WAV Comment – When you are behind rose tinted spectacles, and think that you are faultless in every way, it must be very easy to miss seeing the need to reduce animal numbers in food production !! – how very ‘Euro politics’; missing the ‘bleeding obvious’ ! – Mark
20 October 2023
In the vote on its own-initiative report on the European Protein Strategy, MEPs recognised the need to increase plant-based production for human consumption, but failed to address the crucial need to reduce animal numbers, particularly in intensive farming.
Eurogroup for Animals regrets that the Parliament rejected the amendment tabled by a large number of MEPs from different political groups, calling on the Parliament to recognise the need to reduce the production and consumption of animal-sourced protein from intensive farming in the report on the European Protein Strategy.
Around two-thirds of EU agricultural land is used for animal production, and a large proportion goes to producing feed for animals in intensive farming. Moreover, European animal farms have intensified in the last decade.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a discussion about EU food security, with the European Commission reviewing its report on the development of plant proteins to improve EU food security, reducing dependence on feed imports and reducing environmental and climate impacts. The biggest threat to long-term food security in Europe is the overconsumption of animal protein, which exceeds national dietary guidelines, planetary boundaries and negatively impacts animal welfare. The science is clear that in order to ensure long-term food security, we need to grow more food for people and less feed for animals on arable land.
We welcome the Parliament’s consideration of animal welfare when it comes to insect farming for food and feed, but are concerned that insect farming is mainly a feed industry with questionable sustainability credentials and that risks sustaining intensive animal farming. We are also concerned about the positive view on methane reducing feed-additives, which are understudied and risk leading to poor animal welfare.
Eurogroup for Animals encourages the European Commission to focus on plant-based protein production for food, not feed, when reviewing its report on the development of plant proteins and to recognise the need to reduce animal numbers in intensive farming. This would support real long-term food security and strengthen Europe’s ability to produce enough food for everyone.
As many of you will know, I am a bit of a Bonsai nut !
It is my main interest (apart from music) and is a welcome distraction from all the abuse and suffering that I see when compiling this site on a very regular basis.
I have around 25 trees in my personal collection; trees which I love and would never consider parting with purely for financial reasons. They are my babes, and will stay that way.
Today we are being given a masterclass in carving by Graham, who runs ‘Kaizen Bonsai’ which is located in East Anglia, England.
ANIMAL rights campaigners welcomed a total ban on snares and glue traps in Wales, which came into force yesterday.
Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths called it a “historic day” for animal welfare and said she is proud Wales is the first of the UK nations to introduce the move.
RSPCA Cymru’s Billie-Jade Thomas said: “We very much welcome the ban on snares and glue traps coming into force today.
This Animal-Rights Group Wants Adidas to Hire New President Opposed to Kangaroo Cleats
A week after Adidas announced North America president Rupert Campbell will leave the company at the end of the month, the Center for a Humane Economy called on the company to replace the outgoing executive with someone opposed to using kangaroo hides on soccer cleats.
“Adidas has long been the biggest apologist and end-user of kangaroo skins for soccer cleats in the world,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Washington, D.C.-area animal welfare group and Animal Wellness Action. “It now stands alone among the biggest athletic shoe brands in financing the slaughter of kangaroos, including the mass orphaning of joeys.”
Malaysia’s Wildlife Department has defended its use of puppies as live bait to capture black panthers spotted at a Malaysian village. An animal rights groups protested the method and appealed to the government to use other means.
The department resorted to using puppies after earlier attempts to lure the panthers with a goat failed. It is “standard procedure” to use live animals, Wildlife Department Director General Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said in remarks published on Tuesday, noting that the puppies were not physically harmed in the process.
A new barometer on animal welfare shows an overwhelming majority of European citizens who demand better EU legislation that truly protects animals, with over nine in ten Europeans stating that it is important to protect the welfare of farmed animals, and an absolute majority deeming it very important. More than eight in ten Europeans believe that farmed animals in their countries should be better protected than they are now. These results should prompt the European Commission to follow through on its commitment to deliver all the proposals to revise the EU animal welfare legislation as promised.
The much awaited special Eurobarometer on Attitudes of Europeans towards Animal Welfare has finally been published today. The poll surveyed 26,376 citizens across all member states between 2 and 26 March 2023, and acts as an official tool that is used to advise the EU institutions when drafting reports and legislations.
The results confirmed the strong support from EU citizens towards animal welfare, confirming the previous survey from 2016, which had also sent a very strong message for the EU to better protect animals.
Highlights from the survey:
Over 90% of Europeans consider that farming and breeding practices should meet basic ethical requirements, while two-thirds of respondents said that they would like to have more information on the conditions in which farmed animals are raised.
Nearly six in ten Europeans (57%) said that fur farms should be banned in Europe, in line with the 1.5 million citizens who made this call in the successful Fur Free Europe ECI
Over nine in ten Europeans believe that farmed animals should have enough space to be able to move around, lie down and stand up, with 89% saying that animals should not be kept in individual cages, supporting the call by 1.4 million citizens who asked for a ban on cages. Currently in the EU, over 300 million farmed animals spend their lives confined in cages, which cause them immense suffering.
Nearly nine in ten Europeans (88%) said that it is important to improve the welfare of animals in slaughterhouses.
89% of Europeans favoured a ban on mutilations, a practice that is still very common in the EU, despite the pain it causes.
Three quarters of respondents found the practice of killing male chicks after birth to be unacceptable. In addition, eight in ten Europeans believe that ensuring sufficient skills and training in people handling animals is important.
On the issue of live animal transport, which the EC is expected to propose a revision on, 83% of respondents think that the travel time for the transport (for ‘commercial purposes’) of live animals within or from the EU should be limited.
When it comes to food imports from non-EU countries, over eight in ten Europeans (84%) believe that the current animal welfare situation should change, either by imposing import requirements or a very strict labelling system.
60% of the respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay more for products sourced from animal welfare-friendly farming systems, despite the survey being carried out during high inflation periods.
74% believe that the welfare of companion animals should be better protected, and over eight in ten respondents said that good welfare conditions for horses, cats and dogs bred for commercial purposes is important.
The support of EU citizens for better animal welfare is enormous, with this Eurobarometer once again they made a clear call for better protection for animals on all fronts. We urge the European Commission to listen to this loud and clear message and come forward with a solid commitment and timeline for the Kept Animals and Slaughter Regulations
More than 400 pets have been rescued from an illegal animal trade network in Spain.
Hundreds of animals, mostly dogs and cats, were recovered as part of an operation conducted by four police forces across Spain that first began in 2020.
In a video released by police in Catalonia, puppies of various “highly valued” breeds could be seen jumping around in crates as they were sent to undergo health inspections at the vets.
Clear call from MEPs in plenary: Fur Free Europe now
19 October 2023
Photo – Jo Anne McArthur – We Animals.
MEPs from all political groups called for a full ban on fur farms and on the placement of farmed fur products on the European market at today’s European Parliament Plenary in Strasbourg.
A large number of MEPs from across the political spectrum called on the European Commission (EC) to respect European citizens’ demands from the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and end this unnecessary, unethical and obsolete practice.
An official reply to the ECI is expected from the EC by the end of the year.
More than 1.5 million EU Citizens have asked for a ban on fur farms and on the placement of farmed fur products on the EU market, in one of the most successful ECIs on animal welfare. 20 Member States have already totally or partially banned fur farming on grounds of animal welfare and public health.
23 MEPs directly called for the ban on fur farms, stressing the immense suffering to animals: 37 million animals are killed in Europe each year for the sole purpose of fur production, which they called ‘unnecessary’.
An overwhelming majority of MEPs stressed that the EC simply cannot ignore the democratic call of the citizens, arguing that the time to end this practice is now and that the EU cannot remain silent and continue to ignore the cruelty of fur farms.
Numerous MEPs also brought up the severe threat that fur farms pose to public health, making reference to recent Covid-19 and avian influenza outbreaks, while they highlighted the serious consequences that fur farming has on biodiversity.
Fur farming is unethical, a useless impractical practice that causes lifelong suffering in small cages. We hope the EC brings up a ban on production and imports. Tomorrow should be better than today.
Sirpa Pietikainen, MEP (EPP)
If it matters to Europeans, it matters to Europe. But what does this mean if the EC does not honour its own pledge, and act on the call of millions of Europeans. We need to ban the import of fur to prevent suffering elsewhere. How can we in Europe remain silent? Animals don’t deserve this. Citizens don’t want this. Will the Commission finally take the lead and show that it takes citizens’ initiatives seriously?
Anja Hazekamp, MEP (The Left)
We can no longer ignore the cruelty of the fur farming sector and the risks for public health. The pollution is immense, while it poses a risk to ecosystems. We say yes to a future with a fur free world.
Leszek Miller, MEP (S&D)
60 minks to be slaughtered for a single coat… 200 chinchillas… This is perverse and despicable that so many animals have to be killed for the sake of fashion.
Maria Noichl, MEP (S&D)
The time has come to end the infliction of suffering on these animals. This type of rearing of animals is in direct contradiction to animal welfare. It is unethical, unsafe and unsustainable.
Laura Ferrara, MEP (non-attached)
We cannot allow this to continue anymore. Breeding animals for their fur is unacceptable. What is the added value? How does this contribute to the wellbeing of society? This practice belongs in the past. We have to end this madness in which animals are being treated as objects.
Norway’s Supreme Court handed down a final verdict that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breed is too sick and inbred for breeding to continue. They also ruled that the breeding of English bulldogs must fit with new frameworks, with breeding falling outside such frameworks to be illegal.
Extreme breeding has become a major animal welfare concern, especially with the surge in popularity of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs and other companion animals showing extreme features.
Selecting for specific physical traits (e.g. flat nose, round skull, skin folds, droopy eyes) and unrestrained inbreeding has led to hereditary disorders impacting both the physical and mental health of the animals.
In Norway, Section 25 of the Animal Welfare Act (2009) clearly states that “breeding shall encourage characteristics resulting in robust animals that function well and avail of good health”. It goes on to specify that breeding cannot happen if offspring will likely have natural behaviour affected or if it could lead to ethical issues.
The Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals sued the Kennel Club of Norway, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club and the English Bulldog Club, along with six individual breeders, claiming that the breeding of these specific breeds contravenes Section 25.
The case was first brought to the Oslo District Court, then to the Oslo Court of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court who concluded in an indisputable way that further breeding of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the current genetic material is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
Extreme breeding is a cause of unnecessary and widespread physical and mental suffering in dogs and many other animals. Norway’s verdict on unethical breeding will have major ripple effects in Europe. Eurogroup for Animals will continue working for EU-wide legislation stating that unethical breeding causing discomfort, pain and/or disease is illegal.
Some were recorded kicking, striking, and stamping on chickens too (Animal Justice Project / SWNS)
Catcher gangs are used at chicken farms across the UK as part of a depopulation process when chickens come to the end of their natural egg-laying life at around 76 to 80 weeks old. Release date October 16, 2023. See SWNS story SWMRchickens. Shocking footage shows RSPCA-approved workers kicking and stamping on hens. The secret footage of workers known as ‘catcher gangs’ was taken at Kettleby Farm in Leicestershire which supplies some supermarket chains. RSPCA Assured have since suspended the company, Norfolk-based abattoir AD Harvey, whilst they investigate the alleged abuse. AD Harvey say that staff in the footage are no longer employed and their remaining staff are undergoing retraining. Catcher gangs are used at chicken farms across the UK as part of a depopulation process when chickens come to the end of their natural egg-laying life at around 76 to 80 weeks old. The birds are then usually used for cheap meat, soups, stock, or stews as a ‘by-product’ of the egg industry. The video was released by animal rights group The Animal Justice Project, who claim that in one ‘shocking’ incident, around 30,000 hens at the end of their egg-laying life were caught in one night at the farm.
Undercover footage appearing to show workers from an RSPCA-approved company kicking and stamping on hens has seen it suspended from the charity’s farm animal welfare scheme – and reported to government investigators.
The footage has been released by animal rights group The Animal Justice Project, and shows workers known as “catcher gangs” from Norfolk-based abattoir AD Harvey working at four farms, including Kettleby Farm in Leicestershire. Catcher gangs round up hens who have come to the end of their natural egg-laying life for transport to abattoirs, with the birds typically used for cheap meat, soups, and stock.
The video shows workers kicking and throwing hens from their perches by their tailfeathers, even striking them with objects as they made their way through the facility, leaving birds lying injured or dead in their wake.
Workers were caught breaching RSPCA guidelines by carrying large amounts of hens to crates by just one legs, before shoving them in and slamming the crates closed – sometimes on their wings and heads. Catchers filmed by the group also appeared to be aware of their inappropriate methods, with one catcher saying: “It only takes one idiot to just come in here and film what we do… and all the animal rights lot will be down here. They all think chickens walk around in fields, think 20 chickens in a field will feed the nation.”
The Animal Justice Project were now calling on the RSPCA to cut all ties with AD Harvey. Spokesperson Claire Palmer said the “appalling” footage showed “indisputable violence” against hens. “The RSPCA must take decisive action – beginning with the permanent severing of ties with AD Harvey and the launch of criminal proceedings against potential law violators.”
RSPCA Assured has since suspended AD Harvey while they investigated the alleged abuse. An AD Harvey spokesperson told SWNS that the staff in the footage were no longer employed and their remaining staff were being retrained.
“It is totally unacceptable for any animal to be treated in this way and we have reported this incident to the Animal and Plant Health Agency – an official government body that is fully equipped and resourced to investigate and take action,” an RSPCA Assured spokesperson said. “The behaviour in this footage goes against everything RSPCA Assured stands for and falls significantly below the high standards we demand of our members.
“We have suspended the membership of the catching company involved, pending investigation,” they added. “This means that the workers in the footage, as well as all other employees of the catching company, cannot work with any animals being raised under the RSPCA Assured scheme.”
Of the four farming sites featured in this footage, only one, Kettleby Farm, was RSPCA Assured certified. “We are urgently investigating this farm, as well as the associated transport company and abattoir, and are unable to comment further whilst our enquiries are ongoing,” the spokesperson added.
“We take complaints of poor animal welfare about any of our RSPCA Assured members very seriously and would always urge anyone with any concerns to contact us straight away, without delay. This is so that we can immediately investigate, visit the premises and address any welfare issues as a priority.”
In a statement issued by AD Harvey, the company told SWNS that the behaviour of their staff had fallen below standards. “AD Harvey have been made aware of a film which was produced, covertly, by an activist working on behalf of an animal rights organisation.
“The edited footage seeks to compare RSPCA Assured standards with what the activist actually witnessed whilst ‘working’ as part of our team at a poultry farm,” a spokesperson wrote. “As a result, RSPCA Assured have suspended AD Harvey Catching teams from their scheme.”
They said they had viewed the footage, and it “clearly shows some members of the AD Harvey bird catching team acting in a manner which was completely at odds with the standards of animal welfare to which we require our staff to work to… Those staff members are no longer employed by AD Harvey, and all other members of our bird catching staff are being retrained in the correct procedures.”
AD Harvey said its partners “totally condemn any breaches of animal welfare legislation” and their teams were trained to deliver a service which ensured that birds are treated with respect and care. “We will work closely with both RSPCA Assured and all of our customers to ensure that our teams act in a professional and caring manner at all times.”
