General News, Stray Animals

Spain-from now on animals are sentient beings by law.

Animals in Spain will no longer be considered as “objects” by the law thanks to new legislation passed on Thursday by Spain’s lower house, the Congress of Deputies.

From now on, animals will be treated as “sentient beings,” and as such will have a different legal standing than an inanimate object.

They will no longer be able to be seized, abandoned, mistreated or separated from one of their owners in the case of a divorce or separation, without having their wellbeing and protection taken into account.

The new law to modify the legal framework of animals was approved on Thursday with wide support from Spain’s Congress – only the far-right Vox party voted against the measure.

The legislation changes the Civil Code, Mortgage Law and Civil Procedure Law, and broadly applies to all animals, whether they are domesticated or wild.

Animals were already recognized as sentient beings, with rights and interests that must be taken into account, in European law, regional administrative laws and even Spain’s Criminal Code.
But this recognition was not present in the Spanish Civil Code, which covers issues relating to property, family and obligations.
This meant that lawyers did not have a legal basis to address certain problems, such as what to do with pets in divorce cases.

“It’s a step forward and it says that in separations and divorces, the arrangement that will be applied to the animals will take into account not only the interests of the humans, but also of the animal,” explained María González Lacabex, from INTERcids, a legal organization specializing in animal protection.

“We are the only species that recognizes the suffering of others and as such we have an obligation to prevent that suffering”
Guillermo Díaz, Ciudadanos lawmaker.

The process to get the law approved has been long and winding.

It was first proposed in 2017, but did not move forward due to the upheaval caused by Spain’s two general elections in April and November of 2019.
It was not until April of this year that the initiative appeared before Congress, where it was supported by all parties except Vox.

In September, the law was then approved by Spain’s upper house, the Senate, which introduced some modifications.
And on Thursday, it was given the final green light by Congress.

The conservative Popular Party (PP) largely supported the text of the document, but warned the coalition government, which is led by the Socialist Party (PSOE) and junior partner Unidas Podemos, that it will not back greater protections for animals.
The warning was in reference to the Social Rights Ministry, headed by Ione Belarra from Unidas Podemos, which is preparing a draft for a new animal welfare law that includes stricter measures to prevent animal trafficking and abuse.

Teresa Aguada, a lawmaker from the PP, called on the Socialists not to “cede to the extremist pressure of your partners [Unidas Podemos] to attack our traditions, culture and rural world.” (!!)

Most of Spain’s congressional parties, however, welcomed the law’s approval. “It’s a moral victory in a country where 200,000 animals are abandoned each year,” said Juantxo López de Uralde, from Unidas Podemos.

Sonia Guaita, from the PSOE, pointed out that similar legislation exists in most European countries, adding: “Those who are violent against animals are potentially violent against humans as well.”

Guillermo Díaz, from the center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens), also defended the law. “We are the only species that recognizes the suffering of others and as such we have an obligation to prevent that suffering,” he said, explaining that up until now, “animals were not considered different from a television” in divorce cases.

The sole voice of dissent came from Vox lawmaker Ángel López Maraver, who is the former president of the Spanish Hunting Federation.
He described the law as “insanity, nonsense, stupidity. It humanizes animals and dehumanizes man.”

https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-12-03/spain-approves-new-law-recognizing-animals-as-sentient-beings.html

And I mean…A small milestone in the Spanish kingdom, where animal cruelty is widespread and where the judiciary still looks the other way when prosecuting ill-treatment.This is the result of years of pressure from animal welfare organizations

The reform could also give the state a new weapon in the fight against the abandoning of dogs and cats
The bill that Spain’s Conservative People’s Party introduced to the national parliament makes it clear that the abuse of animals is not allowed, and neither is the abandoning of pets.

The situation with the animals in Spain is (let’s write “was”) catastrophic.
The previous Animal Welfare Act does not deserve its name in every autonomous community in Spain; often enough it just legalizes the killing of unwanted animals.
In most regions there is hardly a word for animal shelter, as a rule there are animal killing stations in which animals that are picked up are killed after a short period of time if no one claims them.

It is estimated that in Spain 300,000 abandoned animals end up in state animal shelters, known in Spain as “perreras”, every year.

These perreras are operated either privately or by the cities.
Animals are only kept here for a short time, usually 10 to 20 days.
Then the animals come to the killing station.

Many cases of animal abuse in Spain concern hunting dogs.
We have often reported on the miserable life of the Spanish greyhounds in our blog;
They are used en masse for hunting rabbits or for competition – at least as long as they are fast enough.
Three years on average, then they are sorted out, that is: they are hanged, drowned, starved to death or tortured to die in a mass grave.

Therefore, the new legislation is a light of hope in the backward handling of the Spaniards with animals.
Now animals (at least some animals) are to be regarded as living, sentient beings by right.
That is a very good basis, the Spaniards must get the best of this.

Animals are living beings, not possessions.
A fact that should have been a matter of course and legally protected for a long time. And not just in Spain

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

Sweet Earth – An Article Provided By Stacey at ‘Our Compass’.

Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ is an animal rights campaigner and friend who regularly supplies us with articles, for which we thank her.

Stacey | Our Compass (our-compass.org)

Here below is the latest article which makes very interesting reading;

Thanks Stacey

Regards Mark

PS: McDonalds has always been a huge campaign issue here in the UK. Many years ago we had the ‘McLibel’ issue where some protestors were attempted to be silenced. I have covered this issue once before I think, but consider the video of the fight is worth showing again on another post which I will publish very soon.

Source Sweet Earth

Source Vox

By Matthew Hayek and Jan Dutkiewicz

Plant-based meat has gone mainstream. The Impossible Burger, which debuted at a single restaurant five years ago, is now on Burger King’s permanent menu. And McDonald’s is testing its McPlant burger, featuring a Beyond Meat patty, in select US locations. Both plant-based startups are now veterans in a product category that did $1.4 billion in sales and grew 27 percent in 2020.

Under the tagline “Eat Meat. Save the Planet,” Impossible Foods claims its soy-based burger uses 87 percent less water, takes 96 percent less land, and has 89 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than a beef burger. Beyond Meat makes similar claims about its pea-based burgers.

This matters because animal agriculture contributes around 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions, and experts agree that without a major shift away from meat in our diets, we won’t be able to meet the global community’s climate targets. The promise of plant-based faux meats is that consumers will be able to keep enjoying the foods they love, but with a far lower climate footprint.

But an increasing number of researchers, food critics, and environmental groups are casting doubt on these types of claims, warning that faux meat production still relies on industrial farming practices. They claim that we don’t know enough about these relatively new products to say for certain if they’re better for the environment than the meat they are trying to replace.

One recent whitepaper from an environmental NGO states that the above claims from faux meat companies “are unproven, and some clearly untrue.” A sustainability analyst quoted in the New York Times goes further, claiming that the companies’ secrecy about their production methods means that “We don’t feel we have sufficient information to say Beyond Meat is fundamentally different from JBS.” (JBS is the world’s largest meat producer).

But years of research on the environmental impact of food make one thing clear: Plant proteins, even if processed into imitation burgers, have smaller climate, water, and land impacts than conventional meats. Apart from environmental impact, reducing meat production would also reduce animal suffering and the risk of both animal-borne disease and antibiotic resistance. The criticisms against the new wave of meatless meat appear to be more rooted in broad opposition to food technology rather than a true environmental accounting — and they muddy the waters in the search for climate solutions at a time when clarity is sorely needed.

Continued on the next page.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
General News

Netherlands: Dutch e-Commerce Giant Stops Selling Kangaroo Products.

3 December 2021

World Animal Protection (WAP)

E-commerce giant, Bol.com, has decided to stop selling kangaroo products, after less than four weeks since World Animal Protection launched its campaign calling on Dutch companies to end the cruel sales. Bol.com has committed to updating its animal welfare policy: items with kangaroo will no longer be sold on the platform.

World Animal Protection started its campaign on World Kangaroo Day (Sunday, October 24th), and within a month collected more than 18,500 signatures calling on companies to remove kangaroo products from their range.

The European Union and the Netherlands are among the largest kangaroo leather and meat importers. The meat ends up in restaurants, butchers or is processed into pet food. And the leather is used to make ice skates, shoes, hats and other fashion items.

Kangaroo hunting causes enormous animal suffering. About 1.6 million wild kangaroos in Australia are shot for their meat and skin every year. Most kangaroo kills are not immediately lethal, leaving the animals to die a slow, painful death or to be maimed for life.  Young kangaroos are either left defenceless or beaten to death because they are not profitable in this industry. 

But the tide is turning against kangaroo products. Bol.com joins other retailers including Delhaize, Carrefour, Makro and Spar who have already stopped offering kangaroo skin and meat products.

We are extremely happy with the step that Bol.com is taking. This shows leadership, proves that animal welfare really matters, and helps consumers make more conscious choices. We hope other companies will follow this fantastic example.” 

Sanne Kuijpers, Wild Animals Campaign Manager at World Animal Protection Netherlands

Over the next four months World Animal Protection will be asking other Dutch companies to remove kangaroo products from their range to end the cruel hunting of these animals. World Animal Protection is also calling on consumers to stop buying kangaroo products.

To find out more and support the campaign, click here.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

Italy: Historic turning point: Italy closer than ever to the ban on the killing of male chicks.

Historic turning point: Italy closer than ever to the ban on the killing of male chicks

3 December 2021

Animal Equality

Recent advocacy efforts by Eurogroup for Animals’ member Animal Equality Italy haved reached a historic turning point with an amendment presented in the Italian Parliament which would introduce, by the end of 2026, the ban on the selective culling of male chicks which are currently considered a production waste within the egg industry.

In the egg industry, male chicks are considered useless for production as they are not able to lay eggs. They can also not be used for meat as they are different from the more common broiler chickens used by the food industry. For this reason, between 25 and 40 million male chicks are killed every year in Italy. 

Shredded alive or suffocated, the chicks are killed immediately, within the first 24 hours of birth, and without the use of stunning techniques.

Eurogroup for Animal’s member Animal Equality Italy launched in 2020 a campaign signed by over 100 thousand people precisely to ask the government and industry to put an end to this terrible situation. Thanks to this work, already in 2020 the trade association of egg producers Assoavi declared itself in favor of the introduction of in-ovo sexing technologies capable of avoiding the culling of male chicks. 

The amendment presented today by MP Francesca Galizia, group leader of the 5-star Movement in the EU Policies Committee, calls for a ban on the selective culling of male chicks of hens by the end of 2026 hens, except in cases where killing is necessary under the current legislation governing animal diseases.

The amendment provides times to adapt to the legislation for updating the work procedures and the technological state of companies in the sector of laying hens. It also supports the introduction and development of technologies and tools for the sexing of in-ovo embryos capable of identifying the sex of the chick even before hatching, also through incentive policies for these technologies. 

In countries such as France and Germany, the introduction of this legislation in order to avoid the killing of male chicks is expected as early as 2022, while the EU Commission has launched a public initiative to carry out an adequacy check of the current rules on the welfare of chicks.

The Italian Parliament will vote on the proposed ammendment in the coming weeks, potentially sparing the lives of millions of male chicks.

It is necessary for Italy to make a choice of responsibility and respect towards animals, sentient beings, which can no longer be considered only industrial waste. The selective killing of male chicks that occurs every year cannot be considered normal. The parliament has a great opportunity by choosing to support this proposal, which also goes towards the lines dictated by the European Union on animal welfare. It is time to encourage the introduction of these in-ovo sexing technologies also in Italy, as producers are already doing, and institutions must commit themselves to this fundamental path for the progress of our country and animals.

Alice Trombetta, Executive Director, Animal Equality Italia

Read more at source

Animal Equality Italy

Regards Mark

Hunting

Two great actions against the murder of animals – ALF

Received anonymously:

If the animal holocaust industry doesn’t back down, we’ll make it back down! For all the animals murdered daily in fast food chains! 🏴

https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/2021/11/28/burger-king-splattered-with-fake-blood-by-alf-sao-paulo-brazil-2/

  •  ALF Destroys Dozens of Hunting Towers (France)

Received anonymously: Action Anti Chasse France Sud

(English)
In the face of the hunting dictatorship, the members of ALF destroyed in a few weeks dozens of watchtowers on several sectors. Towers, huts, hunting huts will be systematically broken, cut and scattered so as not to be watered down for these murders tolerated by the French state.

State subject to the hunting lobby, allowing the killing of animals and humans.

Millions of animals are killed each year for this deadly recreation and more than 420 humans have died in 20 years. Regulate each other but not by killing animal people and honest citizens.

Willy Schraen president of the hunters will say “it’s the fault of bad luck”, more than 3/4 of the French vomit you!!

You build, we will destroy all the time … ALF

(Français)
Devant la dictature de la chasse, les membres d’ALF ont détruit en quelques semaines des dizaines de miradors sur plusieurs secteurs. Tours, huttes, cabanes de chasse seront systématiquement cassés, découpés et éparpillés afin de ne pas être ulilisés pour ces meurtres tolérés par l’état français.

Etat soumis au lobby de la chasse, permettant le meurtre d’animaux et d’humains. Des millions d’animaux tués chaque année pour ce loisir mortifère et plus de 420 humains décédés en 20 ans. Régulez vous entre vous mais pas en tuant les personnes animales et les honnêtes citoyens.

Willy Schraen président des chasseurs dira “c’est la faute à pas de chance”, plus des 3/4 des français vous vomissent !!

Vous construisez, nous détruirons tout le temps … ALF

https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/2021/11/28/alf-destroys-dozens-of-hunting-towers-france-2/

On behalf of the animals, we thank the ALF activists in both countries.
A great work!

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

England: Is A Change In Campaigning Now Needed After the Massive EU (ANIT) Failures In Live Animal Transport This Week ? – By Mark (WAV).

Hi all; this is Mark at WAV;

 

I know that Venus has already produced a post on this issue, as live animal transport is a major hate of both of us.

Our recent posts which we (wrongfully) hoped were the forerunners of some very positive news are as follows.

EU: NGOs and MEPs protest against live animal transports in the EU. – World Animals Voice

EU: 2/12/21: Time When The EU Should Finally Step Up To The Plate and Introduce Major Reforms For Live Animals In Transport. – World Animals Voice

Despite our personal aims as an organisation for major changes to the better with animal transport in mainland EU; everyone in the form of anti transport campaigners were dealt a really bad hand with regard the EU ANIT meeting of 3/12/21.

Here following is the post meeting PR from the ‘Eurogroup for Animals’; who like us, had high hopes of major, positive changes and transport reforms:

Read the Eurogroup PR (post meeting) by clicking on the following:

ANIT Committee vote: a missed opportunity failing animals and citizens | Eurogroup for Animals

As echoed by us at WAV; the ANIT meeting of 3/12 was very much a missed opportunity which massively failed in the helping of live animals in transport big time, but additionally, which also blatantly ignored the wishes of so many EU citizens calling for drastic improvements for live animals undergoing transportation.

As we have said before, the EU does what it wants to do and to hell with everyone and everything else.  The ANIT catastrophe witnessed this week is a typical example; with the livestock industry and its lobbyists basically ensuring that they continue to get what they want; a status quo; effectively resulting in no real  ‘wow’ changes for animal welfare, whilst simply ignoring the wishes of a vast number of EU citizens calling for better legislation for animals; including a shout for a maximum one off journey time of no greater than 8 hours. 

Continued on next page

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5
Farm Animals, General News

ANIT Committee vote: An ANTI – animal welfare work

ANIT Committee vote: a missed opportunity failing animals and citizens
3 December 2021
Press Release –Eurogroup for animals 

After eighteen months of work, yesterday the Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport (ANIT) voted on a series of compromise amendments to its concluding draft report and recommendations.
Despite some positive calls for improvement, the final report’s text, as adopted, fails to address the bulk of the problems, calling for minor improvements rather than supporting a systemic change.

Indeed, despite acknowledging the poor implementation of the current Transport Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005) especially when animal consignments leave the Union, the Committee supports a continuation of live exports beyond the EU, calling for a meat and carcass trade only “when possible”.

Additionally, the text lacks clear language on the need to establish a maximum journey time of 8 hours, utterly disregarding EU citizens’ calls.

While it considers that the transport of unweaned animals should be avoided, unweaned lambs remain basically forgotten by the Committee, which only called for not allowing the transport of unweaned calves below 4 weeks of age.

Eurogroup for Animals was pleased to see that the Committee acknowledged the lack of comprehensive species– specific provisions, and called for ad-hoc provisions to guarantee the welfare of all the animals being transported, including fish, poultry, horses, as well as cats and dogs.

During the past year the Committee organised several hearings and workshops with experts, however the information retrieved seems to have only partially informed the final texts.

The Transport Regulation will soon be revised and for the final vote in January Eurogroup for Animals calls on the European Parliament to step up the ANIT report’s ambition level and reflect citizens views by banning any long-distance transport, refining, replacing and reducing intra-EU transport, and shifting to meat, carcasses and genetic materials for export.

“Despite some good wording on meat and carcasses trade, the committee did not make any call to ban live export.

This is very disappointing, given the evidence the same committee collected thorough hearings, field missions and workshops with experts in the field, and to the severe crisis at sea which happened during its mandate.

Indeed the Committee witnessed the Karim Allah and Elbeik vessels spending three months around the Mediterranean in a bureaucratic limbo which ended with the killing of 2,600 cows.”
(Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals)

With this Inquiry the Members of the European Parliament had the chance to set the basis for a revised Transport Regulation that both meets animal needs and contributes to building a sustainable Europe, in line with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.

“This cannot happen if long-distance transports are improved rather than banned, and if we continue to allow for the transport of young and pregnant animals over 40% of the pregnancy stage.

We will continue pushing for key changes to ameliorate the worst elements at the time of the vote in Plenary, expected in January 2022. However, as it stands now, this Report is testament to a political divide in the ANIT committee and seriously failing to address the cruelty and tragedies we have been facing for decades.”
(Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals)

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/anit-committee-vote-missed-opportunity-failing-animals-and-citizens

And I mean..This group has given a statement on their functions and guidelines – which clearly favored the “farm animal model” – with which the group had actually said goodbye to all important requirements of the NGOs in advance.

https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/committees/committee-inquiry-protection-animals-during-transport

Quote from the statement- “Farmers need to know that the animals they raise will be treated appropriately throughout their lives, so everyone involved in the food chain have to work towards achieving this goal. Any incident has a negative impact, first of all on the animals affected, secondly on those involved in farming and animal care, and finally, on consumers”.

As the ANIT- report makes clear, the abolition of live animal transport is not an issue for the 30 committee members, and we are a long way from limiting animal transport to 8 hours.
As it stands, none of this is fair work for the animals, even if those responsible have tried very hard to justify a hypocritical report as a verified testimony to the welfare of the animals.

It is no wonder that the committee remains loyal to the line and in bondage to its employers.
From the beginning it was a mirage to entrust the committee the welfare of the animals, because a function in the EU apparatus makes a critical look impossible

It’s just about getting the political “priorities” right.
The items are important – what else are the needs of the animals of interest?

My best regards to all, Venus

General News

Microchip your cat or face fines, UK govt says!

The UK government has unveiled a compulsory microchipping plan for domestic cats, designed to make it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners.
Those refusing to inject their feline with a chip will face fines of up to £500.

The microchipping plan was unveiled by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on Saturday.
The measure is said to enjoy overwhelming public support, with “99% of people” backing the compulsory microchipping of pet cats, according to the government (!!)

UK task force calls for making pet abductions a criminal offence after dognappings surge during Covid lockdowns UK task force calls for making pet abductions a criminal offence after dognappings surge during Covid lockdowns

“Cats are much-loved parts of our families and making sure that they’re microchipped is the best possible way of making sure that you are reunited with them if they are ever lost or stolen,” Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said in a statement.

According to official statistics, the majority of Britain’s felines are already fitted with tracking microchips, with some 2.8 million out of more than 10.8 million pet cats not having one.
At the same time, eight out of ten stray cats ending up at shelters do not have a microchip installed.

Under the new rules, all cats will have to be fitted with a microchip before they reach the age of 20 weeks, with contact details of their owners stored in a database.

Those owners whose cats happen to be without such a device will have a grace period of 21 days to fit their pet with a chip, after which failure to do so will incur a fine of up to £500.

The measure has been hailed by British cat charities: “Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost cats and can help ease the pressure on rescue charities like Cats Protection. Without a microchip, a lost cat will most likely end up being rehomed to a new home as there is often no trace of their original owner,” Jacqui Cuff, head of Cats Protection’s Advocacy & Government Relations, said.

https://www.rt.com/uk/542219-mandatory-microchip-plan-cats/

99% of people support it?
99% of people don’t support anything.
20% of people probably don’t even know what day it is.
I think it’s more likely … Cats now. People later … and not much later.

My best regards to all, Venus

Fur and Fur Farming

Armani says NO to Angora-we think it’s great!

We have some exciting news for rabbits!

Following talks with PETA, the Armani Group – whose iconic brands include Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, EA7, and Armani Exchange – has confirmed that it has banned the use of angora in future collections.
The company implemented a ban on fur in 2016.

Today’s socially conscious fashion consumers want nothing to do with an industry that rips the hair out of fully conscious rabbits.

As more and more Italian designers and fashion houses are saying no to fur, angora, and other materials stolen from animals, it’s time for Italian legislators to catch up with the changing times and ban fur farms.

take action to make it happen: https://secure.peta.org.uk/page/64561/action/1

A few things about it: Around 7,000 minks a year are still imprisoned on Italy’s six remaining fur farms. It’s time to shut these facilities down.

Investigations into Italian mink farms have found that animals spend their short, miserable lives inside wire cages, with no access to grass or water to swim in.
Many are left with severe injuries, and some are driven to self-mutilation or cannibalisation of their cagemates by the stress of captivity.

The minks are killed when they’re only about 6 months old – crammed into a box and gassed to death.

These fur farms are putting public health in jeopardy, too. When it comes to the risk of spreading disease, they’re no different from the live-animal market in which the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated.
It’s very easy for infectious diseases to spread on fur farms through the exchange of urine, excrement, pus, and blood.
Minks with infections, sores, and festering, open wounds are a common sight.
Fur farmers and handlers are among those who most commonly suffer from the zoonotic bacterial disease tularaemia.

Following reports that minks tested positive for COVID-19 on fur farms in the Netherlands and that workers are believed to have contracted a strain of the virus from the animals, the Dutch parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to bring forward the implementation of a fur-farming ban in the Netherlands.

Such bans are already in place in Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, the UK, and several other countries.

A meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council was held in June 2021, and the European Commission was called on to end the breeding of animals for the production of fur in the European Union.

Italy’s Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Stefano Patuanelli showed support for the ban, declaring that “the breeding of animals for fur is no longer justifiable and Italy will give its maximum support to reach the European ban on this form of breeding”.

PETA is celebrating this progress and has written to Italian government officials, thanking them for taking the right steps forward.

Italians know that fur belongs in the history books, not in our wardrobes.

Over 90% of the country’s population is against fur farming; iconic Italian designer brands such as Armani, Gucci, Elisabetta Franchi, Prada, and Versace are all fur-free; and over the past 30 years, the number of fur farms in Italy decreased from 125 to six.

We must urge the Italian government to stay true to its word by ending all fur farming in Italy now – minks can’t wait any longer.

take action to make it happen: https://secure.peta.org.uk/page/64561/action/1

Amd I mean…The rabbit with the lush, delicate white fur is fixed on a rack.
The front legs are tied up and stretched far forward, the hind legs backwards.

A worker sits down over the rabbit and begins to tear out the fur from the small animal.
The rabbit screams, louder and louder, until his voice cracks in pain … Later the angora rabbit – with fleshy skin, the body covered with wounds – is put back in a narrow lattice cage.
(That immediately reminds me of the down “production”)

Up to 60 percent of the animals that are plucked die in the first two years. Also from hypothermia, because pneumonia can occur without fur
This is the reality behind angora wool.

90% of the angora fur comes from China, even if the finished product was made elsewhere.
Right now at Christmas time we appeal to all people not to buy an angora.

Leave Angora products in the closet and use herbal and synthetic alternatives.
Small things that you don’t pay much attention to can cause a lot of suffering.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes

This Vegan Chicken Factory Has Glass Walls For A Reason.
This Vegan Chicken Factory Has Glass Walls For A Reason
Planted recreates the textures, tastes, appearances, and nutritional value of chicken, pork, and beef. Credit: Planted Foods

This Vegan Chicken Factory Has Glass Walls For A Reason

Seeking to revolutionize how meat is perceived and consumed globally, Planted aims to trigger a fundamental rethink about the food we eat

by Leigh Venus26th November 2021

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”

In 2010, Sir. Paul McCartney lent his face and this famous quote to a PETA film that took viewers behind the opaque walls of slaughterhouses and factory farms.

Although one of the most well-known quotes in the animal rights movement, it took the team behind Planted Foods—a Swiss food tech company dedicated to ending animal suffering through tasty plant-based alternatives to meat—to run with the idea.

Convinced the food industry needed to be more transparent about ingredients and processes, Planted made this literal by building an enormous glasshouse around their production in the heart of their Switzerland-based factory.

Slaughterhouses are often miles away from urban centers, guarded by impenetrable walls and perplexing laws. To date, the primary means of drawing attention to the non-transparency1 of the industry has been through activists sneaking out footage of terrible conditions and practices. 

“We built our production under a greenhouse with glass walls and glass ceiling because we want to be transparent in the way we make meat today,” said Planted’s Co-Founder Pascal Bieri. “Unlike the animal meat industry, we have nothing to hide.”

Open, airy, and entirely transparent, the factory and ethos is a sharp contrast to the efforts of meat manufacturers to hide the horrors of their production processes from consumers. 

As Planted goes from strength to strength, the team invites everyone to visit their glass-walled factory to take a closer look at what they do. 

Beginnings and success

While working in the USA in 2017, Bieri became excited by the potential of plant-based meat replacement products coming to market and ​​saw an opportunity to challenge the status quo of the animal meat industry.

Initially collaborating with his cousin Lukas Böni who was completing a doctorate in food process engineering, financial specialist Christoph Jenny and Lukas’ fellow Ph.D. student Eric Stirnemann later rounded off the founding team of Planted Foods. 

United by a love of food, environment, and science, the co-founders spent 2018 deep in research and development at Lukas’ research university, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Their goal was clear from the beginning: create plant-based options that could win over carnivores and vegans alike with clean, 100 percent natural ingredients and transparent processes.

In 2019, Planted received a Pioneer Fellowship, awarding access to infrastructure to fast-track small-scale production and create an early prototype of their first product, planted.chicken.  

Fuelled by new technology and a drive to provide ecologically friendly alternatives that could satisfy the cultural desire for meat, the team was thrilled by how close their plant-based product came to replicating the taste and texture of chicken.

Off the back of their initial success, Bieri and the team founded Planted in July 2019. The same year, dozens of restaurants across Zurich, Lucerne, and Geneva put Planted’s chicken on their menus. 

An injection of seven million Swiss francs powered construction of a production plant and offices in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and in 2020 Planted launched at one of Switzerland’s largest retail and wholesale companies.

Bieri believes the rise of Planted Foods is thanks to strict adherence to four core principles—natural ingredients, animal welfare, taste, and sustainability—nurtured by a team with complementary skill sets and a drive to change the world for the better.

Recently winning the top prize at the TOP 100 Swiss Startup annual awards2, Planted employs over 140 people and welcomes scores of consumers, schools, and groups to their production facility every month. 

Planted is now available at restaurants and retailers across Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland. 

In the UK, products are available from the Planted webshop, and the company is rolling out its products at a range of venues, including the Elite family of pubs in Kent and Sussex. 

In October, Planted received the Best Artificial Chicken Product award at the Plant-Based World Europe Expo in London. 

“We’re super-excited about our launch into the UK market; consumer feedback has been fantastic,” Bieri enthused, “and winning the Award at the Expo makes our whole team proud too. We know that we’re on the right track and developing great-tasting products.” 

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