Successful shark finning Citizens’ Initiative presented to the Commission

11 January 2023

The ‘Stop Finning – Stop the Trade’ initiative has become the eighth successful European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), reaching over 1.1 million statements of support from EU citizens.

The European Commission now has six months to decide on political actions to end the EU shark fin trade.

The initiative calls on the Commission to propose legal measures to end the trade of fins in the EU, including the import, export and transit of fins other than if naturally attached to the animal’s body.

The Commission will meet the ECI organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the next weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament.

The Commission has until 11 July 2023 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take: whether to propose legislation, take other non-legislative actions or not act at all.

This initiative is the eighth ECI to have successfully passed the threshold of one million signatures from at least seven Member States, demonstrating that European citizens can help create European policies. 

Today the initiative officially entered the political process, and campaigners publicly delivered the 1.1 million statements of support from EU citizens to the EU institutions in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

The EU has to implement a trade ban immediately. Sharks are important to marine ecosystems and populations recover very slowly from industrial fishing. Hunting such important animals for their fins is the epitome of senselessness. We are counting on the European Commission to implement a strong trade regulation in addition to existing regulations to finally end the shark fin trade in the EU. 

Nils Kluger, spokesperson of “Stop Finning – Stop the Trade”

On Thursday 19th January, the Animal Welfare Intergroup will hold a hybrid meeting where Nils Kluger, Spokesperson and Coordinator of the ECI, will discuss the political process of the validated ECI and the demands to the European Parliament. 

Read more at source

Stop Finning EU

Regards Mark

Kylie Jenner at Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2023 collection with a huge lion’s head attached to her dress.Credit: AP

WAV comment – I wonder if any of these ‘oh so’ couture houses have ever donated any money to the preservation of wild animals such as lions and wolves ? – very much doubt it.

And Naomi Campbell; was she not once heard to say that she would rather go naked than wear fur ? – ok, this is not real fur, but in our opinion, it is promoting the use of fur and as a result, either the breeding or killing of animals for their fur.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3954568/Naomi-Campbell-continues-wear-fur-arrives-JFK-airport-20-years-claiming-d-nude-PETA-s-famous-anti-cruelty-campaign.html

Click ‘watch on YouTube’

We agree with Carrie, all of this does nothing but adding to “promoting trophy hunting” by using the fake animal heads.  Well done Carrie for speaking out.

Regards Mark

Naomi Campbell (I would rather go naked than wear fur !!) does her bit to promote fur ? –  – Estrop© Provided by The Telegraph

Kylie Jenner criticised by animal rights groups for wearing lion’s head to Paris couture show

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner has caused an up-roar after appearing in a dress accessorised with an uber-realistic life-sized lion’s head at Schiaparelli’s couture catwalk show in Paris.

The wild accessory was pinned onto the shoulder of a black strapless dress as she took her front row seat at the legendary fashion house’s label’s spring-summer 2023 couture collection.

Ms Jenner’s lion’s head – replete with fangs and bushy mane – was a preview of the collection, and was joined on the runway by other beasts’ heads, including a wolf, modelled by Naomi Campbell, and a snow leopard.

Kylie Jenner criticised by animal rights groups for wearing lion’s head to Paris couture show | ITV News

The creations were part of the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2023 collection – Michel Euler© Provided by The Telegraph

Also;

Carrie Johnson attacks ‘grim’ fake animal head couture dresses

Carrie Johnson (wife of ex UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson) has accused an Italian fashion house of promoting trophy hunting after supermodels wore life-sized fake animal heads on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week.

But the show caused environmentalists, including Carrie Johnson, to accuse the fashion brand of “promoting trophy hunting” by using the fake animal heads.

Ms Johnson posted online about the show, with the message: “Grim! Real or fake this just promotes trophy hunting. Yuck”.

Read it all with pictures at:

Carrie Johnson attacks ‘grim’ fake animal head couture dresses (msn.com)

Regards Mark

My dog wears real fur, and so it should; I wear only skin, like I should !

Mark

Information supplied by Di in Germany.

Animal baiting: 150 people involved in Northern Ireland, says USPCA – BBC News

Animal baiting: 150 people involved in Northern Ireland, says USPCA

The USPCA has told BBC Spotlight its intelligence indicates there are 150 people actively involved in animal baiting in Northern Ireland.

Baiting involves deliberately setting up fights between hunting dogs and wild animals like foxes and badgers.

Baiting badgers is illegal because badgers are a protected species while foxes have no legal protection.

The charity believes there could be up to 14,000 cases of badger baiting in Northern Ireland each year.

For Exposed: Hunting With Dogs, BBC Spotlight joined USPCA (Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) investigators in September as they monitored alleged animal baiters.

Badger baiting prevention effort commended

The programme also revealed a shadowy online world where people involved in baiting share photos and videos of both brutally-injured dogs and their savaged prey.

USPCA chief executive Brendan Mullan said he believed 99% of the people involved in baiting in Northern Ireland were targeting both foxes and badgers.

“While fox hunting is legal the chances of a badger baiting conviction are undermined, because there is the defence, the cloak of ‘well, I was just out hunting foxes’, whereas in fact it was badgers that they were hunting,” he added.

In 2021, a Stormont private member’s bill put forward by an Alliance MLA would have closed that loophole by banning all hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland, in line with the existing law in the rest of the UK.

But the bill was defeated and with Stormont absent, there is no prospect of a change in the law at the moment.

‘Special task force’

The USPCA said it would like to see greater enforcement of the existing law protecting, specifically, badgers.

Mr Mullan said: “We would like to see, even on a time-limited basis, a special task force set up by the police to proactively investigate this network of over 150 badger baiters in Northern Ireland and to hold them to account in the criminal court.”

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it took reports of animal-related crime seriously and it was an important part of policing.

It said it had a wildlife and rural crime team ensuring all police officers and staff could receive the expert support and guidance necessary to respond to reports of wildlife crime.

Regards Mark and Diana