General News

The vegan fashion collection “Co-Exist Story” from PETA and H&M

Leather made from grapes, down made from flowers – the future of fashion is here and it can be yours!
H&M, one of the largest global retailers, has teamed up with PETA to create and launch the vegan fashion collection “Co-Exist Story”.

This new, sustainable collection of stylish women’s, men’s and children’s fashion is made from innovative, animal-friendly materials.

Every part in “Co-Exist Story” is PETA-Approved Vegan, so you can be sure that these products are completely animal-friendly. This means that no animals have been exploited for their skin, fur, hair or anything else.
The collection celebrates the harmonious coexistence of humans and other animals on this planet.

The “Co-Exist Story” collection will be available from November 4, 2021 on HM.com and in selected stores (local launches may vary).

Which animal-friendly materials are in the H&M and PETA collections?

You probably love flowers and wine, but have you ever worn them?
At PETA, we’re always looking for new, animal-friendly materials that are even better for the planet.
That’s why we’re delighted that the partnership with H&M includes the most innovative vegan fabrics as part of the brand’s “Innovation Stories” initiative to find the best new fabrics for the future.
These materials are as functional as they are fashionable.

FLWRDW – wild flowers instead of down feathers

This vegan down filling is made from a cellulosic material made with natural wild flowers. It has a high filling power, so it will keep you warm and cozy.
In the “Co-Exist Story” it is used in down shoes and jackets, padded trousers and reversible quilted shoulder bags.

VEGEA – grape leather instead of animal skin

VEGEA is an innovative vegan leather alternative that is partially made from grape skins, stems and seeds that are thrown away during winemaking.
The embossed waistcoat and trousers in the “Co-Exist Story” collection are made from this material, so you can wear them proudly knowing that you are both stylish and animal-loving.

ECONYL– cozy knitwear made from nylon waste

ECONYL is a regenerated nylon made from waste such as fishing nets and scraps of cloth that would otherwise pollute the earth.
This material is not only a solution to the waste, it is also more environmentally friendly.
It reduces the global warming effect of nylon by up to 90% compared to material made from oil.
In the “Co-Exist Story” collection you will find ECONYL material in oversize knit.

What does “Co-Exist Story” mean for animals?

Geese are loyal companions for life, cows are loyal friends, and sheep are playful and affectionate – they are not jackets, shoes, or sweaters.
By choosing animal-friendly materials, H&M is setting a new standard in the industry and showing that compassionate fashion is the way to go.
Using innovative materials like FLWRDWN, VEGEA and ECONYL makes it easy for customers to choose compassionate options for their wardrobe and coexist with all other sentient beings on this planet.

What does “Co-Exist Story” mean for the planet?

The “Innovation Stories” initiative from H&M is about finding new fabrics that drive the fashion industry towards sustainability.
VEGEA and ECONYL are creative examples that high quality, beautiful materials can be made with waste from other industries.
FLWRDWN uses natural wild flowers.

An environmentally friendly future is also a vegan one, as animal exploitation industries contribute massively to greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater pollution.
Coexistence means ensuring that all animals on our planet have a future by protecting habitats and using resources responsibly.

Shop the “Co-Exist Story” collection from H&M!

The collection will appear on November 4, 2021 and will be sold in selected stores such as Berlin (local launches may vary). You can also shop online at HM.com.

https://www.peta.de/neuigkeiten/hm-vegane-kollektion/

And I mean…Without a doubt a great idea, a great initiative and a promising start.
Just a little hint so that you don’t mean that this brand is now generally cruelty-free: only a part of the H&M collections is meant, not all.
But at least everyone who wants vegan clothes doesn’t have to search for hours, now everyone can find out about the collection and choose specifically within this collection.
Thank you H&M, thank you PETA.

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals

The unknown suffering of the rabbits

Rabbits are bright, curious and sensitive animals that love to dig in the cool sand, play with their friends and jump around in the grass. In the meat industry, however, they cannot meet these natural needs.

The keeping, rearing and killing of rabbits in the meat industry was not regulated in detail for a long time. There have only been minimum legal requirements since 2014 – but similar to the requirements for pig and chicken rearing, these provisions do not allow the rabbits to live in a species-appropriate manner.

There is also another major problem in rabbit fattening: private breeders.
Due to the widespread hobby keeping of rabbits, it is hardly possible to check whether the minimum requirements are being violated.
How many rabbits are bred and fattened in Germany for their meat has not yet been officially recorded.
However, it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of animals.

Rabbit meat: husbandry, production, laws and numbers

Before August 11, 2014, there were only non-binding guidelines that were determined by the breeding and rabbit keepers’ associations themselves.
Since then, legal minimum requirements have been set for keeping rabbits, but they are by no means sufficient to enable the rabbits to lead a species-appropriate life.

Even keeping them in cages with grid floors is still allowed. At the end of a life full of privation, the rabbits die in the slaughterhouse.

Production and sales figures can hardly be recorded

In contrast to meat from other animal species, rabbit meat (around 34 percent) is largely produced as a hobby and offered through direct sales.
This makes it difficult to regularly collect current data on kept and killed animals.

The main producing countries of the EU are Spain, France and Italy.

But in Germany too, it is estimated that around 15 million rabbits are killed every year for their meat in “backyard slaughterhouses” – less than 25 percent of rabbit meat is produced in industrial fattening operations.
China is the world’s largest producer of rabbit meat and the main supplier of rabbit meat to the EU.
Overall, however, EU imports only make up a small percentage of the rabbit meat traded.

Facts about breeding and fattening: Millions of rabbits are killed every year in Germany

According to the federal government in 2010, over 41,000 tons of rabbit meat are consumed in Germany – this corresponds to around 30 million rabbits.
The majority of it, around 33,000 tons, is produced in Germany. The indication in tons once again makes it clear: The animals do not count as individuals, but are degraded to a factor of production.

As in pig farming, a distinction is made between breeding and fattening rabbits. While female rabbits have to give birth to as many young as possible in breeding, rabbits in fattening should put on a lot of meat as quickly as possible.

Continue reading “The unknown suffering of the rabbits” →

Environmental, General News

Greenpeace ‘Rainbow Warrior’ Now Given Go-Ahead to Sail to Cop26 After U-Turn by Port Authorities.

WAV Comment – I think this issue alone, along with many other at COP26, shows that ’Mr Normal man and woman’ have now had enough with the over inflated, false promises made by so many over inflated, false and self-opinionated leaders from some of the worlds nations.

People want change and they want it now; not more weasel words which 10 years later amount to nothing as we have seen from recent COP conferences.

The complete U turn by the port authorities in Scotland relating to the ‘Rainbow Warrior’ was a very, very wise move.  Who knows what would have happened if the young climate protesters on board were denied entrance to the Clyde / Glasgow.

Direct action works; and by their past lack of actions, the opinionated politicians are now viewed very much as a laughing stock by so many people – those who want action and change, Now !

And this is only Day 1; plenty more days to come and for the politicians to actually earn some respect (?) by finally taking action on global warming.

People have opinions and feelings – and THEY VOTE !

Regards Mark

 

Activists on board the Rainbow Warrior as it makes its way towards Cop26 in Glasgow (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)
© Provided by Evening Standard Activists on board the Rainbow Warrior as it makes its way towards Cop26 in Glasgow (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Our recent post:

UK: Greenpeace ‘Rainbow Warrior’ Ship Defies Stay Away Instructions – and Says ‘Stop Failing Us’. – World Animals Voice

 

Rainbow Warrior given go-ahead to sail to Cop26 after U-turn by port authorities

The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior makes its way up the River Clyde, carrying four young climate activists (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)
© Provided by Evening Standard The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior makes its way up the River Clyde, carrying four young climate activists (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Climate activists on board the Rainbow Warrior are to sail into the heart of Glasgow after officials agreed to allow the ship into the Cop26 restricted zone.

Port authorities wanted to block the famous vessel from entering the area, which bans craft from the stretch of the Clyde next to the SEC conference centre, but on Monday afternoon Police Scotland confirmed the vessel was to be allowed to continue to its destination.

Activists Jakapita Faith Kandanga, 24, Edwin Namakanga, 27, Maria Reyes, 19, and Farzana Faruk Jhumu, 22, who are from communities which would be most affected by a changing climate, are on board the ship.

In a joint statement they said the “authorities understand that our presence at the climate summit is too important to shut out”.

“It’s ridiculous to think that climate talks could be held without the most affected people there and it’s positive that the police and port authorities have changed their minds,” they said.

“World leaders attending the talks could learn a lot from this co-operation. We have been ignored long enough, and now, with a safe passage to Glasgow, our voices must be heard at Cop26.”

Greenpeace said it had been warned by HMS Vigilant, as it approached the Firth of Clyde, that if the Rainbow Warrior continued its voyage it would be in breach of maritime laws and Police Scotland would “act appropriately”.

But the pressure group said that, following a meeting with Hettie Geenen, the ship’s captain, port authorities told her they would help facilitate the four youth climate activists’ arrival.

Oxfam’s big heads, including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, are demanding that the Cop26 summit produces more than just ‘hot air’ (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)
© Provided by Evening Standard Oxfam’s big heads, including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, are demanding that the Cop26 summit produces more than just ‘hot air’ (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)

The four campaigners, from Namibia, Uganda, Mexico and Bangladesh, are just a handful of the thousands of protesters who are descending on the city as world leaders discuss how to fight a changing climate.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Harbour authorities had been in regular communication with the Rainbow Warrior and had instructed that, due to the restrictions and some significant safety concerns, it could not sail to its intended destination.

“Despite this, the Captain of the Rainbow Warrior signalled her intent to continue.

“Accordingly, following consultation between police and harbour authorities, it was considered that the safest option for the crew of the Rainbow Warrior and wider public was to ensure the safe passage of the vessel to its destination.

“We are now engaging with Greenpeace and all relevant partners to ensure the safe passage of this vessel, it’s passengers and the wider public.”

Over the next two weeks of the conference, 120 dignitaries and heads of state are set to attend the UN event which has been billed as vital in stopping climate change and rising global temperatures.

As world leaders made their way to the city on Monday, Oxfam’s “big heads”, featuring Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau, Mario Draghi, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, made an appearance along with a traditional Scottish pipe band in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square, where they were “blowing hot air”.

Nafkote Dabi, Oxfam’s climate change policy lead, said rich nations are not cutting emissions fast enough to keep the most vulnerable countries safe.

“We must all halve global emissions in the next nine years but we are heading in the opposite direction. Leaders must not delay a moment longer – every fraction of a degree costs lives,” she warned.

“Developed nations must live up to their promise from 12 years ago to deliver 100 billion dollars (£73 billion) every year to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change and reduce emissions.

“This support should be in the form of grants – not loans – and half of it should be for adaptation. It is also critical that they agree a way to finance loss and damage for the unavoidable impacts of climate change that are already destroying homes and lives.”

Greta Thunberg who inspired the climate strike movement across the globe, was surrounded by police officers and activists as she arrived at Glasgow Central railway station on Sunday night.

The 18-year-old is expected to take part in demonstrations during the summit, including a march through the city on Friday, organised by campaigning organisation Fridays for Future Scotland.

The demonstration will walk from Kelvingrove Park to George Square.

Ms Thunberg is also expected to speak at a rally taking place on Saturday, hosted by the Cop26 Coalition, which will march from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green.

On Sunday, Extinction Rebellion marched through Edinburgh in solidarity with protests taking place across the world.

Rainbow Warrior given go-ahead to sail to Cop26 after U-turn by port authorities (msn.com)

More reading:

Youth activists sailing to COP26 onboard the Rainbow Warrior ignore warnings from port authorities | Greenpeace UK

 

 Regards Mark

Hunting

Manchester Hunt Sabs: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿

Manchester Hunt Sabs Stomping on Cages (UK)
Filed under Communiqués in https://animalliberationpressoffice.org

We’re still out hunting for, and stomping on, cages in the Staffordshire cull zone.

Every cage stomped is at least one life saved, probably more.

ko-fi.com/manchesterhuntsabs

 💖 Our thanks and respect to the courageous hunting saboteurs

regards, Venus

General News

The ‘Bous al Carrer’ in Spain: a circus of death

The ‘Bous al Carrer‘, an increasingly controversial centuries-old tradition: 17 deaths in the last seven years
The ‘Bous al Carrer’ festivities are a tradition more than a hundred years old in the Valencian Community, and there are many neighbors who assure that it is part of their daily life (!!!)

The reason: more than 9000 celebrations are held a year and in more than 300 municipalities.
However, the controversy surrounding this celebration is more alive than ever: in the last seven years 17 people have lost their lives, the last of them in the confinements held this Saturday.

A 55-year-old man died in Onda, Castellón, during the celebration of this activity after being gored in the leg by a bull.

The event occurred on the last day of the start of these celebrations, when the man received a serious goring.
When he was injured in the femoral art, he lost a lot of blood.

Although he was immediately transferred to La Plana Hospital, he died in the health center.

The worst figure was registered in 2015, when seven people died as a result of goring or injuries when participating in bullfighting shows at street level. This makes many are against its celebration, especially animal associations.
“We consider them to be cruel and bloody spectacles with animals,” said Javier Sánchez, PACMA spokesman.

https://fb.watch/8_DUg9O4CY/

However, its organizers defend it.

” The celebration of ‘Bous al Carrer’ carries risks.
It is an activity in which all of us who participate know what we are up against. We are facing an animal, a bull, whose mission is to attack and injure to defend itself, ” Vicente Nogueroles, president of the Federation of Bullfighting Peñas de Bous al Carrer, has argued, in statements to “laSexta”.

The Animal Party Against Animal Abuse (PACMA) is clear about it and asks for its cancellation.
“Our position regarding the ‘Bous al Carrer’ is the abolition of this and any other type of popular celebration with animals,” Javier Sánchez clarified.
Thus, after the tragedy that occurred this Saturday, as well as those registered in recent years, the debate that divides the population is reborn: to abolish or not, an issue that does not seem to have a short-term solution.

https://www.lasexta.com/noticias/sociedad/bous-carrer-tradicion-centenaria-cada-vez-mas-polemica-17-muertos-ultimos-siete-anos_20211031617e9ac534d4be00018ff3ed.html

And I mean.. Apparently some didn’t evolve.
That’s why some drunken psychopaths enjoy standing in front of a poor tortured animal that comes out of a damned box where there is no other way out than to run away and meet everyone who comes before it.
And those that haven’t evolved call it “tradition”!!

The bull does not want to be in this shit that they call traditions and festivals and for HIM it is also fair that those who torment him find a just death.
Therefore, it will not sound harsh to say that the human deads don’t cause the least sorrow to a compassionate person who abhorred animal abusers.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

France: ‘Rainforest Art Project’ – Supporting Indigenous Peoples.

I have taken this directly from the site run by one of our supporter friends Barbara.

Please have a look at it when you can.  You know we are primarily an animal rights group; but when we feel it is necessary, we change hats and speak up for human rights.  Here is such a case.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday celebrated in colonized countries to honor Native peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures – while governments and corporations continue to pillage and loot indigenous territories!

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro – Rainforest Art Project

In the U.S., Indigenous Peoples’ Day evolved as an alternative to « Invasion Day » – Columbus Day – which celebrated Columbus’ arrival in the New World on October 12th 1492 and the beginning of the colonization of North America. 

Native Americans protested honoring a man who had enabled their genocide and forced assimilation. 

Continue reading at:

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday celebrated in colonized countries to honor Native peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures – while governments and corporations continue to pillage and loot indigenous territories! | Barbara Crane Navarro (barbara-navarro.com)

See all the posts from Barbara at the Rainforest Art Project:

Barbara Crane Navarro – Rainforest Art Project | Barbara Crane Navarro (barbara-navarro.com)

About Barbara:

About Barbara Crane Navarro – Rainforest Art Project

I’m a French artist living near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 I studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, then at the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, for my BFA.

My work for many decades has been informed and inspired by time spent with indigenous communities. Various study trips devoted to the exploration of techniques and natural pigments took me originally to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, and subsequently to Yanomami communities in Venezuela and Brazil.

Over many years, during the winters, I studied the techniques of traditional Bogolan painting. Hand woven fabric is dyed with boiled bark from the Wolo tree or crushed leaves from other trees, then painted with mud from the Niger river which oxidizes in contact with the dye.

Through the Dogon and the Yanomami, my interest in the multiplicity of techniques and supports for aesthetic expression influenced my artistic practice. The voyages to the Amazon Rainforest have informed several series of paintings created while living among the Yanomami. The support used is roughly woven canvas prepared with acrylic medium then textured with a mixture of sand from the river bank and lava. This supple canvas is then rolled and transported on expeditions into the forest. They are then painted using a mixture of acrylic colors and Achiote and Genipap, the vegetal pigments used by the Yanomami for their ritual body paintings and on practical and shamanic implements.

My concern for the ongoing devastation of the Amazon Rainforest has inspired my films and installation projects. Since 2005, I’ve created a perfomance and film project – Fire Sculpture – to bring urgent attention to Rainforest issues.

To protest against the continuing destruction, I’ve publicly set fire to my totemic sculptures. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures that depend on the forest for their survival.

http://en.gravatar.com/writingnavarro

https://barbara-navarro.com/2021/10/13/o-dia-dos-povos-indigenas-e-um-feriado-celebrado-nos-paises-colonizados-para-homenagear-os-povos-indigenas-e-comemorar-suas-historias-e-culturas-enquanto-governos-e-empresas-continuam-a-pilhar-saqu/

https://barbara-navarro.com/2021/09/08/mulheres-nativas-mulheres-originais-reflorestar-espiritos-para-a-cura-da-terra/

Barbara has our full support with her cause(s).

Regards Mark

Giving them a future !
Environmental, General News

Do You Know Tesco’s Burning Secret ?

WATCH: Tesco’s burning secret

Tesco is fanning the flames of the forest fires raging across Brazil.

The UK supermarket buys meat from companies owned by Amazon rainforest destroyers, and sells chicken and pork fed on soya from deforested land elsewhere in Brazil.

Here’s what you need to know – and what you can do to help stop them.

Take Action:

https://act.greenpeace.org/page/89330/action/1?source=WB&subsource=FOAMREOAWB03SC

Environmental, General News

UK: Greenpeace ‘Rainbow Warrior’ Ship Defies Stay Away Instructions – and Says ‘Stop Failing Us’.

Rainbow Warrior in full sail
© Provided by Evening Standard Rainbow Warrior in full sail

WAV Comment: Should Greenpeace not be given a place at the COP26 table ? – or is it just a UN / government showpiece for the press and media ? – people want action and they want it like NOW !

Regards Mark

Rainbow Warrior aims to defy Glasgow port by sailing youth activists to Cop26

The Rainbow Warrior is planning to sail to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in defiance of port authorities, environmental group Greenpeace has said.

The campaign group’s famous ship is carrying youth strikers from communities most hit by climate change to demand world leaders “stop failing us”.

Greenpeace said it had been warned by port authorities not to sail up the River Clyde to the global climate conference, but added the vessel would still attempt the journey.

Rainbow Warrior aims to defy Glasgow port by sailing youth activists to Cop26 (msn.com)

If the voyage is successful, the four youth activists on the Rainbow Warrior plan to meet fellow members of the Fridays for Future climate strike movement on Monday afternoon outside the summit to deliver their message.

They are warning that the climate talks should not go ahead without people who are most affected, but say many activists have been shut out by a failure to distribute vaccines equally between countries and travel restrictions, while major nations have big delegations attending.

The Rainbow Warrior set sail from Liverpool on Saturday night, and contacted the Clyde port authority to request permission to berth outside the Cop26 conference, but was told it could not sail up the Clyde and the area was controlled by police.

The captain decided to ignore the warnings and will continue the ship’s journey as the activists’ message and presence at Cop26 is fundamental to its success, Greenpeace said.

A “stop failing us” message is written on large banners hung between the Rainbow Warrior’s masts and bows.

Speaking onboard, 19-year-old climate activist Maria Reyes, from Mexico said: “From vaccines to visas and travel restrictions, we’ve already had to overcome many obstacles that the Cop26 organisers tried to use in an attempt to shut us out.

“But we’re here, we’re coming and we won’t be stopped.

“Inequalities such as gender violence, racial discrimination, class inequality and forced migration are exacerbated by the climate crisis.

“By denying us entry these so-called ‘leaders’ are fanning the flames of these inequalities. Enough empty speeches, there won’t be climate action without climate justice.”

Edwin Namakanga, 27, from Uganda, said: “World leaders should be rolling out the red carpet to people most affected by this crisis, not denying us from making our way to Cop26.

“We’re only four activists but we’re representing millions and our voices must be heard.”

Regards Mark

Rainbow Warrior in full sail
Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

UK: Trick, Or Treat ? – On The Halloween Eve of COP26; Some New Revelations. Shell and BP Paid ZERO TAX On North Sea Gas and Oil for Three Years.

Shell and BP paid zero tax on North Sea gas and oil for three years

Firms defend paying no corporation tax after government handed out billions to energy giants

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/30/shell-and-bp-paid-zero-tax-on-north-sea-gas-and-oil-for-three-years

Shell and BP, which together produce more than 1.7bn tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, have not paid any corporation tax on oil and gas production in the North Sea for the last three years, company filings reveal.

The oil giants, which have an annual global footprint of greenhouse gases more than five times bigger than Britain’s, are benefiting from billions of pounds of tax breaks and reliefs for oil and gas production.

Shell and BP paid no corporation tax or production levies on North Sea oil operations between 2018 and 2020, and claimed tax reliefs of nearly £400m, according to annual “payments to governments” reports analysed by the Observer.

Over the same three-year period, they paid shareholders more than £44bn in dividends.

A petroleum revenue tax of 35% was effectively scrapped by the then chancellor, George Osborne, in 2016 and oil giants can claim billions of pounds in taxpayer handouts for decommissioning rigs.

The North Sea is now one of the most profitable areas in the world for oil and gas production, after tax cuts by the government to encourage production.

Shell and BP have set targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by investing in cleaner energy, but say the UK will continue to need oil and gas from the North Sea, which also supports thousands of jobs.

Climate campaigners are now challenging the UK tax regime in a high court case. They want the payouts to be scrapped and a ban on any new oil and gas projects in the North Sea to help cut carbon emissions.

Philip Evans, oil and gas campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “It’s outrageous that as the UK prepares to host global climate talks in Glasgow, we still have one of the lowest effective tax rates in the world for oil extraction.

We’re giving tax breaks worth billions of pounds to companies that have been fuelling the climate emergency for decades.”

There are about 180 oil rigs in the North Sea and the sector has generated about £360bn in net tax revenues since 1970, which is about £7.2bn a year.

The UK has some of the lowest oil tax rates in the world. An analysis by research company Rystad Energy in January found the UK is now the most profitable country in the world for the development of oil and gas “mega-projects”.

Taxpayers will foot a bill of more than £18bn for the decommissioning of the oil and gas infrastructure in the North Sea up to 2065 – made up of tax repayments and a reduction in offshore corporation tax. Campaigners want the handouts to be scrapped and used for investing in clean energy.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, faces a legal challenge over the tax handout to oil and gas operators by campaigners. Paid to Pollute, a group of environmental organisations, says that the taxpayer handouts to oil and gas companies are unlawful because they conflict with the UK’s legal duty to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. A judicial review is due to be heard before the end of the year.

Gabrielle Jeliazkov, a campaigner at Platform, a UK group that investigates the social and environmental effects of the global oil industry and is supporting the legal case, said: “The government has spent too long backing oil giants through tax breaks and subsidies. It has had devastating consequences for the climate.”

Shell and BP also face strong opposition over new projects in the North Sea. A report published last week by Friends of the Earth and the New Economics Foundation found that the oil and gas industry is preparing to seek approval for 30 offshore projects by 2025.

Shell has defended plans for the Cambo project, a controversial oilfield off Shetland that contains about 800m barrels of oil and is awaiting approval from the Oil and Gas Authority, a government licensing body. Greenpeace lost a legal bid this month for the government to revoke the permit for BP to drill at the Vorlich oilfield in the North Sea, which started production in November last year.

It was reported by Reuters last week that Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning had rejected Shell’s plans to develop the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea after considering its environmental statement.A Shell spokesperson said: “Our total oil production already peaked in 2019 and we expect it to continue declining, including through divestments. We’re already investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy. The North Sea Transition Deal agreed earlier this year also maps out how the sector will reduce emissions in line with the government’s net zero targets.” The company said it paid no corporation tax on North Sea production last year because of tax losses in previous years.

A BP spokesperson said: “All BP’s North Sea assets are owned by companies that are subject to UK tax in accordance with UK law. Over the years, BP has contributed over £40bn in taxes to the UK government from its North Sea business.

“In recent years, in line with longstanding UK tax regulations, tax relief on the significant investments we have recently made in the North Sea business and the challenging price environment, including the steep oil price falls in 2015 and 2020, have meant we have paid no North Sea corporate taxes.”

A government spokesperson said: “The UK oil and gas industry has paid around £375bn in production taxes to date – with companies in the North Sea subject to headline rates that are more than double those paid by other businesses. Relief for decommissioning costs is a fundamental part of the UK’s tax system.”

Does the industry dog wag the government tail ?; or the tail wag the dog ?

Regards Mark

 

Further Link – worth looking at:

UK; Twas The Night Before COP26 – British Comedian Joe Lycett Holds ‘Shell’ (Oil Giant) To Account For Their Green Sales Techniques. He Literally Talks Shit !

 

 

General News, Hunting

UK: Fox ‘Trail Hunting’ Must be BANNED on National Trust Land (620,000 Acres), Members Say. Could Be A Big Win for Anti Hunt.

 

(Getty Images)

Fox ‘trail hunting’ must be banned on National Trust land, members say

Hunt saboteurs insist trailhunting is used to cover up continued illegal foxhunting

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/foxhunting-national-trust-land-hunts-b1947332.html

National Trust members have voted to ban trail hunting amid fears it is being used as a “smokescreen” for chasing and killing foxes.

Members supported a motion not to allow the activity on trust land, with those who proposed it stating that “overwhelming evidence leads to the conclusion that ‘trail hunting’ is a cover for hunting with dogs”.

A total of 76,816 votes were cast for the motion, with 38,184 votes against and 18,047 abstentions.

The results of the vote are not binding, but the board of trustees is expected to consider the outcome following Saturday’s annual general meeting.

Animal-lovers, who had lobbied members hard to back a ban, were jubilant.

With the trust owning 620,000 acres of land, the ballot was seen as having the potential to disrupt the future of foxhunting in England because a ban will severely restrict space for the bloodsport.

Together with other major landowners, the charity suspended “trail-hunting” a year ago after a leak of Zoom meetings at which hunt chiefs from across the UK discussed how to create “a smokescreen”.

The webinars led to Mark Hankinson, director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, being convicted of encouraging people to illegally chase wild animals and being ordered to pay £3,500.

Several councils also banned trail-hunting on their land.

Hunts insist they go “trail-hunting” – following a trail laid with an artificial scent – to stay within the law after hunting mammals with dogs was outlawed in 2005. The trust had allowed this on its land ever since.

But hunt saboteurs who have repeatedly filmed hunts out riding with hounds insist the claim is a sham to cover up continued illegal foxhunting.

The National Trust vote on banning “trail-hunting”, exempt hunting and exercising hounds had divided animal-loving members, some of whom gave up their membership as a protest. Others had argued it was important to remain a member to have a vote this time round.

Four years ago members who backed a ban were in uproar when they narrowly lost the vote after the board used discretionary proxy votes to defeat the motion, prompting claims of unfairness.

When Hankinson was convicted, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said of his talk to the webinar: “The only reasonable interpretation of those words leads to the conclusion that a need to make something plausible is only necessary if it is a sham and a fiction.”

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30/10/21 –  National Trust members vote to ban trail hunting amid concerns it is a ‘cover’ for hunting with dogs

Trail hunting involves people on foot or horseback following a scent along a pre-determined route with hounds or beagles without foxes being deliberately chased or killed.

Members of the National Trust have voted to ban trail hunting over fears it is being used as a “smokescreen” for chasing and killing foxes.

Trail hunting involves people on foot or horseback following a scent along a pre-determined route with hounds or beagles without foxes being deliberately chased or killed.

Voters who supported a motion to prohibit the activity on trust land state that “overwhelming evidence leads to the conclusion that ‘trail hunting’ is a cover for hunting with dogs”.

Saturday’s vote saw a total of 76,816 votes were cast for the ban, with 38,184 votes against and 18,047 abstentions.

The board of trustees is expected to consider the vote result following Saturday’s annual general meeting – since it is only advisory and not legally binding.

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Demonstrators from the UK-based animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports gathered outside Harrogate Convention Centre in North Yorkshire as the event was being held in support of the ban.

Andy Knott, chief executive of the charity, welcomed the result, saying: “Enough is enough. Now the membership has voted to permanently end it, we must insist the National Trust’s trustees listen and act.

“The trust must ban ‘trail’ hunting on its land for good. Other landowners should take note and immediately follow suit.”

We won. No more trail hunting on National Trust land. Thanks to my cracking, Gold Medal winning team. @LeagueACS @domdyer70 @RSPCAChris @ChrisGPackham @MeganMcCubbin pic.twitter.com/BL8uorGJ1e

— Andy Knott (@AndrewLacs) October 30, 2021

However, Countryside Alliance, which campaigned against the motion, said Saturday’s outcome represents a “tiny proportion” of national membership and therefore gives no mandate.

The Hunting Act 2004 banned the hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales.

Last November, the National Trust and Forestry England suspended licences for trail hunting on their land in light of a police investigation into webinars involving huntsmen discussing the practice.

The vote also comes several weeks after prominent huntsman Mark Hankinson was convicted after giving advice about how to covertly carry out illegal fox hunts.

Hankinson, director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, was found guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of intentionally encouraging huntsmen to use legal trail hunting as “a sham and a fiction” for the unlawful chasing and killing of animals via two webinars held in August last year.

WAV Posts associated:

Mark Hankinson found guilty of telling others how to hunt illegally!
UK: Director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, has been charged with intentionally encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act 2004.

The judge ordered him to pay £3,500, and concluded that he was “clearly encouraging the mirage of trail laying to act as cover for old fashioned illegal hunting”.

Polly Portwin, the Countryside Alliance’s director of the campaign for hunting, argued that adopting the motion “would totally undermine the Trust’s own motto: ‘for everyone, for ever'”.

She said the alliance remains ready to work with the trust “to ensure that everyone can have confidence that trail hunting activity is open, transparent and legitimate”, adding there is “absolutely no mandate for prohibition of a legal activity which has been carried out on National Trust land for generations”.

Regards Mark

Link: With lots more news all about this; visit the LACS site – link given below.

LACS

https://www.league.org.uk/

Photo – Mark (WAV).