Category: General News

Farm Animals, General News, Stray Animals

India: February 21′ Stories From ‘Animal Aid Unlimited’ – Enjoy !

WAV Comment – we have become really good friends with Erika at AAU; and we communicate regularly. Here are a few latest videos (and their stories) for you to watch. Great work by fantastic people as al;ways;

Regards Mark.

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Puppies are among the cutest beings on the planet. But caring for them when they are injured and ill is one of our greatest challenges.

We do absolute everything we can to protect and heal these little ones to get them back to their mothers as fast as possible.

Every puppy is given core vaccines including against distemper and parvo, puppies stay in unique groups to minimize the spread of illness, and those showing signs of viral diseases are immediately shifted to an isolation area.

With every treatment, everyone from nurse to caregiver lavishes an extra big dose of love.

Sprinkles loved her kisses, even after bite wounds almost ended her life.

A beautiful puppy only a few weeks old had been attacked by a wild animal. She had deep bite wounds at the top of her head and under her throat, which caused swelling and infection. Her tail wagged a little and she tried to greet her rescuers but she couldn’t even lift her head.

She was too little for such a horrible injury, and we knew if she didn’t respond to antibiotics, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Gentle and fragile, we named this baby Sprinkles. She hovered on the brink of life and death for 8 days, but as soon as she started to perk up we knew she needed to be in the soft lap of her mother and siblings. And now, little Sprinkle is a downpour of love!

Rescue, treat, love. And more love. Please donate.

After spine trauma, therapy and love, Iris emerged into the most graceful dog.

The incredibly sweet nature of this little beauty shined through even when she was rigid with pain. She was unable to raise herself out of her sitting position after a spine injury caused by a road accident. It took weeks of medical care, rest and physiotherapy to heal. As gentle and perfect as a flower, we named her Iris.Watch this graceful blossom sway and wobble and, finally, walk on her own again!

Street animal rescue feels so good. Please donate.

Sponsor all-grown-up-now Merry!

So small, alone and almost faded away, we rescued beautiful Merry after someone abandoned her on the road. She must have walked until she was too weary to stand anymore and had collapsed.

Merry’s life is now filled with love. It took her 5 days before she could stand. She needed lots of physical contact which was lovingly provided by staff and volunteers.

And she blossomed into the (BIG!) beautiful girl she is today.

There are as many reasons to go vegan as there are animals on this planet! To get inspired by one more beautiful reason to go Veg, meet Merry!

Click to sponsor:

Sponsor an animal | Support a special needs animal | Animal Aid Unlimited

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

McDonald’s Officially Debuts Vegan McPlant Range To Gauge Consumer Interest.

WAV Comment:  A lot of British animal activists have had serious issues with ‘McD’ for many years; and we personally would never go near the places after the huge McLibel trial which took place (in the UK) between activists and the burger giant many years ago – see  Defending the Indefensible – Has Anything Changed in the ‘David and Goliath’ World ? – World Animals Voice

Now – Chris Kempczinski is McDonald’s chief executive. In a call with analysts, he said: “Plant-based products are an ongoing consumer trend.“It’s not a matter of if McDonald’s will get into plant-based, it’s a matter of when.”

We support anything that stops animal suffering and killing, and yes, plant based is the way to go forward; so we support this move in that sense.  Mc will always be Mc as far as we are concerned; but everyone has their own choices to make.

We suggest you watch the video in the link above and then make your choice.

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McDonald’s Officially Debuts Vegan McPlant Range To Gauge Consumer Interest

McDonald’s is testing its vegan McPlant range in Sweden and Denmark, beginning with a ‘juicy, spicy, and plant-based’ burger

McDonald’s is beginning to roll out its vegan McPlant range.

The fast-food chain is trailing a meat-free burger in Sweden, until March 15, and Denmark, until April 12.

The patty is described as ‘juicy, spicy, and plant-based’ and is made from pea and rice protein. It is served on a bun along with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. 

While the burger is plant-based and can be customized to not contain dairy, the patty is fried on the same grill as its beef counterpart. 

Vegan McPlant Range

Last year, McDonald’s announced it will test its plant-based burger in multiple markets during 2021.  

It says it will also test both breakfast sandwiches and chicken alternatives. 

Following the announcement of more vegan McDonald’s options, an expert has said the new range shows the ‘future of meat is plant-based’.

Chris Kempczinski is McDonald’s chief executive. In a call with analysts, he said: “Plant-based products are an ongoing consumer trend.“It’s not a matter of if McDonald’s will get into plant-based, it’s a matter of when.”

McDonald’s Officially Debuts Vegan McPlant Range To Gauge Consumer Interest | Plant Based News

Farm Animals, General News

South Korea: Our Dog Meat Messages Are Undelivered; Have You Also Experienced This ?

Dear all;

Re our post today regarding actions against South Korean dog meat;

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2021/02/03/south-korea-a-chance-now-for-the-future-to-get-the-dog-cat-meat-trade-stopped-but-we-need-your-actions-to-do-it-read-on/   – we also undertook mails to all addresses listed.  But unlike our other recent tests, we (in the UK) have had everything returned today from the administrator; here is one such response:

      This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.     

Delivery to the following recipients was aborted after 37 minute(s):

  * clubyb@naver.com

Reason: This is the mail system at host know-smtprelay-2-imp.

I am sorry to have to inform you that your message, “Please read”, has not yet been delivered to clubyb@naver.com.

 The remote server returned the below error when attempting delivery:

Your ip blocked from this server MpBi1gx1QdaoDnfhz6E3PQ – nsmtp

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What has been noticed today is that we have had several visits to the site from South Korea.

Visitor Traffic for Worldanimalsvoice.com (clustrmaps.com) – we have no idea if this is anything to do with undelivery or if it is for other reasons.

Please let us know via the ‘comment’ tag at the bottom of the post if you also are getting everything returned. 

I don’t have any answers; just the hope that the message to stop the animal abuse is getting through to them in different ways;

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

South Korea: A Chance Now (For the Future) To Get The Dog / Cat Meat Trade Stopped – But We Need Your Actions To Do It – Read On…

WAV Comment – WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE – This is VERY important – a chance for positive action for meat dogs and cats in South Korea.  Please take action as detailed below – we need to get this revision to the Animal protection Act and stop this terrible suffering and abuse for ever.

We will always try to be a voice for stray and farmed cats and dogs wherever they may be in the world.  We had a long battle fighting for the strays of Serbia – About Serbian Animals. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)  – and now we are working with South Korean activists to shut down this pitiful trade that causes so much suffering.

We are also running regional action campaigns also to support stopping this abuse nationwide.  This is not yet complete; but you can see what we have published (so far) by visiting the following and taking actions as detailed.

South Korea: Dog Meat Actions. Trial Post 1 of 5. 2 Regions of 10. E Mail Addys and Sample Letter to COPY and SEND. – World Animals Voice

South Korea: Part 2 of 5 Parts. Action – Additional E Mails and Covering Letters to Send. – World Animals Voice

South Korea: Dog Meat Farms. Take Actions Now To Help The Dogs – Part 3 of 5 Parts. – World Animals Voice

Thanks Mark (and Venus).

hannabritt | She quotes, Inspirational quotes, Quotes
May be an image of animal and text that says '논평 개식용 산업 종식 해법 담은 동물보호법 개정안 발의를 환영합니다 동물자유연대'

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blob:https://www.facebook.com/ef2ea0bf-240b-4d16-a06d-163c4945c4f3

URGENT Call for Action:

Urge the South Korean National Assembly members to pass legislation that bans the dog meat trade!!

On December 30, 2020, ten members of Korea’s National Assembly, led by Congresswoman Han Jeong-Ae of the Democratic (Minjoo) Party (also the newly appointed Minister of Environment), proposed a revision to the Animal Protection Act that would outlaw the slaughtering and sale of dogs and cats for meat. This bill (Bill Number 7035) proposes 5 years grace period.

Please urge the members of the Korea’s National Assembly to support and vote for this legislation and end the barbaric and cruel dog and cat meat industry. Submit your petitions to the South Korean National Assembly Members today. All the work has been done for you, all email addresses are provided and a suggested message has been written. It will take just a few minutes to help with such important work. Thank you!

May be an image of text that says '동물자유연대'

Continue reading “South Korea: A Chance Now (For the Future) To Get The Dog / Cat Meat Trade Stopped – But We Need Your Actions To Do It – Read On…” →
Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

Time to change the rules: Eurogroup for Animals launches White Paper on the Revision of the Transport Regulation.

Time to change the rules: Eurogroup for Animals launches White Paper on the Revision of the Transport Regulation

27 January 2021

Today, Eurogroup for Animals presented its White Paper on the upcoming Revision of the Transport Regulation during a high-level online event, bringing together more than 150 stakeholders from EU institutions, Member States, civil society and industry. The White Paper outlines how the new Transport Regulation should adhere to the basic principles of reducing, refining and replacing live transport, whenever applicable.

Since its foundation, Eurogroup for Animals and its members have been advocating to ensure effective protection of all animals transported. In 2007, Council Regulation 1/2005 – also known as the Transport Regulation – entered into force with the aim to avoid any injury or undue suffering during transport. However, over the years, investigations revealed that its implementation and enforcement is very poor; and scientific sources reported that its provisions are often unfit to ensure effective protection for the animals transported.

Today, Eurogroup for Animals launches a White Paper as a response to the European Commission’s stated aims to revise the Transport Regulation “to align it with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope, make it easier to enforce and ultimately ensure a higher level of animal welfare”.

Every day, a vast range of animal species are transported within the EU and beyond for commercial activities, yet the current Transport Regulation does not guarantee effective protection to all of them. In principle, the Transport Regulation should apply to the commercial transport of live vertebrate animals. However, the majority of its provisions refer only to the welfare of certain terrestrial farmed animal species: the requirements for the transport of fish, companion animals and equines are less developed; and measures to ensure the welfare of a large group of species transported for scientific purposes are completely absent. Additionally, by definition, invertebrates transported for food production remain out of the scope of the Regulation. This needs to change.

Furthermore, it’s been widely demonstrated that existing gaps in the current legislative framework have a significant negative impact on animals. This needs to be addressed by establishing comprehensive species- and category-specific requirements as well as a more efficient enforcement system. To this end, the White Paper provides the European Commission and EU co-legislators with science based key provisions to be included in the revised legislative text to substantially improve the welfare of terrestrial farmed animals, fish and aquatic invertebrates, equines, companion animals, and laboratory animals during transport. To further facilitate compliance and systematic data collection, a reporting system based on transparent communication on the animals being transported (species and numbers, animal welfare status, journey route) and any transport-related problems, is outlined. Such a system would increase Member States’ accountability and fully exploit the enforcement power of the European.

Environmental, General News

EU fails to strengthen enforcement of sustainable development provisions in EU FTAs.

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/eu-fails-strengthen-enforcement-sustainable-development-provisions-eu-ftas

EU fails to strengthen enforcement of sustainable development provisions in EU FTAs

28 January 2021

While the announcements made by the EU institutions on the revision of the so-called “Enforcement Regulation” on trade disputes foresaw stronger enforcement mechanisms for Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) provisions contained in trade agreements, the draft text adopted at the European Parliament’s plenary session on 21st January does not reflect the awaited progress.

The long-awaited materialisation of the principle that violations of TSD chapters – in which wildlife conservation and trafficking issues are embedded, alongside deforestation or climate issues – are as important as those perpetrated against market access provisions, remains uncertain from the EP’s first reading of the text released earlier this week. While the text interestingly lays down that the Regulation allows for a suspension of the obligations stemming from EU trade deals – which means the EU could suspend preferential tariffs – in response to breaches of TSD chapters, the concept remains largely aspirational – as it is listed in the recitals which are non-binding, legally speaking.

This outcome is disappointing considering the statements made by the EU institutions back in October 2020 that the EU would “examine breaches in the field of sustainable trade with the same attention as breaches of market access”. As a reminder, the purpose of the Enforcement Regulation’s update was to extend its scope in order to enable the EU to impose counter-measures in situations where EU trade partners violate WTO rules or block the dispute settlement procedures available under WTO rules. This is seen as an interim arrangement in reaction to the legal void left by the “WTO Appellate Body crisis” since December 2019. Considering the weakness of enforcement mechanisms attached to TSD chapters, there was hope that the updated Regulation could also provide new tools to address concerns in this field.

Eurogroup for Animals  thus regrets that  the enacting terms of the Regulation do not include any wording on strengthening the enforcement of TSD chapters contained in EU FTAs.It is also hard to see what the recital listed in the reviewed Enforcement Regulation will add to existing legislation, as the principle that TSD violations could lead to the suspension of the FTA has already been recognised by the CJEU Opinion on the EU-Singapore FTA. ) Back then, we already analysed that this ruling was not a panacea. Suspending the entire agreement in response to the breach of TSD provisions is the equivalent of a “nuclear weapon”. It is thus very unlikely the EU will want to trigger this process. In addition, the aspirational nature of the provisions contained in TSD chapters (which usually list commitments to ‘aim’ or ‘strive’ at ‘promoting’ sustainable development issues) would also make it difficult for the EU to prove failure of commitment from its partner. The recent ruling in the dispute linked to labour rights provisions included in the EU-Korea FTA has clarified that, in their current form, these provisions only impose an obligation of “efforts”, not of “results”. 

In conclusion, this regulation does not add any additional mechanism to strengthen the enforcement of TSD commitments in EU FTAs. All eyes will now be on the new EU Trade Strategy, which should be published on 17 February, to assess whether the EU has succeeded to make its trade policy compatible with the EU Green Deal. 

General News

Leaked documents suggest the EU-Mercosur agreement needs to be renegotiated.

Leaked documents suggest the EU-Mercosur agreement needs to be renegotiated

1 February 2021

The agreement, as it stands now, is a bad deal for animals, nature and people. And it cannot be fixed by simply adding a protocol or a declaration.

Leaked working documents from the French government suggest that for France to consider ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement, it must either be renegotiated to include new provisions, or new EU legislation must be put in place for instance to impose EU standards to imported products.  

The Commission’s new proposals to solve the conundrum created by the ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement will only be presented by mid 2021 but several Member States are also preparing a list of “pre-ratification conditions”, as shown by leaked proposals from the French government. The document suggests that the Agreement would either need to be renegotiated, or that new EU legislation should be put in place, before it can be ratified. Among others, the French government proposes: 

The development of “mirror measures”, which means that certain EU health and environmental standards  should apply to imports.

Cooperation against deforestation, for instance through the creation of a traceability system for animal and plant based products in order to identify whether those products are linked to deforestation.

A review of all import tolerances, in order to ensure producers from Mercosur respect the environment. 

The French opposition to the Agreement grew after the release of the French Impact Assessment on the deal which confirmed the threats identified by Eurogroup for Animals: the deal, if implemented, will lead to an increase of EU’s imports of beef and chicken from Mercosur countries, creating further pressure on  EU animal welfare standards. French Prime Minister Jean Castex confirmed in September 2020 that France will oppose the ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade deal in its current shape.  Yet, the proposals made by the French government in the leaked working document do not address our concerns related to the impact of the agreement on animal welfare. For instance, animal welfare standards should have been added to the list of standards that the EU should impose on imported goods. 

In this context, Eurogroup for Animals still calls for a reopening of the negotiations, which should include amongst other: 

A review of the market access offer to further limit the volume granted in tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for animal based products, especially for bovine and chicken meat.

Animal welfare conditions for all trade preferences granted to animal products. 

The clarification that provisions on marking and labelling do not pre-empt the EU from adopting a method of production label that would apply to imports.

A recognition of the precautionary principle in the field of food safety.

Proper monitoring mechanisms to assess the impact of the implementation of the trade deal on the animals, the environment and the people, and the introduction of tools that would allow to revert the negative impact that could be detected by these mechanisms. This could be done by strengthening the TSD chapter and its enforcement mechanisms.