful to the more than 500,000 supporters who’ve signed our petition calling on KFC to give chickens a better life,” Alesia Soltanpanah, US executive director at WAP, told Lady Freethinker. “KFC has the power to transform the lives of chickens on a truly global scale – but they need to take action.”
Unlike fast food competitors Burger King, Subway and Starbucks, KFC — who make billions of dollars every year from the slaughter of animals — have yet to take any action to address the welfare of chickens in their supply chain.
Factory farms are hellish places for animals, as exposed repeatedly through undercover investigations by animal welfare groups. As these farms try to maximize profit, they fatten up their chickens for slaughter in only 40 days using unnatural methods that put enormous pressure on the organs and legs of the chickens. The birds endure chronic pain and health problems, with many suffering from heart attacks due to these rapid growth rates.
“Chickens on factory farms suffer enormously, buckling under their own weight, without space to perform their natural behaviors, and never seeing the light of day,” said Soltanpanah. “By committing to higher-welfare farming, KFC can send a strong signal to other food companies that change for chickens is possible. Animal welfare is important to consumers, and it is important to human health as well. It’s time for KFC to show that it’s important to them, too.”
WAP met with KFC parent company, Yum! Brands, last week, and are hopeful about working with them to make a positive change for animals.
In the meantime, there remains one sure-fire way to eat cruelty free: by opting for plant foods, and leaving animals off your plate.
Hi Mark,
I never thought I would have reason to write: ‘It has been a quiet few months on the live sheep export front…’ — but it has!
For nearly four months, huge sheep ships, that would normally be plying the Middle East trade, have been sitting empty off the West Australian coast, accruing massive costs for the companies. We managed to firmly upset the ‘apple cart’ of this cruel industry.
Most importantly, we now know that our threat of legal action prevented over 500,000 sheep from being shipped across the Middle East summer — the first time the trade has been stopped in over half a century.
When we heard last week that the Department of Agriculture had granted an export licence to a Kuwaiti company, we were disappointed — but not surprised. Under a Morrison government it was inevitable that the shipments would recommence once the heat had diminished. But rest assured, the industry is under no illusions that it will ever be the same again. They know that their ability to exist rests with the Morrison government being in power — so exporters would be having sleepless nights watching their support plummet in the polls.
As for the Kuwaiti company — it should never have been granted a licence, of course. We presented the Department with an extensive legal brief documenting their history of involvement in mass mortalities and ESCAS breaches. While the Department has shown unusual courage over the last six months in cancelling our largest exporter’s (Emanuel’s) export licence, it seemed causing offence to the Kuwaitis, by not granting this export licence, was a step too far for them.
The Department itself is about to face its ‘judgement day’. Next week will see the release of the independent review into the regulator. We have every reason to believe the conclusions will be damning and the recommendations strong. Exporters know that they cannot survive independent scrutiny, so it’s not only the Department that won’t be looking forward to the findings of this review.
This is a rare time of opportunity. Our political landscape is effectively being reshaped through the voice and votes of fed-up Australians. A clear message was sent in the Wentworth by-election that Australians want politicians to prioritise the issues that matter to them. A once blue-ribbon Liberal seat is about to be held by an Independent candidate who is a strong advocate for environmental, social justice and animal welfare issues. Dr Kerryn Phelps will deliver us another critical vote for sheep in the parliament.
Mark, the months since 60 Minutes have passed in a blur. But every long night, every weekend worked, has been worth it. Most politicians now support an end to the trade; the most basic new welfare rules are coming at a huge cost to the industry and threatening their ability to make money; and we are now only ONE vote away in the Federal parliament from an end to live sheep export.
And of course, whatever happens, we have the historic Labor commitment to end the trade if elected at the next Federal election. The path is there. It is now a matter of when the trade ends, not if.
It is finally dawning on politicians that their constituents expect them to represent their views and interests — not their own. So there has never been a better time to reinforce your view on animal cruelty — and demand that they bring an end to the live animal export trade.
Mark, for your compassionate action on behalf of animals, our gratitude to you is endless.
Ever closer…
For the animals,
Lyn White AM
Director of Strategy
https://mercyforanimals.org/make-history-with-us-help-pass-prop-12-from
Americans are less than three weeks from Election Day—and everyone in the U.S., not just Californians, can help pass Prop 12.
This historic measure would guarantee that all egg-laying hens, pigs used for breeding, and calves used for veal in California be free from severe confinement in small, cruel cages. The law would also mandate that all eggs, pork, and veal sold in California come from farms that meet this standard.
Measures like Prop 12 are crucial, since not a single federal law protects animals during their lives at factory farms. Most egg-laying hens and mother pigs in the U.S. are kept in enclosures so small the animals are unable to even turn around.
See for yourself
Prop 12 enjoys the support of dozens of leading animal protection organizations and humane societies, nearly 500 California veterinarians, the Center for Food Safety, Sierra Club of California, and more.
There are several ways animal advocates can help Prop 12 pass.
And remember, you can fight for farmed animals every single day simply by boycotting the industry that abuses them. Click here to learn more about switching to a compassionate vegan diet.
Chelsea Film Festival Awards 2018-
Kudos to ONE ANGRY VEGAN – Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the Chelsea Film Festival !!!!
Best Documentary – ONE ANGRY VEGAN by Gil Golan
“I really loved the film and the panel talk was really great–Nora did such a great job with questions. I was particularly happy that one of the people in the audience asking questions about documenting abuse was able to be helped by John who already knew about that situation. Thanks so much for the complimentary wine! You did a great job putting the event together–how wonderful to have this film show at the Chelsea Film Festival! I saw on Facebook that One Angry Vegan won Best Documentary at the Chelsea Film Festival? The post was in Hebrew so I couldn’t read it but I saw an award. Can you confirm that? Thrilling news if that is true!!!”
Posted by Carly Day | October 21, 2018
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons – Marcus Obal
Sixteen people were injured last week in the Badajoz province of Extremadura, Spain after one of the animals destined for use in a bullfighting festival escaped from its enclosure. Among the injured were four children, ranging in age from only 18 months to six years. Five of the injuries — including those of a four-year-old boy — were serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. The fate of the bull involved in the incident is unclear.
This is the latest in a recent string of horrific injuries associated with the “traditional” torture of bulls throughout the country. In July this year, 28 people were injured at the San Fermin running of the bulls festival in Pamplona.
This week, deeply shocking footage was released of a bull dragging itself along the ground after breaking both its back legs during a festival in Spain.
There is very little legislation surrounding this horrific blood sport in the country; many of the nation’s animal welfare laws don’t apply, as the practice is protected by law under the Spanish Constitution as part of “the right to literary, artistic, scientific and technical production and creation.”
Different areas such as Catalan and the Balearic Islands have attempted to introduce legislation banning bullfighting, or add measures to protect the bulls, but these cases are yet to be decided by the courts.
While Spain’s government debate the cultural value of this archaic and torturous sport, bulls and humans alike will continue to be injured and die due to these inhumane interactions.
World Animals Voice 