Category: Farm Animals

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

EU: Decerle Report Prioritises the Economic Interests of Farmers Over and Above the Welfare of Farmed Animals.

Press Release

16 February 2022

European Parliament backs retrogressive report, which lacks ambition for animal welfare and flies in the face of citizens’ wishes

On February 15, the European Parliament (EP) adopted the Implementation report on on-farm animal welfare with 496 votes in favour, 140 against and 51 abstentions. 

Eurogroup for Animals, along with its members Compassion in World Farming and Four Paws, strongly opposed the adoption of the final report asking Members of the European parliament (MEPs) to adopt the alternative ENVI opinion instead. 

Despite the use of “animal welfare” in its title, the adopted report focuses more on farmers’ economic interests rather than improving the conditions of animals in EU farming systems.

When the report was announced civil society had great hopes that the European Parliament would pay full attention to a fundamental issue, close to citizens hearts and EU policy makers, as reflected in the European Commission’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy and their commitment to revise animal welfare legislation, as well as in the Parliament’s own position to phase out the use of cages.

The final Resolution – the adopted form of the report – even goes as far as contradicting what was adopted in previous Parliamentary Resolutions, specifically: 

  • Foie gras, which involves force-feeding, is presented as respecting animal welfare criteria despite the fact that the EP recognised the incompatibility of foie gras production and animal welfare in its recent resolution on the ECI “End the Cage Age”.
  • The report suggests focusing on more clarity rather than improving standards. This is not in line with the EP’s resolution on the Farm to Fork Strategy which considers it important to set higher legal standards for animal welfare.
  • The report erroneously claims that some measures believed to improve animal welfare may in fact be counterproductive and undermine other aspects of sustainability, namely health and safety on farm, as well as the the fight against antimicrobial resistance and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is diametrically opposed to the Parliament’s own Resolution on the Farm to Fork Strategy, which clearly states that a high level of animal welfare is important to sustainable development and has the potential to strengthen the economic and environmental sustainability of European farmers.

An implementation report is, unsurprisingly given its name, supposed to assess the implementation of current on-farm animal welfare rules. In this, the adopted Resolution from the EP fails in two respects: it neither addresses the problems with the current rules, nor does it focus on welfare of the animals themselves. Instead it preoccupies itself with the maintenance of a broken system that incentivises the worst kinds of farming for the environment, health and, most of all, for the animals.

MEPs have sent contradictory messages to an ambitious and progressive European Commission. Earlier in the term, they wanted better welfare, new systems of farming and a shift in-line with the Commission’s Green Deal. Yesterday they voted for something that is nothing other than a defence of the status quo. Whilst we commend those MEPs who fought for the far more ambitious opinion from the Parliament’s Environment committee, who stood up for the welfare of animals in-line with citizens’ wishes, the European Parliament has, as a whole, backed down to the narrow interests of big agriculture.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Stray Animals

EU: The Dog and Cat Meat Trade: Interview With MEP Petras Auštrevičius.
Office of Petras Auštrevičius

18 February 2022

Four Paws

As investigated by Eurogroup for Animals’ member, Four Paws, every year over 10 million dogs and cats are killed for their meat in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam hosting the most robust dog meat trade in the region.

Animals of unknown health status are sourced to supply the trade from multiple locations. Traumatised, diseased, with depleted immune systems and without food and water they are transported in poor hygiene conditions, in many cases, for thousands of kilometres and cross-border, often mix with other species at marketplaces, slaughterhouses and restaurants. Why should it matter to the EU to bring this trade to an end?

MEP Petras Auštrevičius, is Chair of Companion Animals Working Group of the European Parliament Intergroup on Animal Welfare and Conservation.

Many people do not realise that while in the EU most cats and dogs are treated as companion animals, there are other parts of the world where cats and dogs would be qualified as farm animals. Would you be able to elaborate on that? Why is such meat imported and what are the countries that import it?

It is estimated that annually 10 million dogs and cats are killed for human consumption in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. The trade involves extreme animal cruelty during capture, transport, holding and slaughter with dogs and cats often stolen or forcefully taken from their owners. In Vietnam the trade kills approximately 5 million dogs and 1 million cats, in Cambodia 3 million dogs and an unknown number of cats, and in Indonesia 1 million dogs and hundreds of thousands of cats. The trade is also existent in Africa, although poor data on the topic are available. The meat is largely found as a delicacy, however, there is quite poor social support for continuation of this trade. A great majority of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Indonesian citizens do not see the future for the cat and dog meat trade. The speakers and participants agreed that now is the time for ASEAN countries to ban the cat and dog meat trade and enforce their legislation on animal movement and rabies eradication to protect the consumers and prevent future pandemics.

Looking at the immediate impact on animals, why is it a particularly cruel trade for the animals?

Animals of unknown health status are sourced to supply the trade from multiple locations. Traumatised, diseased, with depleted immune systems and without food and water they are transported in poor hygiene conditions, in many cases, for thousands of kilometres and cross-border, often mix with other species at marketplaces, slaughterhouses and restaurants.

Why does the dog and cat meat trade matter to Europe? What risks does this trade bring?

The cat and dog meat trade and consumption pose a significant human health risk and severe diseases like rabies, cholera and trichinellosis are associated with it. Moreover, the meat contains high levels of antibiotic residues leading to antimicrobial resistance. Finally, mutated canine influenza or canine coronavirus carry a potential of infecting and spreading to humans giving sufficient ground to future pandemics. While human health risks are largest in the source countries, EU citizens can be affected as well. Disease outbreaks and zoonoses can jeopardise European travellers in Southeast Asia. Mutated viruses can be imported through pets rescued from the meat trade. Therefore, the EU has a direct interest to stop the cat and dog meat trade. Nobody expected the outcomes of COVID-19, that is why we must not be complacent.

Are there regulations in place at EU level to address this situation? Have these been sufficient?

ASEAN Delegation outlined the need for the European Parliament to address this issue, as well as for the ASEAN Delegation to commit relevant ambassadors to change. There are certainly things the European Parliament has and will be calling for, however the initiative for any concrete action lies with the European Commission. As there is currently no exchange of data on the movement of cats and dogs, as well as no tracking of animals, even across the EU, it is quite easy to imagine the worst case scenario. In particular, with the increase of demand for cats and dogs, and trends across the foreign rescue animals which is concerning when the health status of the animals is not properly screened.

Is there a way that we can encourage the EU and Member States to improve their response and finally put an end to this trade?

Certainly, the EU and the Member States must raise awareness among their citizens. A ban on the trade and consumption of dog and cat meat and introduction of legislation, as regulation would not resolve the cruelty involved therein and alleviate all health risks are the way forward. Such bans exist in China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

Want to learn more about the dog and cat meat trade? 

Visit Four Paw’s website. 

Regards Mark

Farm Animals

No mega dairy farm in Noviercas -Spain !

Noviercas is a small village of 158 inhabitants in Northeast Spain. It is located in the province of Soria, inside a region known as the “Spanish Siberia” because of the low population density, less than 8 people per square kilometer.

This village became famous when the co-op Valle del Odieta announced last year their intentions to build a 20,000-cow factory farm in the village.

Macro dairy farm of Valle de Odieta SCL in Caparroso- Greenpeace Spain

With 23,520 cows (16,128 dairy cows and 7,329 suckler cows), 900 hectares of land, a consumption of 600,000 kilos of fodder and four to six million liters of water every day – not to mention a planned production 180 million liters of milk peryear – the Norviercas factory farm would be the biggest dairy farm in Europe, and the project immediately became controversial for all the potential impacts it could bring to the area and to the farming sector.

Farmers are leading the opposition, as they estimate this factory farm would destroy 700 direct jobs, one third of the dairy farms in the region.

t would produce around 368,000 tons of manure per year, the equivalent of the waste produced by a city of 4.4 million people.

And the farm would consume between 4 and 6.35 million liters of water per day, more than the total consumption of the city of Soria (40,000 inhabitants). Impacts on the environment and local communities can be huge.

This farm has nothing to do with the European model of livestock farming.
We have witnessed fierce resistance to previous dairy mega factory farms with 8,000 thousand cows in the UK or even actions of civil disobedience against a 1,000-cow farm in France.

We cannot allow this model, imported from the US, to come to Europe.
Impacts of these huge factory farms are well documented and are reason enough to ask for a ban.

Stopping this farm would be a really symbolic step against the invasion of factory farms in Europe to defend a sustainable and social model of farming.
You can read more about it here in English, Spanish and French.

We will campaign with our allies to stop this project. Stay tuned!

https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/blogs/a-20000-cow-dairy-farm-in-europe-no-way/

PETA has started a petition against the construction of the Mega Stall.
Please sign and share

“Help stop plans for a new mega dairy in Spain that would be the largest farm in Europe and the fifth largest in the world.
If the plans go ahead, 23,000 cows will be kept in filthy, cramped conditions so that the owners can maximize their profits.
Can you imagine – 23,000 cows?
That’s more than the human capacity of London’s O2 arena!

Mega farms like the proposed one exploit animals on a scale that is almost unimaginable” (PETA)

Petition: https://secure.peta.org.uk/page/99582/action/

And I mean…One has to think about that slowly: 20 000 Cows on one Farm in North Spain, plus their calfs, as without calves no Milk!
50% of the calves are male, so useless for the further milking business.

All these Cattle have to be feeded, feeded more as usual as they are producers in the process of milk production.
So where will they get all the Power Feed from?
Corn and soy beans? What about the Carbon footprint?

And what about the immense suck of energy, as these cows live and produce best at about 7 dregrees Celsius?
They would have to cool them down constantly with water – another Problem, a lot of water will be spoiled, like at the farm in Saudi Arabia…

Subject to the outstanding approvals, the project is to be implemented in several growth stages over the next five years, i.e. by the end of 2022.
The Farmers Union: described a dairy farm of this size as a “time bomb” for animal health.

A single case of a disease like bovine brucellosis in the herd would require 20,000 animals to be culled. The compensation would amount to more than 16 million euros; Four times more than the annual animal health budget allocated by the regional government.

Although the sale of milk plummeted after the onset of the Corona virus and millions of healthy cattle were euthanized due to the closure of slaughterhouses, pointless investments are still being made in XXL stables!
In order to take action against the investment project, the farmers’ association has started a signature campaign.

But not everyone in Noviercas is against the system.
Some have sold their land to Valle De Odieta.
And politicians are also behind the project.

The mayor, stand up for the farm.
Presenting the 2019 project, Pedro Jesús Millán Pascual said “the dairy farm would bring jobs and more people to the town”.

But not a word is heard about the fate and suffering that awaits the 23,000 animals

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

How Better Animal Welfare Could Stop Millions of People Dying by Damian Carrington.

Spanish flu, bird flu, Marburg virus, Lassa fever, Ebola, HIV, Nipah, West Nile, Sars, Chikungunya, Zika and Covid-19. That is just a partial history of the viruses that have spilled over from animals to humans in the last century.

The outbreaks are coming more frequently, as humanity’s growing population drives its destructive path further into wild areas. An average of 3 million people a year die from these zoonotic diseases.

But the world’s focus on preventing the next pandemic has so far been confined to boosting the detection of new diseases after they have infected humans and speeding the development and rollout of vaccines. That is of course necessary, but it is not sufficient.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, there have been repeated warnings that action to stop spillovers at source is also vital, and extremely cost-effective. That means ending the destruction of forests that brings people and wildlife into contact, and a crackdown on the wildlife trade. Inaction has left the world playing an “ill-fated game of Russian roulette with pathogens”, experts say, and protecting nature is vital to escape an “era of pandemics”.

But tacking spillover is not mentioned in reports and strategies from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), a joint initiative of the World Bank and the World Health Organization, or from a G20 high-level panel on financing for pandemic preparedness.

A new report from experts at the International Union for Conservation of Nature provides another angle on the issue. While all zoonotic diseases ultimately come from wildlife, the IUCN report says few spillover into people directly. More commonly the diseases transfer via livestock, or animals like rats that thrive in places despoiled by humans.

So culling wildlife could not be justified, and could perversely make viruses spread more rapidly and animals flee. The IUCN report also says its examination of the scientific evidence suggests that tougher rules, or a ban, on the trade in wildlife would not have much impact on preventing future epidemics. Such moves could also harm the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, unless alternative ways to make a living are provided.

But the IUCN report comes to the same broad conclusion as the previous reports: preventing increasing rates of outbreaks is feasible, especially if “primordial prevention issues, rather than just preparedness and rapid response” are addressed. “The challenge rests in better understanding how our domesticated animals and human-dominated landscapes create opportunities for the emergence of infectious diseases,” says Jon Paul Rodríguez, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

So what is the livestock industry doing to cut pandemic risk? Not nearly enough, according to another new report, which rates two-thirds of 60 major meat, dairy and fish companies as “high risk”. The analysis is based on seven, criteria including welfare conditions for both animals and workers, waste management and deforestation.

“Intensive farming environments, housing most of the 70 billion farm animals reared every year, are a known breeding ground for disease,” says Jeremy Coller, chair of the FAIRR Initiative, which produced the report and is backed by investors managing $48 trillion of assets.

“Aggravating factors like low genetic diversity, cramped enclosures and poor conditions for workers that do not offer adequate sick pay amplify [the pandemic] risk many times over,” he said. “It’s time for meat companies and policymakers to learn from Covid-19 and to invest in preventing the next pandemic.”

Another take on pandemic risk is on its way from Bill Gates in his new book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic. “The plan is three elements,” he says. “First is to constantly improve health systems. The second is to build a global pathogen surveillance capacity so that no matter which country it shows up in, we can apply resources and understand what’s going on very quickly. And finally, innovation across diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that will get us far better tools far quicker than we did this time.”

“I think it’s exciting that we have this opportunity to use our best ideas to stop pandemics for good,” Gates concludes. But there’s no mention of what is to my mind the very best idea of all – trying to stop pandemics at the source. The same was already true of reports from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), a joint initiative of the World Bank and the World Health Organization, and from a G20 high-level panel on financing for pandemic preparedness.

Tackling the root of the issue by protecting forests and wildlife would cost just a tiny fraction of the terrible losses caused by pandemics, and such action is of course already vital for ending both the climate and biodiversity emergencies. “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity,” said Albert Einstein.

But the world has yet to grasp the opportunity presented by Covid-19.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Vegan Recipes

Cultivated Meat – Parts 1, 2 and 3. Questions Answered.

Part 3: Everything you always wanted to know about Cultivated Meat – and beyond

16 February 2022

Cultivated meat does not yet fully exist on a commercial level and market introduction will happen stepwise, starting with specialised restaurants. It is currently at the pilot scale progressing towards up-scaled production, currently comprising more than 70 startups.

Read our detailed FAQ here.

Are consumers ready to eat cultivated meat? 

The acceptance studies of the past years show a worldwide positive attitude towards cultivated meat. The consumer groups with the most positive attitude towards cultivated meat are flexitarians or carnivores. A recent study on Belgian consumer attitudes indicates that different protein alternatives are needed. Taste and textures were the main barriers to plant-based meat alternatives for meat-eaters. The main motivations for meat-eaters to shift to cultivated meat were social goods such as avoiding animal suffering, minimising environmental impact, and mitigating global hunger.

Will cultivated meat be as nutritious as conventional meat? 

Yes, it will be vital to pass the comparison with conventional meat. There are even opportunities to ameliorate the nutritional profile. However, cultivated meat developers still need to prove that their products are or will be as nutritious.  

Is cultivated meat halal/kosher?  

It could be, but at this point, there are no clear rulings yet. A lot will depend on the final production process that will need to be inspected by delegates from the religious communities. And it is very possible that there will be multiple contradicting rulings and religious labels, as is the case today for conventional meat.

Will/can farmers play a role in cultivated meat production? What is the social impact of cultivated meat? 

Cultivated meat can be produced by a wide range of companies of different sizes, including local small-scale farms. Future scenarios can involve both large-scale facilities as well as small cultivators on rural farms as a complement to small-scale regenerative farming. For this to happen, it is important to make the production of cultivated meat accessible to SMEs.

While private investments have been crucial in pioneering research on cultivated meat, private investments need to be combined with public funding to expand the possibilities of small enterprises. It is important that public funding for open-access research is made available by governments and the EU so that the future development of cultivated meat production is not left in the hands of large companies but can reach its full transformative potential as part of a sustainable food system.

Did you miss Part 1 and Part 2 of our series?

For more details, you can read our FAQ here.

Related news

Part 3: Everything you always wanted to know about Cultivated Meat – and beyond

New investigation exposes deformities, broken legs and crushed birds at chicken farm

Part 2: Everything you always wanted to know about Cultivated Meat – and beyond

Regards Mark

UK: Vegan Ad Shown On National Television For First Time 14/2/22. – World Animals Voice

Farm Animals, General News

Wales: ‘A Cows Life’. BBC Investigate Abuses On Dairy Farm. Industry Calls It ‘Sensationalism’. Watch For Yourselves and Decide.

WAV Comment: ‘Panorama’ is an investigative programme which is undertaken by the BBC, and therefore has credibility.  Last night it did an investigation into the dairy industry, which included disturbing footage from a Welsh dairy farm.

It has caused a lot of feedback from the British public today, as well as comments from the dairy industry claiming that the film was ‘sensationalist’.  It showed life on a dairy farm and the suffering of cows involved in the dairy industry.

See some clips from the film below and decide for yourself if it is ‘sensationalistic’; to us  it is simple cruelty to animals – full stop.

Angry UK customers have taken to social media to boycott the dairy industry following a BBC Panorama documentary exposing cruelty to animals.

The documentary, A Cows Life, which aired on BBC One on Valentine’s Day, saw reporters speaking to vets and farmers about the “controversial” way the milk is flowing.

The report comes as the average daily yield for a dairy cow is 40% higher than it would have been about 30 years ago. However, in the documentary, a Welsh farm was exposed for animal abuse against its cows, resulting in a dairy boycott.

READ MORE: Gosh!: “We anticipated Veganuary 2022 would be the biggest to date”

Footage shows farmers who worked at the facility constantly kicking and hitting an injured cow, with one even hitting it with a shovel. The footage continues to show another worker aggressively pulling the cow’s tail.

People have taken to social media to express their anger with the industry, with some even saying the price of milk is “too low” after seeing what cows go through.

National Farmers Union (NFU) Cyrmru deputy president Abi Reader said in the documentary: “Even just one extra penny per litre will enable a farmer to upgrade or take advantage of new technology out there so the cows are getting the best care they can”.

As a result, one social media user said: “Ditch dairy even if you can’t find good substitutes.”

Another added: “I had to turn #acowslife off. It was too distressing. What is wrong with people that they can be so cruel to defenceless animals? How can humans be so cold and brutal. #Panorama”

Others urged to “stop drinking milk” following the “shocking footage of animal cruelty”.

Downton Abbey actor Peter Egan also tweeted: “Just watched #ACowsLife the true cost of milk on #panorama anyone who wants to understand why the dairy industry is disgusting, inhumane & careless should watch it.”

Shoppers ditch dairy following ‘distressing’ BBC Panorama documentary – Grocery Gazette – Latest Grocery Industry News

The Independent

Farmers beat cows with spades in disturbing BBC Panorama episode

Kate Gill

Tue, 15 February 2022, 1:18 pm·1-min read

A BBC Panorama documentary exposes the distressing cruelty animals’ are suffering on a South Wales dairy farm.

The documentary, A Cows Life, which aired on BBC One yesterday (February 14) saw reporters explore the “controversial” ways of the milk industry.

In the documentary, a Welsh farm was exposed for animal abuse against its cows, resulting in a dairy boycott.

Disturbing footage captures farmers who worked at the facility kicking and hitting an injured cow with shovels on its front and sides.

Another clip captures a worker aggressively pulling the cow’s tail.

Dairy farmers slam BBC for ‘sensationalist’ Panorama show – FarmingUK News

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes

UK: Vegan Ad Shown On National Television For First Time 14/2/22.

Link – see the ad here:

UK: You Have Done It ! – Money Raised To Show Viva Vegan Advert on UK Television. – World Animals Voice

14/2/22 – As many of you will know, donors from the animal rights movement, and others, have been donating money to get a vegan advert put on British television.  Click on the above link to watch the ad.

Well last night (4/22) we saw the ad go live onto British television at 8-30pm (UK time); half way through the Jamie Oliver programme on food and cooking; so it was an excellent time to air the ad, especially as lots and lots of people tune in to watch the programme – Jamie O is one of the UK’s top chefs and his programme is watched by millions.

Over the next couple of weeks, the ad will be shown around 220 times across the Channel 4 network on channels including Channel 4, Dave, E4 and HGTV

Other top TV spots include:

  • Countdown – 16 Feb, 14:56:00 (Channel 4)
  • First Dates – 17 Feb, 22:10:00 (Channel 4)
  • DEADPOOL – 18 Feb, 22:45:00 (E4)
  • Come Dine with Me – 21 Feb, 17:45:00 (Channel 4)
  • Celebrity Gogglebox – 23 Feb, 22:35:00 (E4)
  • Rick and Morty – 24 Feb, 01:31:00 (E4)
  • Steph’s Packed Lunch – 28 Feb, 13:15:00 (Channel 4)

The complete schedule can be found here.

Please be aware that, due to the dynamic nature of TV scheduling, these spots and times are subject to change at short notice. To keep up to date with the latest schedule please visit our website.

Getting the message across loud and clear;

Regards Mark

Animals are NOT JUST MEAT

Homepage
Homepage
Farm Animals, General News

Italy: New investigation exposes deformities, broken legs and crushed birds at chicken farm.

15 February 2022

Equalia Investigation

Equalia has exposed appalling conditions for animals at a chicken farm linked to Europe’s fourth-largest poultry producer, which sells its product in shops across Europe.

The video (see below), published by the Spanish NGO Equalia, was taken between July and August 2021 at a broiler poultry farm in Italy, owned by AIA, the fourth largest producer in Europe and a trademark of the Veronesi Group.

Decaying birds can be seen being pecked by live birds; others in agony; birds with various deformities and fractures, unable to stand up. For some, it is impossible to reach the drinking trough, which further magnifies  their suffering. The images also reveal alleged malpractice on the part of the staff, inflicting kicks and blows. Their necks are also seen to be broken or some are trampled to death.

These images are a stark contrast to AIA’s self-proclaimed slogan: “Where there is AIA, there is joy”.

In view of these facts, the NGO Animal Law Italy has lodged a complaint with the Italian authorities for practices that could constitute crimes of animal abuse and public health.

The risks of this production system extend to sustainability, food safety and human health. The high density of chickens on factory farms poses a risk to public health. Large concentrations of animals of the same species in a confined space have been shown to increase the risks of zoonotic diseases. 

The outbreaks of avian influenza detected in recent years on farms in several countries (including countries in the EU), reinforce the need for methods to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases. One such measure is the farming of slow-growing breeds, which leads to higher disease resistance.

The serious poultry health problems depicted in the video are due to the genetic hybridisation that is carried out to achieve maximum growth in the shortest possible time. Fast-growing chicken breeds are prone to unavoidable diseases that the industry euphemistically refers to as “production diseases”. These health problems lead to a high use of antibiotics prophylactically, rather than their recommended therapeutic use.

More than 300 food companies have committed to change this reality. The European Chicken Commitment (ECC) is an agreement which sets out a series of realistic animal welfare measures, including the replacement of fast-growing breeds (such as those seen in the report) and a reduction in the density of poultry per square metre. 

Regards Mark

Farm Animals

The mini bull Napoleon

This is what it’s like to be a mini bull at the sanctuary.

Short legs, big belly: the little bull Napoleon has a genetic defect. Now he has landed on a sanctuary.

Napoleon is just 80 centimeters high – and he won’t get much taller.
The approximately eight-month-old bull suffers from a genetic defect and is therefore no longer growing.

Now the young bull, a Dexter cow, has found shelter at a sanctuary in Upper Bavaria – where he found his equal: two small cattle already live there.

“But he made friends with the biggest cow named Laura, of all people“, says the owner of the farm, Lukas Becker.
Laura, saved from the butcher last year, “adopted” him.

Napoleon and Laura – Not centered

“Outwardly, he’s in top shape and pumperlgsund,”, says Becker about Napoleon. In small animals, however, it occasionally happens that the organs do not work properly.

In normal male animals, the shoulder height is about 112 centimeters on average. Since the animals are not as heavy as other cattle, they cause less damage when walked on and are well suited for nature conservation areas.

A malformation called chondrodysplasia occurs in some Dexter cattle.

A genetic defect causes the length growth of the bones to end prematurely because the cartilage ossifies early.
For Napoleon, the move to the sanctuary came about by accident, as reported by the Munich Animal Welfare Association.

One of the animal welfare inspectors knew the farmer where Napoleon was standing.
The club bought him. After a stopover he ended up in the sanctuary!

The sanctuary owner and his wife look after around a hundred animals. “I do it because I like animals,” says Becker.
He took over the farm from his grandfather; seven years ago the couple turned it into a sanctuary – as a hobby.
In the rest of life he is teacher.

https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/regional/mini-stier-mit-gendefekt–napoleon-auf-gnadenhof–31597290.html

And I mean…It could have ended tragically for the little man.
Because Napoleon could not be used for farming.
So…where to go with the mini bull?

But now Napoleon no longer needs to be afraid that he will end up in the slaughterhouse as an unwanted product of the meat industry.
Now he has friends, grass, freedom; now he is experiencing the sunny side of his fate and is happily secure for the rest of his life.
We need more news like this.

My best regards to all, Venus