Germany, Lower Saxony: A piglet has managed to escape from an animal transporter at full speed on the A1 motorway in Lower Saxony.
The animal not only survived the fall from the truck, it also gets a new home with an animal rights activist, as the police announced on Friday. How the little pig could get out of the hold of the transporter remained unclear.
During the trip, it fell out of the truck at about 80 to 90 kilometers per hour and overturned several times before it stopped next to the motorway.
A car woman-driver driving behind the truck noticed the falling piglet and called the highway patrol. The animal rights activist turned at the next exit and took part in the search.
The pig was slightly injured in the fall. The truck driver did not limit the loss of the animal from his van, as a call to the transport company revealed. Because the return of the vice to retrieve the piglet would have been too great a burden for the other animals in the van, the company decided that the animal rights activist may keep the piglet.
My comment: Frederik lives, as far as I am informed, today on the Farm Butenland, Germany, together with other animals, which are rescued from the same abovementioned similar cruel conditions and have a nice life there.
Frederik won 6 in the lottery and we wish him a long and healthy life !!
The last Video from Frederik`s new life, Hof Butenland
Watch the video by clicking on the above link; or see it below.
Meet Oliver, an adorable piglet who was rescued by police officers in the English city of Coventry in the West Midlands last Tuesday morning.
The officers discovered the lost pig wandering along a busy road and quickly relocated him to the safety of a squad car, where he settled comfortably into the passenger seat.
Oliver instantly took a liking to the officers and enjoyed the attention he received from them, as you can see in this video.
The officers named the little pig after Charles Dickens’ fictional runaway orphan, Oliver Twist.
In the video, one policeman also jokingly introduces Oliver as his new police partner and calls him a “good boy.”
The lovelypiglet was transported to the RSPCA, where he’s currently being cared for until a forever home is found for him.
In the meantime, Oliver will receive “lots of hogs and kisses,” the police department assured the public in a Tweet.
Watch this clip for an uplifting dose of cuteness!
Today (14/6) has been the ‘Stop Live Transport International Awareness Day’; a global day of action against the transportation of live animals.
As it is now late in the evening, we do not currently have reports and pictures of the events of today; but we shall be covering this soon when more information is provided.
In the mean time we will give you the link to the CIWF (London) web site, which has been one of the key players in this event,
Watch the video made by CIWF of Scottish calves being driven to Ramsgate in Kent; before onward shipment in mainland Europe. As you will have seen on past post we have made on this site, these very young calves are all males; a by product of the dairy industry which in reality does not want them – only female cows produce milk and as such are the only ones required to replenish the herd on dairy farms and facilities.
Here below is the video – Published on 1 May 2019
An investigation documenting the live transport of calves from Scotland to the port of Ramsgate (Kent, England) and onto Abbeville, France.
As it is now late in the evening here in England, we do not currently have reports and pictures of the events of today; but we shall be covering this soon when more information is provided.
More to come on this very soon, as we get reports in.
One should picture such a plate on all commercials!
On cigarette packs, it is not a problem !!
Supermakts deliver themselves a price battle, which offers a 400-g-package of pork minute- steaks at the promotional price of 1.99 Euro instead of 2.79 Euro, the other lowers the price for the same “product” to 1.45 Euro! Just to name one example of many. It is the poor animals that are suffering !!!
Consumers are increasingly rejecting cheap meat from factory farming, so the discounters and supermarkets increasingly resort to tricks. “My butcher shop”, so one advertises.
Foto: ARIWA: Cow in the “Bio” slaughterhouse -Germany.
But who now believes that the “butcher” is right in the neighborhood, is wrong.
And even the “Mühlenhof” from the supermarket chain “Penny” and “Gut Ponholz” from the “Netto” chain does not exist.
Beware of advertising terms such as “from the region” or “from here”, because the term “region” is not protected by law.
Recently, the discounters advertise with new meat seals, but even here there are hardly any improvements in animal husbandry.
Reality: Also in the “farmer next door” is violated when driving the animals in the slaughterhouse building against animal protection regulations. It is forbidden to use electric shock devices systematically, even on the head, but still common practice!
A beef that struggles for hours is not only powered by two electric motors at the same time. The workers also turn his tail painfully and kick the animal with their feet. Some cattle are specifically sprayed with water, so that the electric shock hurts even more and they finally go to their deaths.
In the pig farms the animals are crowded. In these so-called organic animal factories, 5000 pigs are controlled by one person. Their tails are cut and their teeth are ground down, because otherwise they will bite each other’s tails out of boredom, get sick and need antibiotics.
After a short life they are then slaughtered by modern slaves keepers at an insane pace that bring animals from life to their deaths.
Germany is the world’s largest meat producer and make subsidies possible!
About 60 million pigs are slaughtered annually in Germany! In 2016, Germany’s slaughterhouses produced 8.25 million tons more meat than ever before.And in order to be able to produce these millions of tons of meat, animals suffer excruciatingly in factory farms. In all factory farms, also in the bios and in the “regional”.
In Germany, 50,000 piglets per day (!!!) are thrown into the garbage container. They are garbage and are not needed.
In Germany about two million animals are slaughtered on day. Livestock carriers travel non-stop through Germany and stop at the slaughterhouse. The animal welfare breaches of animal transport have increased. The state closes its eyes, the EU is interested in a shit about animal welfare and laws during transport.
They are cruel pictures and we often hear them screaming. Every day we see them driving, the trucks, their cargo: animals! In “livestock farming”, as in all other economic sectors, it is all about money. Time is money and therefore everything has to go fast – and how such transports run you see in the video!
These pictures in this video come from a pigsty with 1,500 animals near the city of Ulm, Germany. The shots have with hidden camera animal rights activists from the SHOKO. e.V. (I’ve translated the most important part of it, but the pictures speak for themselves)
From the outside, it is a stable like any other.
And yet the activists wanted to know what it looks like behind this facade.
Already in the floor they found dying, injured, dead animals.
Image: SOKO
The bays are so full that the ground is no longer visible. The stable is in a catastrophic hygienic condition. The columns are full of excrement, mice and cockroaches are the only creatures who feel good in this hell!
Image: SOKO
Important Information: the operator of the stable is employed in the district office, in the department “agriculture”. The man who runs this stable is sitting next door to the responsible authorities, who should intervene against such conditions long ago!
The animal rights activists have documented clear criminal offenses: apart from decaying carcasses, they find dead animals or animals dying. A pig is emaciated, unable to stand in his own urine, it should be extinguished.
Others are already in the trash, left to their fate.
Image: SOKO
Many have huge ulcers, are sick, they have open wounds and can not get up.
One is particularly noticeable and cruel: bitten ears, bitten off tails and cannibalism. Conditions that are a common practice in each stable because of monotony, but in this stall fell the animals whole pieces of meat!
Facing the mass catastrophic situation, the stable looks like a hospital.
Image: SOKO
There are 40 kilograms of antibiotic found.
Because most animals are seriously ill, the farmers try to keep them alive with medication to make their way to the slaughterhouse.
And thus the profit.
This meat bears the seal QS (Quality Systems) and this stall even took part in the “Animal Welfare” initiative, an industry campaign that has as its goal the alleged improvements in the stables.
The SOKO activists want to know how these animals are subsequently marketed.
They come, for the most part, under the name of a butcher who advertises regional products.
And exactly the operator of this horror stall gave an interview in the newspaper of the butcher and said: “I want the animals to be fine”!! The rest of the animals land allover in German supermarkets. Hidden cameras show how this stable handles the no longer viable animals.
Ulm District Court on 15 March 2019 sentenced the pig owner to three years’ imprisonment for animal cruelty.
My comment: And if not every stable has the same horror, that does not mean that the other stables fulfill the conditions required by the animal welfare legislation.
Germany, the country with the largest power in Europe, likes to advertise with the slogan “we have the best animal protection law in Europe”.
Animal welfare is indeed in the Basic Law in Germany, but organizationally, it is located at the Ministry of Agriculture. Too often, the interests of industry and business outweigh the welfare of the animals.
Germany needs its own animal protection ministry. Only then can we speak of a properly progressive animal protection law.
“For the animals today all peoples are more or less barbaric, it is hypocritical and grotesque if they emphasize their supposedly high culture at every opportunity, and daily commit the terrible atrocities against millions of defenseless beings.” (Alexander von Humboldt)
14/6/19 is the 4th annual day of action against long distance live animal transport – and it is the biggest yet.
Last year, 2018; individuals and organisations from more than 30 countries staged over 100 actions against the trade in animal suffering.
In March 2019, the European Parliament voted for a ban on EU live exports to countries with lower welfare standards. So this June 14th you have the chance to help in keeping up the pressure to turn this breakthrough into legislation that could stop the suffering of millions of animals every year.
This petition is only open for CANADIAN citizens to sign; but it is very important – your support is required and please crosspost.
CALL-TO-ACTION! Just three weeks left to sign this Government of Canada e-petition calling for a stop to live air transport of horses for human consumption. The petition is sponsored by Beaches-East York Liberal MP, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, and closes on June 19.
BACKGROUND INFO: In 2018, over 7,000 horses were air shipped from Canada to Japan for slaughter for human consumption.
Up to 3 to 4 horses are loaded into crates smaller than a single horse stall, frequently in contravention of Health of Animals Regulations and International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards.
Further, these beings are having to endure flights that are 10.5 to 13.5 hours long, during which time (and for the additional hours spent for ground transportation, loading into crates, and loading and unloading crates from planes), they have no access to food or water. Please help. This needs to stop.
Australia: Live Exports Demo – Saturday 1st June 2019 – North Freemantle.
Firstly, with the result of the recent federal election, the appointment of HUGE live export fan, Bridget McKenzie to Minister of Agriculture position and at least another three years of the live sheep trade, we urge you to please commit to renewing your membership if it has lapsed, or join if you are not already a member. From as little as $5 per month via GiveNow – that’s just $1.17 per week and is of the greatest value to us in helping fund our ongoing campaign. Or you can pay an annual membership fee via our website.
Regarding this Saturday’s public outreach at Tydeman Rd. Please check staus on Facebook event page on Friday night and radar (see below) on Saturday morning.
The current federal government makes an animal protection scandal after another!
Scandal number 1: piglet castration without anesthesia
The federal government castrates piglets without anesthesia! Resolved laws are unlawfully changed back to the worse in order to satisfy the pig industry.
Extension of the term for piglet castration was extended for another 2 years. For many years there have been sufficient alternatives that are already being implemented in other EU Member States.
Thus, the Federal Government objects to Article 20a of the Basic Law and the associated so-called prohibition of deterioration.
Scandal number 2: Illegal practices with sow box
An existing judgment since 2015 states that existing crates are illegal.
These boxes have not met the requirements of the Regulation since 1992. Instead of ensuring the final implementation of the current law, the federal government wants the illegal cartons to last for another 17 years.!!! So that’s how Germany treats the Animal Welfare Law! Violation of Article 20a of the Basic Law and the so-called prohibition of deterioration.
Scandal number 3: illegally cut piglets` tails
The federal government has broken EU law since 1994 and routinely mutilates piglets!
Since 1994, it has been banned throughout the EU to cut the ring tails of piglets routinely. Nevertheless, in 95% of all piglets in Germany the ringlet tail is separated with a hot cautery.
Germany has not complied with EU regulations since 1994.To top it off, the Federal Minister of Agriculture, the stupid Klöckner, plans to reward pigs with illegally reduced tails as “more animal welfare”.
Scandal number 4: animal transports to third countries
Foto: Karremann
EU breach of law and animal cruelty on animal transports are part of everyday life! Federal Government prevents ban on animal transports to third countries! Veterinarians are forced to aid animal cruelty.
Long-term animal transports to third countries are extremely painful and violate existing EU law. The European Court of Justice decided in 2015 that the requirements for animal transports have to be complied with even beyond EU borders. Nevertheless, official veterinarians are being forced by court to authorize preliminary goods for transport.
Animals, mostly pregnant cattle, are sent to 6000 kilometers long trips to third countries. The Federal Government actively prevents such torturous transports being banned. In 2018, for example, it rejected a request from the Greens to stop animal transports to third countries. This means that the animal transports continue unchecked.
The money earned from animal transport seems to be the more important argument for the federal government than the immense animal suffering that must be prevented.
Scandal number 5: Animal transports are paid with our tax money
The federal government promotes cruel animal transports with millions of guarantees!
Is it even worse? Yes! things are getting worse when it comes to the federal government and animal welfare.
Because it not only advocates painful animal transports to third countries that do not have animal welfare standards, but it also supports them – with our taxpayers’ money!
My comment: The meat mafia has all politicians under control!
Animals are usually at the mercy of the violence and sadism of the meat mafia. Especially in the live export this is extremely dramatic.
But this is not just about the often tormenting transport itself.
EU countries send cattle to countries where there is no animal welfare law,and they know it!
There, cutting out the eyes or severing the tendons of the front and hind legs are common ways to tame the animals and then kill them with a neck cut – fully conscious. All of this happens in distant places, far from our eyes.
At a time when we are trying to reduce animal suffering through information and education, EU countries are doing everything in their power to export more and more animals, driving up meat consumption in third countries. Thanks to the European criminal agricultural policy, there are plenty of cattle for which customers are urgently sought.We send them to the third countries.
And nobody is responsible, nobody wants to take responsibility and action. The German actors point with their fingers to Brussels, Brussels says animal transport is country thing.
It is an industry of animal cruelty, officially approved.
This was an e mail sent to me on 27/5/19 by the EU Commission regarding a recent gripe I made that live animal transports across the EU, and to nations such as Turkey, from existing EU member states, were not being enforced in accordance with EU Regulation 1/2005 for the welfare of animals during transport. Here is what they said to me in response:
Dear Mr Johnson,
Regarding the enforcement of Regulation 1/2005 on animal transport, you should be aware that the control and enforcement is – with very few exceptions, such as EU competition law – a matter for the Member States. In the area of animal transport, however, the Commission does do audits of Member State inspection systems (“inspect the inspectors”). The resulting audit reports lead to recommendations which, in turn, are followed-up by the Commission. If you are interested in these audit reports, they are all publicly available here: http://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/audit_reports/index.cfm
As of the withdrawal of the UK, the EU rules on animal transport will cease to apply to the UK. However, these rules will still impact the transport of live animals between the EU and the UK, for example the mandatory check of live animals – including as regards the control of animal welfare aspects – upon entry into the EU at “border inspection posts”.
Yours sincerely,
European Commission
Task Force for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations
with the United Kingdom under Article 50 TEU (GDR)
I think, as someone who has investigated live animal transport over the past 25+ years; I am fully aware of the legislative situation within the EU and the fact that they want to ‘pass the buck’ for Regulation enforcement to each individual member state. This is one way to approach it; but if nations such as Romania act the way they do with stray animals, then are we to expect anything better from them when it comes to enforcing the rules for live animal transport ? – they don’t really care much about animal welfare; full stop. So by passing responsibility for enforcement from the Commission in Brussels to individual nations, is rather like the national fire officer putting the arsonist as the chief of the local fire station ! – it kind of does not work.
What exactly do the EU mean by the words ‘audit reports lead to recommendations, which in turn are followed up by the Commission’ ?
This in my opinion is where the EU totally falls down over regulations. It is all very ‘recommend and suggest’; rather than hitting member states hard and directly for their failures of the enforcement of EU rules. We don’t want to have to wait another 3 years for a follow up to what was found to be wrong; only to find that the rules are still not being enforced. I personally say no second chances; strike whilst the iron is hot – hit hard with prosecutions when the problems are first reared.
I will show you investigations undertaken years ago by animal welfare organisations. Today, 2019, what exactly has changed since the investigations were undertaken originally between 2010 and 2015 ? – not much, if anything.
Have we not seen countless investigations showing where the EU regulations are being flouted for the live animals being exported to Turkey ? – as the following video says, 352 livestock transporters were inspected and 247 were found to be in violation of existing EU regulations (1/2005 on the welfare of animals during transport).
It is not just live animals from the EU to Turkey – similar things are happening every day right across the EU. Existing EU Regulations are not being enforced.
Brussels, Belgium (EU) 15 March 2012: The European Parliament adopted Written Declaration 49/2011 on the establishment ofa maximum 8-hour journey limitfor animals transported in the European Union for the purpose of being slaughtered.
378 (half of the total number of MEPs plus one) was the number required for the Written Declaration to become an official position of the Parliament, and this number was reached one day in advance.
The document, which “calls on the Commission and the Council to review Regulation 1/2005 to establish a maximum 8-hour limit for the journeys of animals transported for the purpose of being slaughtered“, will now be transmitted to the European Commission and the governments of the Member States.
This document directly refers to over one million signatures registered on the www.8hours.eu website. This massive mobilisation of European citizens is calling for an end to long-distance journeys for animals sent for slaughter in the European Union.
The long duration of the journeys of animals destined for slaughter in the EU often causes them intense suffering, as has been consistently reported over the years by Animals’ Angels investigators. Current EU legislation makes it possible for animals to be transported for several days, even though it is scientifically proven and acknowledged by the Commission that the suffering of the animals increases with the duration of the journey.
“This is a historic moment for all those who care about animals. The call of one million citizens cannot be easily ignored by the EU institutions” – said Christa Blanke, Founder of Animals’ Angels. “But this is just a fundamental milestone in a campaign that will end only when long-distance journeys of animals sent for slaughter are banned in the EU. We have been documenting the suffering caused by animal transports around Europe over many years, and we have seen that all improvements of transport rules are insufficient if long-distance journeys continue to be allowed”.
“In reality what goes on today on the European roads is animal cruelty. This has to be stopped. The European Commission has so far disregarded the demand for new rules for animal transports.
But it will be difficult for the Commission to ignore the demands of the European Parliament, which joins over one million citizens asking for long-distance live transports to stop” – said Danish MEP Dan Jørgensen, and adds: “I have made the signal to the responsible commissioner for animal welfare, John Dalli, many times, that the rules for animal transports need to be changed. Unfortunately he does not see the need to respond properly to this call.
But he is wrong, and he should act now. If not he will have to explain to the European parliament and to EU citizens why he insists on letting this cruelty go on”.
“We live in the 21st century in a society which we became used to calling a humane society. It is time to prove it” – said Czech MEP Pavel Poc, one of the promoters of Written Declaration 49/2011. “I am glad that the European Parliament took on the challenge by adopting this written declaration. An adopted declaration might still be far away from real actions and needed changes, but it is a significant message and I hope that all these initiatives will together create a strong enough pressure for the much needed policy change.”
Written Declaration 49/2011 and the collection of one million signatures from EU citizens are part of a larger campaign (www.8hours.eu) calling for a maximum overall 8-hour limit for journeys of animals sent for slaughter. The campaign is also supported by 126 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from 19 member states and all political groups.
See a recent video of animals being transported from the EU to Turkey on YouTube.
15 March 2012: The European Parliament adopted Written Declaration 49/2011 on the establishment of a maximum 8-hour journey limit for animals transported in the European Union for the purpose of being slaughtered. Why, 7 years later, are we still NOT having a max 8 hour limit, but still working to the 2005 regulation 1/2005 ?
We had EU elections last week (23-26/5/19) to vote for new members of the European Parliament. Ie those who adopted the written declaration above which is still not in actions 7 years later.
Why are the EU Commissioners who should be doing something about this and the will of EU citizens and the EU Parliament, not doing anything to introduce new legislation ?
We often talk about the ‘meat mafia’. The situation is a David and Goliath thing – and the welfare lobby is very much the ‘David’. Is the meat mafia doing things with our EU representatives in the Commission to ensure that the will of the Parliament and the EU citizens are NOT enforced ?
Are the citizens of the EU finally starting to understand things ?
We have always campaigned (along with millions of others in the EU) for live animal transport to be reduced to a maximum of 8 hours. Under constant pressure from the EU meat mafia to keep things ‘as is’, or even worse; we have got nowhere with our demands.
Tonight, 26/5/19; we will see how the EU will change. Those who have always regarded themselves as the ‘gods of Europe’ may well be dethroned this evening. It could be a big positive for animal welfare.
Foto: ARIWA: Cow in the “Bio” slaughterhouse -Germany.
Image: SOKO
Image: SOKO
Image: SOKO
Image: SOKO
Foto: Karremann
