When meat is imported into the European Union the law stipulates that the animal must have been slaughtered in line with EU legislation.
However, when EU animals are exported, the same rules are not afforded to them and instead they can face brutal treatment and long drawn out slaughter.
Every year three million Europeananimals are sent on long, stressful journeys to be fattened or slaughtered outside the EU. A vast number of these go to the Middle East where Compassion’s recent investigation, in partnership with Animals Australia, has uncovered immeasurable suffering.
Please take a moment to watch the film and slideshow below to find out more about this deplorable trade. Be warned; some of the film is distressing to watch, but it’s essential concerned citizens find out where European animals are ending their journeys.
Take action against the EU’s cruel live animal export trade
Published on 27 Feb 2014
Every year three million European animals are sent on long, stressful journeys to be fattened or slaughtered outside the EU. A vast number of these go to the Middle East where Compassion’s recent investigation, in partnership with Animals Australia, has uncovered immeasurable suffering.
Please take a moment to watch the film and find out more about this deplorable trade. Be warned, some of the film is distressing to watch, but it’s essential that concerned citizens find out where European animals are ending their journeys.
Please take a moment to watch and share our investigation. Warning: Due to its upsetting nature, you may need to verify that you are over 18 to watch the film.
When European farm animals are exported to non-EU countries every shred of protection they once received in their place of birth is rendered meaningless.
After enduring long, exhausting journeys by land and sea they may face terrifying ordeals at slaughter.
Animals are dragged by their limbs, bound up with ropes, pinned down by groups of men, beaten with metal rods, suspended upside down for extended periods of time, and eventually slaughtered in unacceptable ways that leave them conscious for many minutes after having their throats cut.
The European Commission has the power to take steps to stop this, but as each day passes without action more and more animals continue to suffer.
The European Commission must work towards ending the live export trade and if necessary replacing it with a trade in meat.
While a trade in exporting live animals continues, the European Commission must implement a scheme that will guarantee exported animals are treated in ways that prevent the worst of the suffering.
The European Commission must provide practical support to countries that import live animals from the EU in order that they can improve transport, handling and slaughter methods. This will not only improve the welfare of EU animals but also of any other animals slaughtered in those countries.
Please take action today. Email the Commission and call for an end to this suffering.
“Please sign this petition, We have to keep the public updated on animal welfare issues. But with the AG- Gag Laws trying to be introduced to protect those who are blatantly flaunting the law; it’s hard to know what or where to turn to next. Please sign the petition here or further down.”
“We have to be the voice of the voiceless & ensure laws put in place to protect them; are in use!”
“YOU The PUBLIC have a voice, if you eat meat, don’t you want it to come from healthy farms, where the animals are cared for as they should be.? There are no excuses as you can see in the second video…but farmers cut corners to produce meat cheaply…would you honestly want to eat the meat that came from ill, diseased or filthy animals fed with slop??”
“Every time you open the door to one of these farms, you tell yourself: ‘it will be better than the last. They can’t all be ignoring the law, they can’t all be inflicting such misery.’ But then you see the pigs, and realise the scale of the suffering. It breaks your heart.”
Compassion’s Head of Investigations.
We have created a short video to summarise the findings of our investigation. Please help us to protect the pigs by watching it and sharing it as widely as possible.
The biggest scandal in modern pig farming?
Published on 23 Oct 2013
Much of the EU pig industry is completely ignoring basic welfare laws — leading to the suffering of millions of pigs. Compassion in World Farming has pulled together evidence from across Europe — join us in standing up for pig welfare by signing the petition: http://www.ciwf.org/EUpigvideo
Last year Compassion visited 45 pig farms across the EU. We went south to Italy and Spain; south-east to Cyprus; west to Ireland; and east to Poland and the Czech Republic. On every single farm we found the laws put in place to protect pig welfare were being flouted – the suffering was hard to witness.
And it doesn’t stop there.
We believe aspects of the Pigs Directive are being blatantly ignored all across the EU, inflicting illegal cruelty on millions of intelligent and sensitive animals. There are over 140 million pigs in the EU at any one time. Sometimes the scale of the challenge we are facing seems overwhelming.
But we have good news. The response to our petition has been amazing. It is the fastest growing petition in Compassion’s history; please help us keep up the momentum.
Humane, sustainable dairy farming can and does exist in California! In this film, Philip visits Strauss dairy whose organic dairy herd graze on pasture and are treated as much more than just units of production.
Over a three-year period Philip Lymbery (CEO of Compassion in World Farming) has travelled the world bearing witness to the hidden cost of cheap meat and the devastating impact of factory farming — on people, animals and our planet.
The findings of this journey are brought together for the very first time in Farmageddon (published by Bloomsbury).
“Dear God…this is no slaughterhouse; its a torture chamber. NO animal should be treated like an inanimate object, incapable of any feelings. Having to watch their fellow beings being slaughtered right in front of them is despicable & in total contradiction of updated slaughterhouse rules. Animals feel pain & fear just as we do, if a slaughterhouse like this was found to be operating in England etc. it would be shut down immediately! So please send the email at the link below; these animals need our help, our voices NOW!”
Animals from all over the world end up in Beirut Public Slaughterhouse, Karantina. Sheep and cattle are exported live from countries in the European Union such as France, the Czech Republic and Spain (where they have legal protection), and end up here. Our Investigations Unit visited Beirut Public Slaughterhouse, and what they found was unimaginable.
Please email the Lebanese Agriculture Minister. Help get this hellish place shut down.
Our investigators are still trying to come to terms with what they’they’ve seen.Below is an investigator’s account of their visit. Please be warned; what you are about to read is distressing.
“The slaughterhouse is chaos. Everything is coated in a layer of blood, faeces and body parts. The slaughter area is heaving with people, live animals and slaughtered bodies. The sounds and smells are overwhelming.
Men grab defenceless sheep by the fleece or back leg. They fall to their knees and are forcefully dragged, one by one, to the slaughter line. Cattle are dragged by ropes around their necks. When they try to resist restraint they are yelled at and beaten viciously with metal rods. The animals are visibly terrified and in their frantic attempts to escape they slip, trip and fall, slamming their heads into the concrete floor.
Groups of sheep are forced to jump over dead bodies and wide gutters full of blood. They desperately try to force their way away from the bodies of other sheep they have just watched being slaughtered. Cows are left suspended fully-conscious by one leg for long periods of time, their faces resting in pools of other animals’ blood. They watch animals being slaughtered all around them. I wonder if they realize it will soon be their turn?”
Viewer Discretion Strongly Advised
Compassion Investigates: Beirut Public Slaughterhouse, Karantina
Published on 5 Dec 2013
Please be warned, scenes in this video are distressing.
Animals from all over the world end up in Beirut Public Slaughterhouse, Karantina. Sheep and cattle are exported live from countries in the European Union such as France, the Czech Republic and Spain (where they have legal protection), and end up here. Our Investigations Unit visited Beirut Public Slaughterhouse, and what they found was unimaginable.
Compassion in World Farminghave lodged formal complaints and made demands to see Beirut Public Slaughterhouse in Karantina shut down until it can be totally refurbished and staff can be properly trained in compliance with OIE slaughter recommendations. Now we need you to help us fight this battle for the animals.
Take action:-
Every day Beirut Public Slaughterhouse is open and operating animals are suffering unimaginably. This place should not be allowed to operate while it flouts international recommendations on slaughter. We believe thousands of EU animals pass through Beirut Public Slaughterhouse every year. Please send an email today to the Lebanese Agriculture Minister and call for an immediate shut-down.
Please share this campaign with your friends and family. Animals facing slaughter in Beirut Public Slaughterhouse need our help.Please forward this link as widely as you can:-www.ciwf.org/Lebanon-slaughter
Compassion in World Farming’s Investigation Unit recently undertook an undercover investigation into pig farming in Italy. What they found were pigs crowded together in inhumane conditions suffering routine cruelty.
We have produced a short video containing some of the footage that our investigators uncovered. We must warn you that it is upsetting viewing. You can take action on this issue without watching the film, but if you do choose to view it, please be warned that it contains images of animal suffering.
Viewer Discretion – Shocking Footage – Italian Pig Investigation
Published on 31 May 2013
A recent investigation by Compassion in World Farming into intensive pig farming in Italy has uncovered shocking maltreatment.
Following our recent investigation into Spanish pig farms, Compassion visited 11 farms in Italy. On every single one, we found the EU Pigs Directive (designed to protect the welfare of pigs) being blatantly flouted.
Widespread maltreatment uncovered
Every single one of the 11 farms visited by our investigators was blatantly flouting the EU Pigs Directive – a piece of legislation designed to protect the welfare of all the EU’s 255 million pigs.
Our investigation exposed:
Pigs living in completely barren environments, being housed on bare concrete with nothing to satisfy their inquisitive minds
Pigs with tails routinely docked – a painful mutilation used to prevent tail-biting, which can occur when pigs are forced to live in barren conditions
Pigs left sick or injured. On one farm, a pig was so severely wounded from fighting that it had died.
We believe these farms to be representative of the massive Italian pig industry – which means up to 13 million Italian pigs could be enduring these terrible conditions every year.
We must tell the world what is happening behind the closed doors of Italian pig farms so please share the film with as many friends as possible. Use this link: www.ciwf.org/italianpigs
Compassion in World Farming is calling for:
Enrichment materials (such as straw) to be provided to all pigs
Tail docking to only be used as a last resort, never routinely
Sows to be kept in groups, in large pens, with plenty of bedding
Limited stocking densities, to avoid over-crowding
All sick or injured animals to be treated and cared for immediately.
Compassion in World Farming has launched an EU-wide petition, calling on the Agriculture Ministers from all 27 EU Member States to ensure that the Pigs Directive is fully enforced in every EU nation.
Please take action by signing the petition now and call for an end to this unacceptable treatment of pigs in Italy and throughout the EU.
“This is an update on a post I did several months ago; however this contains more information. So please read the information at the links, sign the petitions & watch a new video recorded February 2013 by Animals Australia!!”
“Don’t you find it appalling that we force animals into pregnancy, then steal their babies & if that wasn’t bad enough, we then steal their babies milk! FFS people…please…I know I’ve written a lot; but only because I feel so strongly on the this subject. These animals have very little rights, or protection from harm…yes there are rules in place…but there all just about broken; as we have seen so many times before on undercover videos. Ok, these are just animals to some, but that doesn’t, nor shouldn’t put them beneath us, nor give us the right to treat them in such appalling ways, should it??
These young, vulnerable animals suffered not only because of illegal cruelty — but, crucially, because they were not wanted by the commercial dairy industry. Hundreds of thousands ofAustralian bobby calves are slaughtered each year as ‘waste products‘ of the dairy industry. The terrible treatment at this abattoir is not the first, nor will it be the last time that calves will be thrown, dragged and abused.
Their inability as babies to comprehend what is required of them, whether during loading for transport or up the races of slaughterhouses, requires them to be treated with compassion and patience — two human traits rarely witnessed when it comes to dealing with unwanted and ‘worthless’ animals.
Hidden Cameras – The Unwanted Dairy calf Investigation – Does not show slaughter!
(What you probably knew, but didn’t want to see; is a better title)
Published on 1 Feb 2013
Using hidden cameras, this investigation into the fate of unwanted dairy calves (bobby calves) in Australia reveals what the dairy industry doesn’t want you to see. LIKE & SHARE this video to help expose this. For tips on going dairy-free visithttp://AnimalsAustralia.org/dairy-inv…
Young calves pushed, shocked with electric prods, hit and dragged up a metal ramp to be slaughtered…Some, too weak to stand, are thrown into the slaughter chute.
This shocking footage, provided to Animals Australia, was taken at an abattoir in Northern Victoria.
Upon receiving the footage, Animals Australia lodged a formal complaint with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) for breaches of Victorian animal cruelty laws and the illegal use of an electric prod on a calf. A formal complaint was also lodged with PrimeSafe for breaches of the Australian Standards governing welfare at abattoirs; PrimeSafe ordered the practices cease immediately. Investigations have now concluded — incredibly, no charges have been laid.
Instead, the abattoir owners and several workers were issued with formal warnings by DPI. “Formal warnings for beating, shocking & brutally abusing babies…does that seem right or fair? Those heartless bastards should have been EXPOSED to all & at the very least; then BEEN FINED & DISMISSED!”
This exposure of abattoir cruelty, the latest in a string over the past 15 months, further demonstrates the urgent need for constant monitoring by Government veterinary officers and CCTV in all abattoirs.
“OK…this is my rant! Don’t we kill enough animals? slaughtered in appalling ways, just to satisfy the human hunger for all things meat?? Please…these are babies, yet they are thrown around, stunned, hit, poked, prodded etc. from the day they are born. This is 2013; we don’t need to be eating baby calves to maintain a healthy diet, any more than we need to be stealing their milk…it’s all just a preference!”
“For the cow’s, nature normally decides the sex of an animal, but there is such a thing as specific “sexed semen” in the farming industry. It’s mainly only used on heifers for their first born, after that, it isn’t so predictable. So “sexed semen” isn’t widely used. A dairy cow is impregnated every year, so she continues to produce a steady supply of milk for humans to drink.This is usually done through artificial insemination which will give a 50/50 chance as to the sex of the calf.Most cows in the regular dairy industry are also given growth hormones, causing their udders to become unnaturally big and heavy, resulting in frequent infections. The Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) also increases birth defects in calves.
Female cows have the same gestation period as women, 9 months! When the calf is born, it is normal dairy practice to remove the calf. Generally, the female calves are reared to join the milking herd but for male calves, it’s a very different story! The average modern dairy cow will produce about 100 pounds of milk per day, which is 10 times more than it would naturally produce. Normally cows can live an average of 25 years. Dairy cows are slaughtered and made into ground beef after about 3-4 years.
For the poor males calves born, a small percentage can either be reared for beef, if suitable, or sold for veal. After being removed from their mothers, veal calves are loaded onto trucks and often sold at auctions. These small and fragile calves are often treated very roughly. If they are unable to walk, they will be dragged by their legs or ears (as seen in the video)
For the places that still use veal crates, the calves are confined in crates measuring about two feet wide. To make their meat more “tender”, their movements are restrained by chains around their necks. To give a white colour to their meat, the calves are fed an all-liquid milk-substitute, purposely deficient in iron and fibre After about 16 weeks, these poor calves are slaughtered and their meat is sold labelled as “white” veal. They don’t even get to taste their mothers milk, let alone be with their mothers!”
“Bob” veal comes from calves who are slaughtered when they are only a few hours or days old! SORRY….that just isn’t right…in fact, it makes us no better than our earlier neanderthal man, who would eat any meat, just to stay alive! WTF are we doing, eating baby calves…isn’t the meat from a cow good enough???
There is no getting away from the fact that humans developed this heinous life for young calves, purely so that their meat would taste nice to a certain clientele ! How f-ing wrong is that??? Doing so makes us no better than the people in Asia that eat puppies, dogs or cats! How many of you have signed numerous petitions to put an end to the cruel torture & eating of puppies, dogs or cats?? Some regions of china, beat the animal before it is slaughtered, because those eating it believe it makes the meat taste better.! Well what the hell are we doing??? putting babies into small crates to restrict their growth; so their meat tastes nicer!!! We are no f-ing better then them, we cause baby calves pain by putting theminto crates with chains around their necks, not letting them move, feeding them poor diets etc. TELL ME…WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE???”
“Sadly, I’m more than aware, that where no other viable options exist, some farmers have no choice but to cull their bull calves, i.e. shoot them shortly after birth!! Perhaps this is the better end, than being dragged from their mothers, forced into trailers, degraded at sale rings…starved in veal crates, then violently tossed onto a slaughter belt & probably concious whilst their throats are cut!
“Female cows are in the dairy business for one reason only, for humans to steal their milk! Milk they produce because they are continually kept pregnant, because being pregnant means their body gets ready to produce milk for their babies, just like women; which is why female cow’s have their babies then are made pregnant again! Artificial insemination especially in intensive dairy farming, cows are genetically engineered and fed growth hormones to force them to produce more milk.”
All female animals produce milk just like humans do, for their babies…unless your born a male calf…males don’t don’t get to have their mothers milk or be nurtured & feel safe; because they were sadly born MALE & not wanted by the commercial dairy industry.“
“YOU CAN HELP BY SIMPLY NOT EATING VEAL or drinking their milk…Wouldn’t you feel a lot happier knowing you were not contributing to this?? I don’t eat any meat & only have Soya as my dairy substitute; even if I wasn’t vegetarian I still couldn’t stomach the thought of eating any baby animal;especially after seeing how they are treated!
“The link below also offers other ways to help this appalling cruelty”
“These babies, including, pigs, cows, chickens, lambs, foals & often other animals around the world, are seen in the farming industry as cattle, livestock or property…therefore allowed to be killed & abused dreadfully, as is being seen! Why are we letting this happen??
What You Never Knew About Dairy
Uploaded on 24 Jan 2011
The treatment of bobby calves has been a long-held secret of the dairy industry. For the sake of milk products, the Australian dairy industry discards some 700,000 unwanted week-old calves as ‘waste products’ every year. You can help these vulnerable animals at http://www.animalsaustralia.org
“Of course there are those that don’t want the public to see how animals are treated or slaughtered on farms etc. So they are trying to introduce Ag-Gag bills…WHY?? If a farm has nothing to hide; why be so paranoid? We need these people to go into places the public are not allowed, so they can document all stages of cattle processing etc. Personally I think all places were animals are reared or slaughtered should have CCTV made available to 3rd parties at any time. For workers who, for want of a better word “enjoy causing & inflicting pain on another living being” farms & slaughter houses are perfect for them to carry on their diabolical & heinous rituals of hurting animals! Without undercover films or CCTV…how the hell are we going to know how the animals are kept & handled??”
Dangerous bills in five states would criminalize whistle-blowing on factory farms, chilling the ability of the American public to confront animal cruelty, unsafe working conditions, and environmental problems. See if your state has such a bill pending. Then learn more about these troublesome pieces of legislation in the link below.
In 2013, these states have introduced anti-whistle-blower bills:
By rearing these calves for British veal, we believe they are given a life worth living. The calves are reared in groups and must be provided with bedding which gives them a comfortable floor surface. Young calves are supplied double the amount of fibrous food compared with EU requirements, and older calves have greater space allowance than stipulated in EU law.
And, last but not least, these calves have not endured long distance transport to reach the rearing units.
And finally, if it doesn’t specify on the menu that the veal is British, assume that it isn’t Retailers, restaurants, butchers and deli’s should be proud to offer this higher welfare alternative.
“Go milk free, many people now use almond, soy, rice, coconut or hemp milk. I use Soya milk & to me it taste like creamy milk; delicious!”
Maternal Deprivation – A HSUS guide to the welfare of veal animals
The routine early separation of cows and their calves in the dairy and veal industries is distressing for both.
Hudson and Mullord found “that 5-min contact with a calf immediately post partum is sufficient for the formation of a strong, specific maternal bond with that calf.”
Calves separated from their dams at birth, as observed by Lidfors, were less active and vocalized and licked themselves more than calves remaining with their mothers. Marchant-Forde et al. reported that calves separated from their dams 24 hours after birth recognized and responded to recordings of their dams’ calls 24 hours after separation, with the cows’ vocalizations eliciting cardiac and behavioural responses in their calves.
In its 1995 Report on the Welfare of Calves, the SVC concluded: “The best conditions for rearing young calves involve leaving the calf with the mother in a circumstance where the calf can suckle and can subsequently graze and interact with other calves.” Newborn calves have no antibodies against infections and are entirely dependent on immunoglobulin in mother’s milk for immunological protection.
Colostrum, the milk dams produce during the first few days after calving, is especially high in immunoglobulin. Adequate intake of colostrum is critical for the future health of the calf, as those with low concentrations of absorbed immunoglobulin are more susceptible to diarrhoea.
The routine practice of removing newborn calves from their dams within a few hours of birth may jeopardize this important transfer of immunoglobulin. Although colostrum is collected from recently calved cows, in top dairy-producing states such as California, it is often sold to facilities specializing in raising female calves for the dairy industry,as their long-term health is considered to be of greater value than that of male calves reared for veal.
Surveys of U.S. veal farms confirm that many calves do not receive adequate colostrum.
“Confining calves to crates prevents them from performing all of their natural social and psychological behaviours, purposely prevents healthy growth and development. At the end of their short lives, many calves are not able to walk properly to slaughter, due to the under-development of their leg muscles.
“Humans do this on purpose so that their meat tastes better…FFS….this makes us no better than the people in parts of China, that beat dogs to death; under the impression it makes their meat taste better!! Well, we might not intentionally beat the animal to “make it taste better” but we keep it confined in crate so it doesn’t grown normally!! Not that much difference is there??”
“Crated calves are fed a poor substitute as opposed to their mothers milk; which actually causes them to become anaemic, which creates the very pale meat; the seller wants & the buyers need…it disgusting!”
While some animal advocates work to ban the use of veal crates, the slaughter of any animal for food is antithetical to animal rights, regardless of how much room the animals have when they are alive.
Veal crates have been banned in the UK since 1990, however veal is still produced in the UK under certain requirements, for example, calves must be able to turn around, they must be fed a diet containing some iron and they may not be kept in individual stalls or pens after the age of eight weeks.As of 2006, similar requirements will be law in the European Union; at present they are only applicable for holdings that have been newly built or rebuilt as of January of 1998.
Here’s a quick look at some of the HSUS’s work to free calves from crates.
Our undercover investigation of a “bob veal” slaughter plant shined a bright light onto the abuses that male dairy calves can endure.
Corporations
After working with The HSUS, retailers such as Wolfgang Puck no longer serve veal from calves confined in crates. Strauss Veal, the largest U.S. veal producer, and Marcho Farms, have both converted their veal operations to crate-free housing.
An abundance of labels on meat and dairy products make such claims as “grass fed,” “cage free” and “natural.”What exactly do these labels mean, especially in terms of animal welfare?
Some of the claims represent better conditions for animals than those suffered by the billions who are raised on standard factory farms, while others don’t relate to the animals’ welfare at all. So, how meaningful are these labels?
“Why can’t they all be like the farmer below,who genuinely loves & cares for his cows even after their milking days are over!!”
“Eastleigh Farm says goodbye to Framingham herd matriarch”
FRAMINGHAM —
As dairy owner Doug Stephan’s first milk cow, Peaches was Eastleigh Farm’s grande dame. With a beautifully coiffed top-knot crown and way of communicating with farmhands, the brown Jersey girl commanded respect.
“She’s always been extraordinarily regal,” farm worker Georgette Jowdy said.
As the 22-year-old bovine laid her tired legs on a bed of hay Friday morning, her large brown eyes showed that she seemed to know her reign as matriarch was over.
Stephan planned to put Peaches down Friday afternoon, 10 years after retiring her to his home pasture on Grove Street, around the corner from Eastleigh on Edmands Road.
Stephan choked back tears as he sat beside his beloved cow in the barn beside his house, talking about her seemingly psychic abilities, the seven calves she delivered and how she got her name from the vocalist duo Peaches & Herb.
He planned to bury Peaches near his late father’s ashes in the yard, and near a plaque for farm manager Edgar Pless, who died last summer.
“It’s a tough day,” said Jowdy, Pless’ wife, who raises the farm’s calves and had a close bond with Peaches after working there for 14 years. “It’s especially tough for Doug.”
As Peaches put her head on his lap, Stephan recalled bringing the cow and her cousin, Cream, to live at Eastleigh when they were four- or five-day-old heifers.
Cream later died, and the “extraordinarily sharp” Peaches went on to rule the herd. “She was always the boss cow,” Stephan said. “She would show up, get unloaded off the trailer and everyone would clear the way. She was in charge,” Jowdy said.
“She has an aura about her,” Stephan said. “I mean there’s a little crown.” Eastleigh retires its cows instead of slaughtering them after their milking years. It lets them graze in the home pasture, or gives them away to be “lawnmowers,” Jowdy said.
“They give their whole life to give us food,” she said. Strong-willed Peaches lived a long life for a cow and couldn’t stand up at the end, Jowdy said. “They get arthritis, like we do,” she said. “They get bone loss, they get muscle loss.” Peaches, she said, “gave milk for a long, long time and babies – a lot of babies.”
A lineage chart in the barn shows that Peaches delivered Patches, Elsie, Beth, Herbie, Plum, Samantha and Beulah. Apricot, Emma and Elke joined the family tree as future generations. They are among the hundreds of cows that Stephan raises.
Resting in her stall before the veterinarian arrived, Peaches enjoyed lots of snacks in addition to her grain: whole wheat bread, croissant and, a special treat, doughnuts.
“We’re indulging her a lot,” Jowdy said. Jowdy said she was comforted by the fact that Peaches would be joining her late husband. “I like to believe because it’s comforting that he’s there waiting for her,” she said.
“Why can’t all farmers have the compassion & love for their animals as the above man does? I really take my hat off to this farmer for his loyalty & love of his animals. He appreciates that they give their milk & their babies; in return they get to be cow’s, retired & munching on grass!”
“Please watch the video below, from last year…then please sign petitions etc. Together we can save the badgers”
The Government’s proposed badger cull, set to go ahead last year was postponed after a sustained and comprehensive campaign that involved numerous organisations, including the League and our supporters, coming together as Team Badger.
Last year over 160,000 people also signed a Government e-petition, far exceeding the 100,000 signatures needed to be considered for a House of Commons debate, which went ahead on 25th October.
The Parliamentary vote against the badger cull was overwhelming: 147 votes to 28 votes, with the majority of MPs agreeing with scientists, animal welfare organisations and the general public, that the cull is wrong and would be ineffective on scientific, humanitarian and practical grounds.
However, the vote is not binding and the Government are still planning to resume culling this summer.
The League, our partner organisations and supporters are committed, therefore, to continue with the campaign to ensure the cull isn’t just postponed, but abandoned for good, in favour ofvaccinatingbadgers and developing an effectivebovine TB vaccine.
As part of Team Badger, the League recently submitted evidence to theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee inquiry, which is looking into vaccination alternative to culling and is due to report later this year.
Vaccination has already been a proven success inWales, where over 1,400 badgers have already been protected against bovine TB as part of a five year programme of work to eradicate TB completely. The badger vaccination initiative in Wales reflects the constructive alternative to culling that the League, along with “Team Badger”, is calling for. It also demonstrates the co-operation that is possible between the farming industry and government in taking swift, positive and decisive action against the spread of Bovine TB.
The League, alongside our campaign partners, believes strongly that vaccination of both badgers and cattle and better husbandry are the most effective and long-term way to tackle this terrible disease. Together we successfully came together to ensure badgers had a stay of execution in 2012 and we are now working for a full and permanent pardon in 2013.
What can I do to stop the cull happening this summer?
You should contact your MP to remind them that the badger cull is set to go ahead in summer of 2013. You should ensure that they know the evidence and science against the cull and ask them to make sure they will continue to oppose the cull in 2013.
Badger cull to begin from June, Environment Secretary confirms
Conservative MPOwen Paterson said that, if successful, the cull aimed at stopping bovine tuberculosis would be rolled out across the country next year.
It has not been confirmed where this summer’s pilot culls will take place, however the National Farmers Union (NFU) said it believed they would be in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Animal rights campaigners expressed dismay, claiming there is still no scientific evidence to support the cull and that the move is against the wishes of the British public.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Paterson said: “We need to make sure that these two trials are carried out in a professional and scientific manner and if we prove that this works we will continue.”
The Government wants to stop the animals spreading the disease which has cost the taxpayer £500m in the last decade. That figure is expected to rise to £1bn in the next 10 years.
Adam Quinney, the vice president of the National Farmers’ Union, welcomed the decision and said they had expected the cull to go ahead this summer.
“The two licences have been issued for two areas in Gloucestershire and Somerset and they still stand.
“There have been discussions about looking at alternative areas just because it is prudent,” he said.
The cull cannot take place before then for a number of reasons, including licence restrictions and welfare concerns for badger’s caring for their young.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said they were “deeply disappointed” with the plans to cull the animals tomorrow as there is no “real proof” that it will help either cows or badgers and called for Defra to look again at alternatives including vaccines.
They said: “The Government must think again and the RSPCA will continue to campaign against the cull until it does so.
“After this year’s postponement we had hoped that the government would finally see sense and pay attention to the vast amount of scientific research showing that a cull will be ineffective, wasteful and potentially damaging to the welfare of both farm and wild animals.
“The vaccination of both badgers and cattle along with more effective biosecurity is the only approach which addresses the welfare of both cattle and badgers and the long term livelihood of farmers.
“This announcement flies in the face of the views of a huge majority of MPs who voted against the cull as well as the majority of the British public and the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion. The RSPCA stands ready to work alongside all those seeking an alternative to this barbaric cull.”
UK channel 4 news item with Brian May, badger supported and guitarist with Queen and Jan Rowe, cattle farmer, debating the badger cull which is taking part in the UK now. This programme was first shown in the UK on Monday, September 17th, 2012 If you are against the cull please support http://www.teambadger.org
Volunteers will line up to be scarred for life by a searing hot iron in a symbolic act against cruelty which they claim plagues the global dairy sector.
“If one person goes away and researches a vegan lifestyle because of this it will have been worth it,” demonstration organiser Becky Folkard, 34, told Britain’sDaily Mirror newspaper.
“We’re taking a huge risk because so many people will see what we’re doing as extreme but in the past you had suffragettes, which was hugely controversial.”
Ms Folkard, who will not be branded herself, said two women and a man had so far volunteered to be branded, to object to the dairy industry which she described as an “animal holocaust”.
On March 21 inLondon the trio will be permanently marked with the number 269, which represents the ear tag sequence on calves featured in a pro-animal film documentary.
A similar protest has already been staged inIsrael, the Mirror reported.
“I’ve been intending to post this for a long time but I never got around to it, until now. I can’t really say any more than is said below; apart from it’s a great speech, one that all should hear!!”
Listen to this amazing speaker who will blow away the myths, fill your mind with interesting facts, and help you make ethical choices for a healthy heart and soul. His charismatic and straightforward style is one of a kind – a must-see for anyone who cares about non-human animals or wishes to make the world a better place.
Viewer Discretion Advised- Some parts of the video include scenes from a slaughter-house
In the summer of 2012, Compassion in World Farming initiated a series of undercover investigations into dairy farming within the European Union. Investigators visited over 50 farms in Germany, Denmark and Spain. What they found was shocking.
Far from being a wholesome sector, as many would believe, the footage we uncovered shows that nothing could be further from the truth.
Investigation into the farming of dairy cows in Europe
When cows should have been grazing in fields, our investigation found the animals were often kept in cramped and squalid conditions. Many cows were tethered inside all year round never feeling the sun on their backs. Many more were suffering from painful lameness, sores and wounds on their legs, overgrown hooves and docked tails.
In many of the farms visited cows were kept indoors throughout the year and were never allowed out to graze on pasture. Often they are kept in barren, overcrowded, unhygienic conditions with no straw or other bedding.
In Germany many cows were tethered by chains, sometimes 24 hours a day all year round. All they can do is stand up, lie down and move a few steps backwards, forwards or sideways.
Whilst the footage we obtained comes from three countries, the conditions in which cows live is unlikely to be limited to just those countries.
The issue of dairy cow welfare is an extremely serious one, both in terms of the numbers involved and the length of time that they suffer for.
Read the eyewitness accounts of our investigators.
What you can do – Sign petition here or click link below
The European Commission must be made aware of the conditions in which some of Europe’s dairy cows exist. To take action, please visit www.ciwf.org/dairytruth and call for much needed legislation to guarantee minimum welfare standards for Europe’s dairy cows.
WSPA
Across the EU many cows suffer from painful and debilitating illnesses such as lameness and mastitis. Inadequate care and poor living conditions are all too frequent because there are no rules in place to protect dairy cows. We need to act now to protect dairy cows from this suffering.
Unlike pigs and hens, the EU has no specific legislation covering the welfare of Europe’s 23 million dairy cows – leaving them unprotected and at risk.
Campaigners will wear badger costumes at the free event. The charities are urging local people to come along and demonstrate their opposition to the cull.
The pilot culls are designed to reduce tuberculosis in cattle. Farmers and the government say the disease, which can be spread by badgers as well as among cattle, has become a huge cost to the industry. In 2010-11, nearly 25,000 cattle were slaughtered in England at a cost of £91m in government compensation.
But the charities say scientific studies have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing the disease and even suggest that it could make things worse in some areas.
Research undertaken by the Independent Scientific Group that took nearly a decade, cost approximately £50million and the lives of 11,000 badgers concluded “badger culling can make no meaningful contribution tocattle TB control in Britain”, they say.
The Stop the Cull campaign is pushing for the government to rethink their policy and implement a vaccination programme, along with increased levels of testing, improved farm biosecurity and stricter controls on the movement of cattle rather than culling 70% of the badger population, the vast majority of which are disease free.
Gavin Grant, chief executive of the RSPCA said: “The RSPCA and many other organisations oppose the cull of badgers for both scientific and animal welfare reasons. The campaign is rapidly gaining public support and over 100,000 objections to the cull have been recorded to date. The Government should look at the science, the results achieved in Wales and change their policy to one of vaccination – let’s cure and not kill.”
Meanwhile, their campaign has drawn cross-party support from Bristol, including leading Conservatives. Bristol24-7 reported in March that the Conservative Party spokesman in Bristol West had urged the coalition government to scrap its controversial plans.
Graham Godwin-Pearson’s statement came after Conservative think-tank the Bow Group unveiled a major paper saying the culls were likely to be more costly and less practical to conduct than ministers believe.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
Error: Please make sure the Twitter account is public.
Flag Counter Added May 2012
Face Book – Please Take Notice
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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