Category: Farm Animals

Farm Animals, General News

Scotland: Butchers Encourages Shoppers To ‘End The Violence’ Against Plants By Eating Meat.
The sign takes aim at vegetarians, joking that they “kill’ plants. Credit: Jakub Dragon / Facebook

A butchers in the UK has caused a stir online after stating that vegetarians kill thousands of “innocent plants”

Amarketing strategy implemented by a butchers shop in Edinburgh in the UK has raised eyebrows, with some branding it as “ignorant.”

W.M Christie, a family butchers established in 1889, placed a chalkboard sign in its store in Bruntsfield that took aim at vegetarians. 

“Everyday thousands of innocent plants are killed by vegetarians,” the sign read. “Help end the violence. Eat meat.”

An amused shopper posted a photo of the sign online, causing a stir among animal rights advocates. 

“Jeez, the ignorance is astonishing. Plants are not sentient and exist in synergy with humans and animals as a food source,” Kevin Thomson commented, per Edinburgh Live. 

“You just can’t say I murdered a carrot. People will cling to all sorts of nonsense to justify murdering animals… animals that have exactly the same fundamental wishes as us – to be happy, safe, and free from suffering.”

Other social media users pointed out that animals bred for human consumption also require the “killing” of crops. 

In fact, only around half (55 percent) of the world’s crop calories feed people directly. And for some crops, a vast majority is fed to livestock, not people. For instance, 77 percent of the world’s soy is fed to livestock. 

Furthermore, calorically speaking, the system could be considered inefficient, given that it takes 100 calories of grain to produce just 12 calories of chicken. The conversion is even more dire for other animal-based foods; 100 calories of crops produce just three calories of beef. 

‘A simple joke’

Willie Christie, who runs the butchers alongside his brother, defended the advertisement. “As it’s Veganuary, isn’t it fitting it could be Meatanuary too? It wasn’t malicious in any way, just a simple joke and banter,” he said to Edinburgh Live.

“People have taken it wrongly. we are surrounded with people telling us to go vegan and vegetarian, yet my business is a butchers. We sell meat and I’m promoting my business.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that, I’m just expressing mine. And it seems to have worked, given the attention my butchers has now received.”

Pro-meat campaigning

W.M Christie isn’t the only meat-centered company poking fun at the Veganuary campaign – the month-long pledge to go vegan for January. 

This month, a coalition of animal agriculturalists are pushing their own take on Veganuary. The Regenuary campaign encourages shoppers to seek out meat and dairy produced by regenerative farming methods.

The campaign notes that vegans and vegetarians can still participate by being more mindful about where their food is sourced. However, the Ethical Butcher website notes that Regenuary was launched as “a response to Veganuary,” and was borne out of “frustration” at the “misleading messages around veganism and its effect on the environment.”

Tangentially, in November, an anti-vegan lifestyle brand launched to allow meat-eaters to declare they are “proud to not be a vegan.”

The company sells tongue-in-cheek merchandise, such as mugs with the statement: “Doubled my meat intake to cancel out someone who turned vegan.”

“We’re here to stand up for the vast majority of people who eat meat,” the brand, called Not Vegan Friendly, says on its website.

“If you’ll excuse the pun, but a lot of people are fed up with vegans ramming their beliefs down our throats so it’s time to speak out in favour of our different and perfectly valid choice to eat meat.”Butchers Encourages Shoppers To ‘End The Violence’ Against Plants By Eating Meat

Regards Mark

Butchers Encourages Shoppers To ‘End The Violence’ Against Plants By Eating Meat – Plant Based News

Farm Animals

Sanderson Farms- a nightmare scenario for chickens.

Following our lawsuit in 2020, Sanderson Farms scrubbed its false and misleading advertising and labels.
But the underlying problems remain — terrible suffering for over 1 million animals who they kill every day.

Now the company is set to merge with Wayne Farms, another chicken flesh-selling company with its own history of animal abuse.
We must speak up now!

Chickens in Sanderson’s industrial plants are held captive in filthy, overcrowded, inhumane conditions.

When slaughter time comes, the industry standard is that they are violently hung upside down in metal shackles;

dunked in a tank of electrified water (which often fails to render them unconscious); have their throats cut (this step too is performed at a breakneck pace and the birds often survive it);

lastly, they are dunked in boiling water to defeather them.

https://fb.watch/aBxnDxKtx3/

Tragically, over 500,000 birds reach the water alive each year and are drowned in boiling water while still conscious.
According to a former slaughterhouse worker, when chickens are scalded alive, they “flop, scream, kick, and their eyeballs pop out of their heads.
They often come out of the other end with broken bones and disfigured and missing body parts because they’ve struggled so much in the tank.”

As if that weren’t enough, chicks who hatch later than expected have been documented being born alone in barren plastic creates, gasping for air and the warmth and comfort of their absent mother.
The corpses of dying and dead chicks end up scattered around, including near the living. The final stage of the process for unwanted chicks is the metal macerator, which grinds them up.
Truly it is a nightmare scenario.

Enough is enough. Chickens are sentient creatures, capable of feeling love and happiness, as well as suffering and feeling fear and terror.
It is inexcusable to treat them as if they are inert matter, as is currently being done by Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms.

Two petitions, Please take aktion: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/farmed-animal/latest-news/sanderson-farms-animal-welfare/

https://actnow.thehumaneleague.org/live-shackle-slaughter/

And I mean…There were more than half a million chickens drowned alive in scalding water tanks last year, according to the USDA.
That’s 1,400 birds boiled alive each and every day right on US soil!!
Why don’t more people know about this?

Sanderson Farms and other meat industry giants in the US like National Chicken Council, Tyson Foods, Foster Farms, Koch Foods, who are collectively responsible for slaughtering 70-80% of birds each year—need to end this animal cruelty now and have to understand that consumers demand real changes for chickens.

It’s time for these corporations to transition away from the cruel, outdated practices of factory farming, adopt much stronger animal welfare policies, and ultimately focus their energy on expanding their plant-based alternatives in order to improve the treatment of animals and workers suffering within their supply chains.

These meat industry giants have a unique power—and responsibility—to make these changes that will impact billions of animals every year. By phasing out live-shackle slaughter in their supply chains, countless chickens will be spared from one of the greatest causes of suffering in slaughterhouses today.
Because even one bird boiled alive is too many.

For too long, the meat industry has put profits before people and animals, with devastating consequences.
But now, pressure is mounting, more than 180 major food companies have already adopted the Better Chicken Commitment.

With these two petitions we refuse to support, with our taxes, an industry that is unable to find humane and effective solutions, an industry that persists in its mistakes, without respect for animal welfare or long-term human health.
We demand that governments – national, European and international – take their responsibilities and stop perpetuating this dangerously failing system.
Please sign and share

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News

Italy: So Probably ‘Ag Gag’ Does Exist In the EU ? – Essere Animali (Italian Animal Welfare Org.) Forced to Censor Videos of Investigations of Two Grana Padano Dairy Farms.
Photo – Essere Animali

WAV Comment – So Ag Gag DOES exist in the EU !

We know our investigations are troublesome, affecting the interests of powerful food groups, and we are aware of the legal risks we run. However, the need to improve living conditions for animals in factory farms drives us to carry out these investigations, and this is our primary goal. Attempts to intimidate us will not stop our work.

Simone Montuschi, President of Essere Animali

Well said Simone – we are fully behind you and your excellent work as animal defenders at Essere Animali.  What a pity that the court did not pay more attention to stopping the abuses rather than trying to Ag Gag EA.  Maybe then we would see some progress rather than the cover ups that they are trying to hide.

It would appear that despite the obvious abuses filmed by EA, the ‘bigger boys’ are now using a form of ag gag as their defence in order to cover up the exposed abuses. Money matters to the abusers more than anything ! – especially in the arena of animal welfare

EA you have our full support;

Mark.

13 January 2022

Essere Animali

Following the release of two investigations of two different dairy farms where Grana Padano is produced, the Consortium that protects the most consumed PDO cheese in the world has filed a civil lawsuit against Essere Animali and filed charges against their legal representative and some other members of the organisation.

As a result of the civil proceedings instigated by the Consortium, albeit in the interlocutory stage, the Court of Brescia ordered the removal of all the online videos related to the undercover investigations.

Additionally, the court prohibited the disclosure of any other footage or content from the investigations that involve Grana Padano. The only exception is the right to mention that the two farms involved are part of the Consortium.

Essere Animali appealed the Court decision, asking them to reconsider the order of removal and to allow the videos to remain online. The Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano has also pressed charges against several members of Essere Animali, for different crimes including defamation and receiving stolen goods.

We know our investigations are troublesome, affecting the interests of powerful food groups, and we are aware of the legal risks we run. However, the need to improve living conditions for animals in factory farms drives us to carry out these investigations, and this is our primary goal. Attempts to intimidate us will not stop our work.

Simone Montuschi, President of Essere Animali

What happened

Following the dissemination of the first investigation, released on 13 July 2021, the Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano replied with a video in which it distanced itself from episodes of animal abuse by referring to “isolated cases”. Subsequently, the Consortium proposed a meeting at their headquarters, during which Essere Animali were asked to remove the references to the Grana Padano trademark from the video, without making any concrete proposals regarding the requests of Essere Animali and Eurogroup for Animals’ Member Organisations.

Following the release of the second investigation on 29 September 2021, the police and official veterinarians intervened and found several animals in poor conditions. The farm, on which violations of regulations had previously been found, was sanctioned almost 10,000 euros, and was requested to adjust practices in accordance with regulations.

While the court of Brescia acknowledges that the investigations contain truthful footage, it accepted the request to blackout the investigative videos because they claimed the videos conveyed the message that “the entire production of the Grana Padano brand cheese takes place in violent ways and in the conditions reported“. 

Essere Animali maintains the right to criticise and strive for the abolishment of legal and common practices such as the separation of the newborn calf from the mother and subsequent isolation, which cause stress and suffering to the animals.

File

Press release – Essere Animali forced to black out videos of investigations of two Grana Padano dairy farms.pdf239.08 KB

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

Belgium: Record Number of MEPs Demand An EU Commissioner For Animal Welfare.

10 January 2022

GAIA

Press Release

This is the most-signed thematic oral question tabled by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in this term and beyond. The Conference of Presidents is now called to decide on its scheduling in a plenary meeting for the Commission to answer within the next three months, and on its transformation into a resolution.

Over 150 MEPs and more than 140,000 citizens recently expressed their support to the #EUforAnimals campaign, promoted by over forty animal protection organisations across the EU, which demands that more relevance is given to animal welfare by making this responsibility explicit in the name of the relevant Directorate-General and the job title of the competent EU Commissioner. In the present context, the Commissioner’s responsibility would become for “Health, Food Safety and Animal Welfare”.

Today MEPs have made history again by putting together – in impressive numbers – the foundations for a European Union that cares more consistently and constantly for animal welfare, as its citizens are demanding, by establishing an EU Commissioner explicitly in charge of Animal Welfare. The EU institutions should not miss this opportunity to ensure that their efforts will not be thwarted by a different attitude in future EU Commissions.

Michel Vandenbosch, President, GAIA

We thank enormously Mr Fuglsang and the other MEPs who tabled the oral question, which represents a milestone in the work for animal welfare in the EU. The acceptance of this proposal by the European Commission would be a natural complement to its present efforts, and we would be delighted to see Ms Kyriakides become the first EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

A survey conducted in June by Ipsos shows that 70% of Europeans think there should be an EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare. While animal welfare is very close to the heart of European citizens, who constantly support initiatives aimed to improve the way animals are treated, the attention it has received within Brussels has fluctuated depending on the priorities of the Commission in office at the time.

We are fortunate to have a committed Commission at present, which has initiated a review of the existing legislation relating to animal welfare and has repeatedly announced its intention to prepare ambitious improvements for the years to come. However, previous Commissions’ actions on this front had been nearly absent, and this could be again the case when the next Commission starts operating in late 2024.

A new period of inaction on animal welfare should and can be prevented, and the way forward is clear: an EU Commissioner explicitly in charge of it.

ENDS

Notes

Text of the oral question:

Art 13 TFEU recognises animals as sentient beings. European citizens care about animals as testified by the Eurobarometer responses and would like to see their welfare improved through clear legislation, effective policies and the commitment of adequate resources. 

EU legislation on animal welfare has been elaborated since 1974, but the approach of the EU institutions has been inconsistent, contributing to the problem of poor enforcement on various fronts. 

The Commissioner responsible for animal welfare should receive more influence and powers in the EU institutions on this topic whose importance has been clearly acknowledged by this Commission. 

Over 125,000 EU citizens and over 120 MEPs from all political groups have already joined the #EUforAnimals campaign to demand that more relevance is given to animal welfare by making this responsibility explicit in the name of the relevant Directorate-General and the job title of the competent EU Commissioner. 

Presently, the Commissioner’s responsibility would become for “Health, Food Safety and Animal Welfare”, thus greatly supporting both legislative progress and proper enforcement. 

This would be a significant political decision leading to more accountability of the EU institutions for animal welfare and would therefore increase the consistency, effectiveness and impact of policy making in this field. 

One of the immediate effects of this proposal would be to establish a specific Directorate on animal welfare within DG SANTE, thus adequately recognising its specific relevance. 

  • Is the Commission planning to respond positively to this proposal? 
  • If so, what procedures aimed to implement it have been activated?

The oral question was promoted by Niels Fuglsang MEP (S&D, DK), with the co-promotion of MEPs Sylwia Spurek (Greens/EFA, PL), Petras Auštrevičius (Renew, LT), Manuel Bompard (GUE/NGL, FR), Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, FI), Michal Wiezik (Renew, SK), Emmanouíl Fragkos (ECR, GR), Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL, NL), Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, BE), Emma Wiesner (Renew, SE), Maria Noichl (S&D, DE) and Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA, PT).

Citizens who want to support this campaign can sign the online petition.

The full survey results can be found here. 

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

EU: Avian Influenza Emergency – Are We Headed Towards the Next Pandemic ?

11 January 2022

News

As Europe struggles with its largest avian influenza outbreak to date, the need to introduce a vaccination strategy is more prominent than ever.

Highly contagious and prone to mutations, the avian influenza virus is wreaking havoc in the European poultry sector. Both animal advocates and the poultry industry agree that a vaccination strategy is by now  indispensable to limit the spread of this deadly disease.

In their report published on 23 December 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stressed that current biosecurity measures appear insufficient in stopping the spread of the disease and stated that, aside from reinforcing biosecurity, the “reduction of the density of commercial poultry farms and possible appropriate vaccination strategies, should be implemented.” Indeed, in the absence of a vaccine, housing orders and the culling of millions of birds every year remain the only solutions available to Member States to try and curb this disease. 

It is by now recognised that the extreme industrialisation of poultry farming in the EU amplifies and is co-responsible for the devastating effects of outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). 

The geographical concentration of millions of domestic poultry kept in intensive systems is the main culprit for the outbreaks we are witnessing every year, with devastating consequences not only for kept poultry but also for wild birds (who are now also dying in large numbers). 

Prof. Thijs Kuiken, professor of comparative pathology at the Erasmus MC hospital in the Netherlands, recently stressed that the current strain of HPAI originated in 1996 among domestic geese in China, from where it further spread to domestic poultry in Asia. That outbreak could not be kept under control and in 2005 the virus infected wild birds in the region of Qinghai Meer in China. Since then, wild birds have become vectors of the disease during their seasonal migrations. 

Millions of animals are currently suffering from the effects of illness and mass killing for disease control, and considering that vaccinations are highly likely to curb the spread of the virus, idleness in implementing a comprehensive vaccination strategy aggravates the situation.

Developing a vaccine becomes even more urgent if we consider that, between 1997, when the first human case was identified, and 2015, 907 people were infected with HPAI H5N1 globally. The most recent human case occurred in the UK only a week ago. So far there is no proof of human-to-human transmission and the risk of infection for the general population remains low. However, due to its specificities, this virus is considered a public health threat and its genetic changes are monitored accordingly.

The current situation proves yet again that for reasons of disease control, sustainability and animal welfare, the EU must set a course away from intensive farming. 

The reduction of numbers of reared animals is imperative to achieve these goals and the time to act is long overdue: two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, one does not have to look far to see the effects of human negligence concerning zoonotic diseases.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Vegan Recipes

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

WAV Comment:  we are really pleased to have donated twice towards the reaching the target amount required to show this advert on UK television and make many non vegans get a grip into understanding that meat comes from live animals.

Regards Mark

You have helped us exceed our £40,000 target, which means over 16 million Channel 4 viewers will get to see it!

Thank you so much to every single one of you who has donated, shared, or spread the word about this campaign. You’ve helped to make this Viva!’s biggest crowdfunder to date. But we’re not finished yet… we still have 8 hours before the campaign officially ends and we want to give it one final push.

The more money we raise, the longer we will be able to air our ad, and the more people we will reach with our vegan message.

This is the biggest opportunity Viva! has ever had to reach the UK public on such a massive scale.

If you haven’t already, please donate today because this really is the final countdown!

£ 40,644 raised (and increasing) towards the goal of £40,000.

You have helped us exceed our £40,000 target, which means over 16 million Channel 4 viewers will get to see it!

Thank you so much to every single one of you who has donated, shared, or spread the word about this campaign. You’ve helped to make this Viva!’s biggest crowdfunder to date. But we’re not finished yet… we still have 8 hours before the campaign officially ends and we want to give it one final push.

The more money we raise, the longer we will be able to air our ad, and the more people we will reach with our vegan message.

This is the biggest opportunity Viva! has ever had to reach the UK public on such a massive scale.

If you haven’t already, please donate today because this really is the final countdown!

Yours for the animals,

Juliet Gellatley
Founder and Director

Farm Animals

Will the dairy industry be out soon?

A number of dairy farmers in the US are already turning their backs on the industry.

Among them, California’s oldest dairy farm, Giacomazzi, which has existed for 125 years, is closing down.
It gets rid of the cows and will instead grow almonds.

He is not alone.
A number of dairy farmers are turning their backs on the industry.
His colleague Cornell Kasbergen told ABC: “It is better if you invest your money in trees…. Almonds, pistachios, grapes… ”. There are many alternatives that produce a higher yield than milking cows. “

On the other side of the pond, in the UK, dairy farmers are also giving up their businesses.
According to new research, one dairy farmer leaves the industry every week.

More and more studies show that cow’s milk is good for calves, but not for us humans.


More and more consumers are therefore opting for milk alternatives such as oat, soy or almond milk.
There was already an outcry from the milk lobby and so the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided in 2017 that the designation “soy milk” is no longer permissible.
However, the names coconut milk and Leberkäs, but also peanut butter, were spared the madness.

Not only the oldest dairy farm in California has opted for an alternative to conventional milk, there is also a dairy in Germany that has recognized the nutritional trend and will also offer a plant-based milk alternative.
There are many reasons why more and more people are choosing an alternative to milk, from their own health to ethical reasons to environmental protection.

Germany is one of the world’s leading milk producers and can look forward to ample subsidies.
So much milk is being produced that it has resulted in an enormous surplus.
“Milk made in Germany” has long been landing in Africa, India, Latin America and China.
Around 33 million tons of milk are produced in Germany each year.
The turbo cows make it possible.

Everyone should be familiar with the grievances in factory farming by now.

Incidentally, the production of a glass of milk leads to almost three times the greenhouse gas emissions compared to non-dairy products, according to a study by the University of Oxford.

According to a study, it takes 5 liters of water to make 1 liter of milk and 650 square meters of land are required to produce one glass of milk a day. That corresponds to two tennis courts.

According to a study by the University of Oxford, the production of one glass of milk leads to almost three times the greenhouse gas emissions of non-dairy products.

Germany is one of the largest milk producers in the world. Around 33 million tons of milk are produced in Germany every year! Animal suffering is subsidized with taxpayers’ money.

A lot of money is involved, as the sales of the largest dairies show.

For example, the largest dairies come from France. Before Danone with a turnover of 18 billion euros, the French dairy Lactalis is even bigger with an annual turnover of 20 billion euros.

The largest dairy in the world is Nestlé. The group generates over 24 billion euros.
https://netzfrauen.org/2019/11/07/dairy-3/

And I mean…In reality, nothing is true about the image of the idyllic dairy farming, which has been romantically transfigured to this day.
Instead, the milk business has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry, which ensures that milk consumption is constantly increasing all over the world.
And the suffering of the animals that produce the milk too.

And this despite the fact that almost two thirds of all adults worldwide are lactose intolerant.
A huge branch of industry has developed, the dairy industry is even the largest in the German food industry.
And for a few years now, the lactose intolerance business has also been flourishing
The new, lucrative trend towards lactose-free dairy products, however, serves less health than the manufacturers’ wallet.

But what is really behind the milk production?
How did the cows become suppliers for a high-tech dairy industry?
How are they suffering?
Who are the people behind it?
What effects does milk have on our health?

The dairy industry goes to great lengths to keep its secrets.
But thanks to the numerous undercover investigations in recent years, the reality and truth about this industry are becoming more and more public.

Regardless of whether in Europe, Asia or Africa – through this continued milk consumption we keep the infant in a permanent state. By nature, it is not intended that we can still process milk as adults.
Humans are the only mammals that will continue to consume milk in adult life.
And many people feel this in their lactose intolerance.

Therefore, myths and other long-established fairy tales of “oh so healthy milk” should each of us banish from our adult lives.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Vegan Recipes

England: Veganuary Vegan Bites.

The following tasty treats have come to us through liaison with the Viva! Vegan recipe club.

Why not give them a try (for Veganuary) when you have some time.

 

Speedy One Pot Kale, Bean & Lemon Stew

This is a lovely, hearty, healthy stew which is very quick to make – perfect for busy evenings or for taking to work in a thermos for the office lunch.

Click here for the full recipe details:

Speedy One Pot Kale, Bean & Lemon Stew – Vegan Recipe Club

Golden ‘Chicken’ & Leek Pies 

These seasonal pies are mmmnn delicious! You can choose whether to make 1 large pie, 6 medium-sized (using pie cases or ramekins) or 12 little pies (using a muffin tin).

Click here for the full recipe details:

Golden ‘Chicken’ & Leek Pies – Vegan Recipe Club

Quick & Creamy Black Eyed Bean Curry

This curry is healthy, delicious, easy to make and certainly not lacking in flavour. Add to the list of weekly staples 🙂

Click here for the full recipe details:

Quick & Creamy Black Eyed Bean Curry – Vegan Recipe Club

Guest Chef Specials:

Krimsey Lilleth was born in Baton Rouge, LA and raised in the rich, celebratory culture of the deep south. She spent a good deal of her childhood in the great outdoors and swampy, magical forest teeming with all sorts of critters she came to love and respect.

Krimsey’s mission is to inspire others to care for themselves, animals and the environment through food. She is the founder of the late-and-great Los Angeles restaurant, Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen, the world’s first vegan Cajun restaurant! 

We can’t wait to try Krimsey’s incredible recipes – perfect for a post-Christmas pick-me-up. 

Deep South Pasta Casserole

Click here for the full recipe details:

Deep South Pasta Casserole – Vegan Recipe Club

Cinnamon S’mores French Toast Roll-ups

Click here for the full recipe details:

Cinnamon S’mores French Toast Roll-ups – Vegan Recipe Club

Sign up to the Vegan recipe club by clicking here:

Delicious Vegan Recipes | Vegan Recipe Club

Download the Vegan recipe club app by clicking here;

Vegan Recipe Club App – Vegan Recipe Club

Some Veganuary specials for you to try – just click here:

Advance recipe search – Vegan Recipe Club

Happy Munching !

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

USA: The Upcoming Trial Of Matt Exposing Pig Farming Animal Cruelty Could Be The National Opportunity To Challenge The Constitutionality Of Ag-Gag Laws.

USA: Pigs To The Slaughter – What Man Will Do To Intelligent, Sentient Beings. – World Animals Voice

“I’m heading to Iowa later this week to visit my family for possibly the last time in a while. Later this month, I start a felony trial where I’m facing up to 8 years in prison for investigating Iowa’s largest “pork” producer and rescuing a sick piglet named Gilly.

It happened in the spring of last year amid widespread COVID outbreaks at slaughterhouses nationwide. An employee whistleblower tipped us off about Iowa Select Farms — unable to send pigs to slaughter — using a gruesome mass kill method called “ventilation shutdown” or VSD. Thousands of pigs were loaded into a shed, the vents were sealed off, and heat and steam were pumped inside to kill them in an agonizing, slow death. With a team of investigators, I helped capture the horrific process on camera and sent it to the media.

The exposé garnered support from millions of people, but the authorities in Iowa decided to prosecute me instead of the animal-abusing company. And Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds stood by the factory farms too. Less than 2 weeks after the investigation was publicized, Governor Reynolds signed Iowa’s third ag-gag law, creating a new crime called “food operation trespass” which I was later charged under.

But you know what? I consider it a blessing in disguise.

My trial now has the opportunity to challenge the constitutionality of ag-gag laws and establish a precedent for a new wave of anti-ag-gag legislation.

Imagine if instead of covering up animal cruelty, our laws gave ordinary people the right to see inside these places, and even the right to rescue sick and suffering animals. That’s what is at stake in this trial.

And that’s why I want to ask you…

Will you join me in Iowa for this groundbreaking trial?

Sign up here to register for court support during my trial and get important updates about the event.
Whether you’re supporting in person or online, stay tuned for more updates and ways you can help.

Thank you for your support.

Matt”

Further links to read on this case:

After Pork Giant’s Cruel Killings Exposed, FBI Pursued Critics (theintercept.com)

Breaking: Gruesome Footage Shows Pigs Roasted Alive At Iowa’s Leading Pork Supplier Amid Coronavirus Crisis (directactioneverywhere.com)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewmlouYweqeszzTywfv2sqoH6s9_3Fy2Uw97wjRu_-PyqTDw/viewform

(9) Matt Johnson (@DxE_Matt) / Twitter

(20+) Watch | Facebook

Matt Johnson & DxE Protest Smithfield Foods Planning Commission Meeting – Sh*tt*ist Company Awards – YouTube

Direct Action Everywhere – Wikipedia

Animal Rights Extremists Take Their Cause to the Courtroom | Pork Business

Pigs to the Slaughter – Tablet Magazine

USA: DxE investigator Matt Johnson was just arrested in Iowa. He’s in jail right now charged with three felonies for documenting factory farms roasting pigs alive. – World Animals Voice

USA: Full Solidarity From Us (at WAV) To Matt – Re Iowa Factory Farms Roasting Pigs Alive. – World Animals Voice

USA: After pork giant was exposed for cruel killings, the FBI pursued its critics. – World Animals Voice

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

EU: The new Common Agricultural Policy: One small step for agriculture policy, one giant leap for animal welfare.

WAV Comment: Phil Hogan is Irish; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hogan and has, although not legally permitted in his position as EU Commissioner, been a very vocal supporter of the Irish agriculture industry. This should not be permitted by the EU of ‘their’ Commissioners; but hey, we all know the EU and how it operates. Phil Hogan has been a big voice for Irish Agriculture and probably not much else – full stop !

5 January 2022

On 2 December, the Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure and the President of the European Parliament formally signed into law three new regulations that, taken together, form the basis of the new Common Agricultural Policy for 2023 — 2027 (and possibly beyond).

This new CAP has been derided, disparaged and denigrated by environmental groups and agricultural producers alike, and not without good cause from the former. At a time when Europe aspires to lead the world in a green revolution, we have a policy that, whilst a big improvement on the current CAP, still fails to live up to the lofty ambition of the von der Leyen Commission’s Green Deal.

In a large part, this can be blamed on the fact that the proposals were not born of the current Commission at all, but were legacies of the Juncker Commission, and in particular of an Agriculture Commissioner (Phil Hogan) who was more interested in agricultural orthodoxy than environmental originality. Blame should also be levelled at the doors of Member States. In order for any legislative package to be adopted, it needed support from a minimum of 15 countries, representing 65% of the Union’s total population. Politics is still, ultimately, the art of the possible, and sometimes there is no point in reaching for the stars when you can only get as far as the moon.

EU Ag Commissioner Phil Hogan – A Promotional Voice for Irish Agriculture.

And so to the detail. Ultimately we needed a CAP that rewards a new set of environmental and animal welfare provisions: cleaner water, better soil quality, higher biodiversity, better grazing and housing standards. Farmers are custodians of our landscape; more of them need to be encouraged to follow best practice and behave as such. We needed a shift to rewarding the outcome, not the activity. Did we get this?

Yes, and no. Voluntary coupled support, which allows Member States to target ‘aid’ to a specific agricultural sector, survives. Although capped at 13% of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (otherwise known as the “first pillar”) — i.e. those funds that go straight to farms to support their incomes — this remains to be a remnant of the original CAP that is neither just nor justifiable. The use of voluntary coupled support in 2018, for instance, totalled €3.99 billion, of which 40% went to support beef production and a further 21% to support milk production. Furthermore, new “good agricultural and environmental conditions” (known as GAECs) — standards for environmental protection which directly impact on habitat protection — were watered down by Member States and MEPs.

However, it’s also not all bad. A full 25% of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund will, for the first time, be composed of new incentives for farmers, obliging them to deliver outcomes that go above and beyond minimum requirements. Crucially, thanks to our efforts and collaboration with both European Parliamentarians and Member State diplomats, these new ‘eco-schemes’ also include measures to drive improvements in animal welfare. On top of this, the wholly discretionary European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development — the so-called “pillar II” — also remains available to improve animal welfare.

We should not underestimate the impact that these eco-schemes can have for millions of animals. For the first time in the history of the CAP, animal welfare can now be incentivised through direct payments, providing farmers with a pot of money worth over €10 billion per annum. Eco-schemes, which ultimately must be used, have already been identified as a key mechanism to enable farmers, for instance, to transition to cage-free systems. Several Member States have already identified their use to support pasture-based grazing for their cattle herds.

Indeed, under the new CAP, it is now over to Member States to make the best use of this new funding, and to ensure that animal welfare is prioritised. However, governments can no longer point fingers at Brussels and complain about a lack of funding for higher animal welfare. The money is there. Now it must be used.

The new CAP, taken as a whole, is certainly not perfect. The challenges for the next reform will be to do away with coupled support entirely, to ensure eco-schemes form the backbone of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund, and to oblige all Member States to use some of the funds available to drive animal welfare forward.

However, this CAP still has the power to improve the lives of millions of animals across our European Union. It’s a big step in the right direction. We are not where we need to be yet, but we are, at least, on the right path. 

Regards Mark

Photo – Mark (WAV)