“Please sign the petition to give better protection to EULivestock being exported abroad; as soon as they leave the EU they are no longer protected… we must change this; by being their voice!
I believe All animals deserve the 5 freedom act throughout their entire life; which they ultimately give to humans for food…the following is the very least we can do for them; whilst they are alive:-
freedom from hunger and thirst
freedom from discomfort (shelter from heat and rain)
freedom from pain, injury and disease
freedom to express normal behaviour (without inconveniencing or harming others)
freedom from fear and distress.
Scientific research is constantly revealing new evidence of animals’ intelligence and emotions. This interest is reflected in burgeoning numbers of journals, books and reports. Professor Marian Dawkins of the Oxford University has called the study of animal sentience “one of the most exciting and the most important in the whole of biology.”
There is now evidence that many animals can learn new skills and some appear to show emotions similar to human empathy. They can also be reduced to a state resembling human depression by chronic stress or confinement in a cage. This new understanding of the sentience of animals has huge implications for the way we treat them and the policies and laws we adopt. Read More about sentient beings:-Http://www.ciwf.org.uk/animal_sentience/default.aspx
Three million animals a year are exported live from the EU to non-EU countries. As soon as they leave European Union borders they are no longer protected by European law. They’re on their own out there.
At the end of 2013 we released evidence showing appalling cruelty to European animals at a slaughterhouse in Beirut. Now, Compassion’s Investigation Unit, in partnership with Animals Australia, has also documented brutal handling at abattoirs and on the streets in Jordan, Turkey and the West Bank.
The handling and slaughter these animals can face is nothing short of horrendous. But it shouldn’t be that way. All of the countries we visited have signed up as members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and in doing so have signed up to a code of recommendations on the slaughter of livestock.Yet, everywhere we visited we saw multiple breaches of even the most basic OIE recommendations.
In slaughterhouses we filmed staff moving animals into place by dragging them by the tail, legs, fleece and even by the eye sockets.Some animals were strung up with chains; their whole body weight on one leg. Others were restrained in mechanical boxes that flipped them completely upside down and then dropped them onto the bodies of other dying animals.
When animals don’t end up in slaughterhouses, they face death on the streets – an even more brutal and unregulated ending.
We found animals being pulled out of the backs of trucks without ramps, bound by the feet, tripped over with ropes, contorted into position and then tied to the ground or pinned down by large groups of people before being slaughtered. Often, when it came to slaughter the knives used were blunt and ineffective and animals remained conscious for many minutes after having their throats cut.
What’s the solution? Much of the suffering we witnessed could easily be stopped with just basic and inexpensive changes to slaughterhouses and staff training.
Ultimately, Compassion wants an end to all long-distance transport of farm animals. But the cruel trade in animals from the EU is vast and will take time to crack. As an interim measure, we’re therefore calling for action to ensure that exported European animals are slaughtered to at least the standards recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
EU Member States that wish to export animals outside of the EU should be providing practical support to improve the standards of slaughter in importing countries.
Supporting improvements to slaughter in this way will of course not only help any European animals that end up in non-EU countries.It would also reduce the suffering of all animals facing slaughter in those countries.
Please watch our exposé today and then take action by filling out the form to the right to email the Agriculture Ministers of the EUs biggest exporters of live animals.
Viewer Discretion Advised – The Fate of Exported European Animals
Published on 19 Feb 2014
The contents of this video are graphic and will be distressing – please take action here:http://goo.gl/5MbYoR
What happens when European animals are exported live beyond the borders of the EU?
Compassion in World Farming‘s Investigation Unit, in partnership with Animals Australia, investigated the trade and documented brutal handling at abattoirs and on the streets in Jordan, Turkey and the West Bank.
An Animals Australia investigation has again found Australian sheep being illegally sold in a cruel livestock market in Kuwait, despite Animals Australia first notifying Australian authorities of breaches at this market some five months ago.
Under the new live export rules, exporters must ensure that animals remain within approved supply chains. New evidence from Animals Australia has revealed that months after our initial complaint, Australian sheep have continued to be sold and brutally slaughtered at the notorious Al Rai livestock market, in Kuwait. Animals at this marketplace are known to have their legs bound together, be stuffed into car boots, dragged over concrete slabs, and have their throats cut while fully conscious.
This footage taken in August 2012 sparked Animals Australia’s original complaint to the Department of Agriculture.
Warning Very Graphic Video
In January 2013, an investigator returned to the Al Rai market and found even more Australian sheep being offered for sale by at least 11 separate merchants.
Many admitted knowing that they shouldn’t have Australian sheep and ear tags had been ripped out or removed despite the fact that Australian sheep are clearly distinguishable from local sheep in the region. All of the merchants at the market offered slaughter onsite as an ‘after sales’ service.
The Al Rai market in Kuwait City is notorious for cruelty. Animals Australia has conducted a number of investigations there, each time documenting the brutal handling, transport and slaughter of Australian sheep. Preventing Australian sheep from being sold in such circumstances was a cornerstone of why the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System was implemented. Yet nearly one year after ESCAS came into effect in Kuwait, rules continue to be breached and animals continue to suffer.
Al Rai market was already the obvious place in the Middle East for exporters to monitor – the fact they have not done so, even after breaches were discovered, shows how little they care and their willingness to thumb their nose at government regulations. If exporters are not prepared to follow the rules they should have their export licence removed.
Please send an urgent message to your Federal MP to express your opposition to this cruel trade and demand that, while it continues, tough sanctions must be placed on exporters who fail to adhere to the rules.
Australian cattle are again at the centre of a shocking expose that is making international headlines.
Frightened animals being bashed, hit, shocked with an electric prod in the eyes and face before suffering a terrifying death… these are the images filmed by Israeli journalist and undercover investigator, Ronen Bar.Watch his interview…
WARNING: contains Very graphic images.
Published on 11 Dec 2012
WARNING: Graphic vision. YOU CAN HELP: 1) Like & comment. 2) Go to http://AnimalsAustralia.org/israel to sign an instant letter against live animal export.
Please email your Federal MP — express your opposition to this cruel trade and demand that while it continues, there must be independent inspection and oversight in importing countries. For Australian Citizens only:-http://animalsaustralia.org/israel
Live export cruelty continues
Sadly Australia is one of the biggest exporters of live animals for slaughter. In 2011 Australia exported around 700,000 cattle predominantly to Indonesia, and around 2.5 million sheep mainly to the Middle East.
WSPA Australia works actively on this issue of live exports, and the campaign is called ‘Humane Chain’.
During the journey animals can experience stress, heat exhaustion and extreme temperatures. Many don’t eat, are injured or suffer from disease. Despite efforts made by both the Australian Government and the live export industry to regulate the export process, tens of thousands of animals continue to die every year while being exported.
Almost half of all deaths on board sheep vessels are due to starvation because some sheep are not able to identify the unfamiliar pellets they’re given as food.
For every animal that dies, many more suffer further cruelty
Moving to the alternatives to live animal export will not only help animals, it’s also better for our economy
There are alternatives to live animal export that will benefit farmers, jobs, our economy and the animals.
According to an independent assessment (S G Heilbron, 2000) live animal export costs Australia $1.5 billion in lost GDP, $270 million in lost household income and around 10,500 lost jobs.
WSPA funded researched in 2012 that shows that northern cattle farmers could increase their income by 245% if they had access to an abattoir. It would also add $200 million to the regional economy each year and create 1300 jobs. Read the research here.
WSPA funded research in 2010 that shows a sheep processed in Australia is worth 20% more to the economy that one exported live. Read the research here.
This video shows evidence collected during WSPA’s recent investigation into the mistreatment of Australian sheep. Investigators have documented cruelty throughout the live export supply chain, from transportation on ships, through to holding yards and abattoirs in the Middle East. You can take action to help end this cruel trade by visiting http://www.humanechain.org
You can watch a short video that explains the benefits of moving away from live exports and the next steps we should takehere.
Halal certified chilled meat products from Australia are accepted both in the Middle East and in Indonesia. There’s no excuse to continue the live animal export trade.
Australians want an end to live animal export
Three quarters (74%), or 12.4 million, of Australians claim that they are more likely to vote for a political candidate who promises to end live animal export, according to a Longeran Poll from May 2012.
Those animals that survive the journey arrive on foreign soil where they are no longer under Australian protection. Few countries to which Australia sends animals for slaughter have equivalent animal welfare protection laws. Many animals will be slaughtered fully conscious.
“This is bad news my friends! Please sign petitions below & share widely, only our voices collectively joined, can help stop this heinous brutality; a bloody sport, disguised as tradition!”
Spanish MPs have voted to consider giving bullfighting special cultural status – a move that could overturn regional bans on the age-old tradition
The number of bullfights each year is falling in Spain
In a 180-40 vote, the parliament backed a petition signed by 590,000 people.
The tradition dates back at least 4,000 years and is thought to have been popularised by the Romans
It remains popular in southern France, Portugal and some South American countries
On Tuesday, the popular petition was easily backed in parliament, where the governing conservative Popular Party (PP) has a majority.
Under the proposal, bullfighting would be promoted by the authorities who would also push the UN to recognise it as part of Spain’s cultural heritage.
A parliamentary commission is now expected to fine-tune proposed legislation and the vote could take place later this year.
The parliamentary vote is an attempt by pro-bullfighting conservatives to keep this controversial tradition alive, the BBC’s Tom Burridge reports.
About 2,000 fights are still held every year in Spain, but the numbers are falling.
Bullfighting was banned last year in Catalonia, in the north-east, with supporters of the measure describing the blood-soaked pageants as barbaric.
The ban in Catalonia was also seen by many Spaniards as an attempt by Catalan nationalists to distinguish the region from the rest of Spain and its traditions.
Bullfighting was also banned in the Canary Islands in 1991.
From the moment the bull enters the ring, he is destined to die. His death will be slow and painful, and the last moments of his life will be full of terror and confusion as he hears the sounds of a jeering crowd. For the bull, bullfighting is no “competition”. It is simply slaughter for human entertainment.
Some links & Petitions to sign against Bullfighting:-
Eidul Azha saw a 10 to 12 per cent increase in the number of animal sacrifices in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad this year, according to the Pakistan Butchers Welfare Association (PBWA).
Prices of animal hides registered an odd decline. PHOTO: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE
Talking to The Express Tribune, PBWA President Khurshid Qureshi said the reason behind this increase is that people who could not afford sacrificial animalslast year opted to buy shares instead.
He said that last year, around 50,000 animals were slaughtered in Islamabad, which grew to 55,000 this year. Meanwhile, last year Rawalpindi saw around 100,000 animals slaughtered on Eidul Azha, while this year the number increased to 112,000.Qureshi said that the rise in collective sacrifices caused a decline in the number of smaller animals like goats and sheep slaughtered.
Meanwhile, like every Eid, butchers increased their rates on Eidul Azha. Last year, butcherscharged Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 for slaughtering a goat or a sheep, while this year they asked for Rs2,500 to Rs4,000. The rate for a bull last year was Rs8,000 to Rs10,000, while this year it increased to the Rs9,000 to Rs12,000 range, depending on the size and weight of the animal, said Qureshi.
Oddly, there was a decline in the prices of animal hides.
In past years, the hide of a goat sold for up to Rs 600, while this year, the price range was Rs200 to Rs300. Similarly, lamb hides sold for Rs500 to Rs1,100 last year, while they only fetched a return of Rs400 to Rs600 this time. Bull hides sold for Rs2,000 to Rs4,000 last year, fell to Rs1,600 to Rs2,800 range.
Mohammad Sharif, who has been a leather trader for the past 10 years, said, “Compared to last year, we received more hides, but due to the lower prices we did not earn the profit we expected.”
According to him there is a certain mafia who decrease the prices for its own self interest.
“Redwings is one of my favorite charities in the UK, they do immense work taking care of neglected, sick & abandoned horses; but their name is not as well known as World Horse Welfare etc. I support all equine charities, just wish I could help more. I rescued 1 but can’t take anymore as I don’t have any fields anymore, I now keep mine in full livery (due to my disability) which is expensive, but I know they are well taken care of. I do have several virtual adoptions & fosters, which is a great way to help the charities; without physically having the horses!
Redwings is working alongside other welfare charities to call for government and public help in a landmark report that warns of an impending crisis in England and Wales which could leave the welfare of many thousands of horses at risk.
The report, ‘On the Verge:the approaching Equine Crisis in England and Wales’, predicts that another harsh winter will leave animal charities physically unable to cope and asks what will happen to the increasing numbers of horses being abandoned or suffering from welfare concerns
We are asking the public torehome more horses; for horse owners to take responsibility for their animals and not pass the problem onto local authorities, charities and landowners; and for the Government and other agencies to meet us halfway and help rein in this problem before another winter of misery for hundreds of horses and ponies.
All the organisations have seen increasing numbers:
The RSPCA took in more than twice the number of horses, 304, between April 2011 and March 2012 as it did the previous year.
World Horse Welfare has seen the numbers of horses taken into its centres rise by 50% from 129 in 2006 to 194 in 2011 and has had to restrict admissions to the most severe cases.
Redwings has seen a 28 per cent increase in equines being taken in from 2006 to 2011 and has seen abandonments rise from 160 in 2009 to 450 in 2011. So far this year we have had an astonishing 636 horses and ponies reported to us as abandoned up to the end of September.
Last winter HorseWorld saw a threefold increase in the number of abandoned and neglected horses it rescued, compared with the previous year.
Nicolas de Brauwere, Head of Welfare at Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council, said: “It is an extremely serious state of affairs. In February this year, for example, we had a situation where a group of more than 60 horses and ponies that had been left to fend for themselves in Wales were facing euthanasia by the local authority which had found itself in an impossible situation through the irresponsible actions of a callous owner. On that occasion several charities stepped up at the last moment and offered them a home, but we had to stretch ourselves and our teams to the limit to do so.
“Another case like that may be the final straw, which is why we urgently need the help and support of both the public and the government as this winter approaches.”
Overbreeding
Horses are still being bred on a large scale and continue to be imported from Ireland and the continent, despite there being no market for them. This has led to the market becoming saturated, with animals being sold at some markets for as little as £5.
Economic climate
Horses can cost up to £100 per week to look after and in the current financial climate, people try to cut back on vet costs, hoof care and feed. This inevitably leads to welfare problems.
Both factors have led to a visible increase in the problem of fly grazing – illegal grazing of horses on public and private land. Fly grazing is a problem for farmers, landowners and local authorities, and increasingly it is leading to welfare concerns, as too often these owners do not provide basic care for their animals.
RSPCA head of public affairs, David Bowles, said: “We have a perfect storm of horses continuing to be bred and imported to theUK adding to a rising population and people, suffering under the economic climate, cutting back on animal care bills.
“People need to start realising that there is very little financial reward inbreeding horses and ponies, especially where there is poor husbandry or the animals have genetic problems. You won’t make your fortune, all you will have is lots of horses and animals on your hands which need feeding, shelter and care and which you will not be able to sell.”
What the Government can do:
– The Government should introduce criminal legislation targeting fly grazing – punishing offenders with fines and seizure of horses
– Introduce legislation or mechanisms to better link horses to owners to tackle irresponsible ownership
– Increased intelligence-led enforcement of horse imports and exports
– Review the Tripartite agreement** that allows the import and export of vulnerable horses and ponies into and out of Britain from Ireland and France
– Encourage responsible breeding through guidance and education
– More assistance for local authorities including provision of places to keep horses on a temporary basis
– Improve enforcement and cooperation between enforcement agencies and charitiesWhat YOU can do:
– The horse owning public can play an important part by keeping on top of their own situation. If you need help, please contact our Welfare helpline on 01508 481008 for advice before the situation escalates into a welfare problem.
– If you think you could give a good new home to a horse or pony you can view the horses we have available for rehoming here: www.redwings.co.uk/rehoming. The National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) is a membership organisation for over sixty horse charities and welfare organisations and details of how to rehome a horse from any of its members can be found at http://www.newc.co.uk/
Tiny Tilly was dumped on the side of a road with a severe leg injury
And of course, please continue to support us so we can help as many horses as we can, just like those below…and thank you for all your support in the past from everyone here at Redwings. Thank you!
Left on the verge
Horse welfare charities need your help to handle what could become a ‘horse crisis’ in England and Wales.
We are under immense pressure due to the increasing number of horses and ponies needing our help. There are 2,800 equines in our rehoming centres, which are now at capacity, and it is estimated that a further 6,000 horses are at risk in England and Wales. There is real concern that should there be another harsh winter, we will be physically unable to cope with the number of horses needing urgent care.
World Horse Welfare, the RSPCA, Redwings, The Blue Cross, The British Horse Society and HorseWorld are working together with the support of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) to try and overcome this crisis, and have produced a report showing the problem and our proposed solutions, but we also need the support of the horse owning public, government agencies and local authorities.
Please help us by emailing your MP and asking them to support us in dealing with this crisis. We need Government support for the solutions in our report. By contacting Ministers, MPs can use their influence to help us – but we need you, their constituents, to ask them to do so.
“I posted this, way back in February, but have just noticed the video’s were removed??…so here it is again!”
“I’m certainly not trying to convert everyone to become vegetarian…but I do think people should watch this video… as difficult as it is to watch in parts…it is very informative. After viewing it, people are entitled to their own opinions regards the subject matter! I am not telling people what they should or should not eat, it’s a personal preference…I’m merely pointing out the journey, animals take, from field to plate! I will just point out that some things have changed regards animal welfare, since this video was made!”
” I chose to become vegetarian, several years ago, after watching something similar to this…I can’t call myself vegan because I just love egg butties from my friend’s pet chucks! Like I said, were all entitled to eat what we want…my daughter lives with me as my carer, she eats meat (particularly McDonald’s) I may not like it, but I don’t take offence at it & make her eat it in another room! When she does cook, she just substitutes the meat for Quorn, it makes a lovely spaghetti bolognese, which even she a meat eater, enjoy’s!
EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed the Vegan maker for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby.
Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”
In 1999, writer/producer/director Shaun Monson began work on a series of PSAs about spaying and neutering pets. The footage he shot at animal shelters around Los Angeles affected him so profoundly that the project soon evolved into EARTHLINGS. The film would take another six years to complete because of the difficulty in obtaining footage within these profitable industries. Though the film was initially ignored by distributors, who told Monson that the film would “never see the light of day and should be swept under the rug,” today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world.
Nation Earth was established to produce documentary films on socially urgent issues. EARTHLINGS, released in 2005, was the company’s first feature film and is the first of a documentary trilogy. The company is currently at work on the second installment, UNITY, which will explore the unifying force of consciousness found in nature, animals and humankind. UNITY is scheduled to be completed in 2010. For more information please see http://www.unitythemovement.com.
Earthlings is a feature length documentary about humanity’s absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research). Earthlings illustrates human’s disrespect for “non-human providers”, it is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and features music by Moby.
You can download the full version of Earthlings at http://www.earthlings.com. The film is available with subtitles in 10 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Hindi, Arabic and Portuguese
There are many farm animals, who endure their whole lives in stinking , horrific conditions, from birth to slaughter! Don’t get me wrong, some owners treat their animals as if they were pets, but this is mainly on the smaller family run farms, where the owner probably has names for each pig or cow!!”
“However, it seems that small holdings are being driven out, as the big guns come in, wanting to build bigger factory farms, that can handle thousands of animals a day! They don’t care much about the well-being of the animals or the environment…just the profits they can make from them!
As if that is not bad enough… there will always be farm workers who see fit to direct their anger at these sentient beings…there going to die anyway; so who cares if one is targeted & beaten? Well actually we all should, just because they are raised for human consumption, does not give anyone the right to abuse or harm them, in any way! I think all animal factories & slaughter houses, should have CCTV…where inspectors can call unannounced to view the tapes…If all areas are covered properly by cameras, hopefully it might stop a lot of abuse towards the animals, from the bullies…there is always one who thinks it’s funny to stub a cigarette out on a pigs face & roughly handle the babies…anyone who harms a defenceless animal is just a pathetic coward!!
Although bullfighting originated in neighbouring Spain, it took root in France a century and a half ago. Fights – known as corridas in Spain – are especially popular in the Nimes and Arles areas.
A ban on bullfighting came into force in Spain’s Catalonia region this year, after lawmakers voted for it last year – the first such ban in the country’s mainland.
The BBC’sChristian Fraser in Paris says a recent opinion poll in France suggested 48% support for a ban, although earlier polls suggested as many as two-thirds of the French electorate would back a ban.
France’s Interior Minister Manuel Valls, born in Barcelona, spoke in favour of bullfighting earlier this month.
Bullfights are banned in some parts of France.Animal rights groups are now considering taking the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, our correspondent reports.
Livestock exporters are being investigated after allegations that Australian sheep are being illegally sold and slaughtered in an inhumane way at a notorious Kuwait market.
It is the second majorAgriculture Department investigation since strict new animal welfare rules were implemented after last year’s cattle slaughter controversy in Indonesia.
A photo taken at the Kuwait market. Photo: Animal Australia
Animals Australia lodged the complaint after the animal protection organisation’sKuwaitiinvestigator discovered exported sheep were being sold in non-approved markets and killed in makeshift abattoirs, with slaughtermen ignoring international killing guidelines.
The case has again raised concerns from activists, Labor backbenchers, the Greens and independents that the new rules rely too much on self-regulation by the industry.
Exportersnow must comply with rules that assurehigh animal welfare standards from farm to slaughter. All animals are tracked so officials know that animals are slaughtered in approved facilities.
Exportersmust have supply chains independently audited, with the audit results given to the Agriculture Department.
The investigation has heightened fears over animal welfare with the upcoming Muslim festival of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha less than two months away.
Animals Australia lead campaigner Lyn White warned the festival was the peak period of animal suffering across the region and called on the government to implore exporters to have staff in every market place to ensure animals are not sold into non-approved facilities.
‘‘Animals being bought en mass for sacrificial slaughter by families and individuals. We hold grave concerns that Australian exported animals will continue to find their way into markets, in breach of regulations,’’ Ms White said.
Many in the industry are also worried about the potential for more cruelty in October.
Labour backbenchersMelissa Parke and Kelvin Thomson have led a vocal campaign against the trade with both seizing on the latest revelations as evidence the industry cannot be trusted to self-regulate.
Ms Parke, and Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, backed calls for Australian officials to be in the Middle East to monitor welfare during the festival.
Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the new system was working but was ‘‘not perfect’’ conceding there would be slip-ups.
‘‘But we now have the provisions in place to act on those slip ups and hold exporters accountable for their actions and supply chains,’’ Senator Ludwig said.
The department of agriculture is currently investigating alleged breaches of strict new animal welfare The celebration of Eid al-Adha in the Middle-East involves a slaughtering of an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat, to commemorateAbraham’s act of faith to sacrifice his son. The festival runs from the evening of October 25 to the next night.
Animals Australia has previously uncovered cruelty during the festival, including sheep being dragged along the ground and stuffed into car boots.
Ms White said hundreds of Australian sheep were sold last month at the non-approved Al-Rai market in Kuwait City, the market where she uncovered cruelty in 2010.
Describing the killing of a sheep, she said: ”With the buyer and [his] family crowded into the room to observe, the handling of this sheep included dragging it over and placing it next to and then on top of other just-slaughtered sheep … to prepare it for the throat cut.”
She said the slaughter-man used a knife that was too short, with a fast sawing action, not the quick ”sticking” of the neck required by international rules.
Ms White said the offences were ”critical non-compliances” that could lead to criminal sanctions, adding that the fact that hundreds of Australian sheep were seen at four different sites on two days showed a ”systematic and deliberate breach”.
”The government will no doubt again say that this shows the system is working but how can that be the case when breaches are only being reported by Animals Australia.”
Emanuel Exports and its sister company International Livestock Exports are the only businesses currently exporting to Kuwait. Emanuel Exports would not comment until the investigation was finished.
Earlier this year two exporters were found to have breached the rules in Indonesia after Animals Australia investigations.
Mr Thomson said he would raise questions about the case when Parliament resumes next week.
”The selling and slaughter of animals outside approved supply chains is a serious breach of the new system and exporters who allow it should have their export licence taken off them,” Mr Thomson said.
Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie will introduce a bill in Parliament on Monday to mandate pre-slaughter stunning of all Australian animals overseas.
He said this case made a ”mockery” of the government’s efforts to clean up the trade.
An Agriculture Department spokesman said the investigation would take weeks.
The activists claim that the animals are kept in cramped cages and are slaughtered in cruel ways
Seoul is experiencing the hottest summer since 1994
Don’t eat: 2.5 million dogs are killed each year for consumption according to animal rights group In Defense of Animals. The protestors’ signs read ‘Don’t eat dog meat’
The South Korean belief that eating dog helps beat the heat in the summer months has angered animal rights activists around the world.
Worldwide anger: Animal rights activists staged protests around the world including Bangkok, Thailand where this woman painted her face and stood in front of the South Korea embassy, placard in hand
Known as ‘Bok-Nal’, the dog eating days, it is a ritual celebrated by South Koreans where dog meat is eaten to increase stamina during the hottest days of the year.
To coincide with the tradition, animal rights activists staged protests around the world today, packing into wired cages in various locations including in front of the South Korean embassies in Seoul, London and America.
While dog meat is consumed throughout the year, during Bok-Nal South Koreans consume more to combat the heat.
Dog meat restaurants in Seoul say they served more customers than usual today.
Animal rights group In Defense of Animals (IDAUSA) said dogs and cats are kept in cramped, filthy cages and slaughtered in unimaginable ways as part of the $2 billion dog and cat meat industry.A statement on their website said: ‘Two and a half million South Korean dogs are electrocuted, hanged, or beaten to death each year.
‘The dogs are slaughtered in unimaginable ways: electrocuted, hanged, and even beaten to death, because of the prevailing myth that the greater the suffering the more tender and tastier the meat, and that the mythical health properties are enhanced.‘
Thousands of cats are also eaten in soups and ‘tonics’.
IDAUSA said: ‘Cats are often bludgeoned and thrown into boiling water while still alive.’
TAMPA (FOX 13) –An investigator known for uncovering illegal slaughter operations in south Florida says farms in the Citrus Park area of Hillsborough County are also illegally butchering animals.
Business and land owners nearby say they’re not surprised, because of the disturbing sounds they’ve heard coming from those farms.
Richard Couto of the Animal Recovery Mission says he has spent the past year infiltrating half a dozen farms, secretly recording video of what he says is inhumane slaughter of, and purchase of, horse meat on six different occasions.
“Kudo,” as he calls himself, says he has hours of video to prove it—video he shared exclusively with FOX 13 News. He says all the farms are within a mile or two of each other in the Citrus Park area of Hillsborough County.
While some of his video looks like a rural scene, Kudo says what he documented is going on barely a stone’s throw from busy highways and a popular mall.
Viewer Discretion Is Advised
The reaction in Citrus Park is shock, and disappointment.
Gustavo Vergara helps his brother run a bike shop in Citrus Park, right next to the Tampa Bay Trail. When we showed him a few stills of Kudo’s video, he was stunned to learn what may be going on in his neighborhood.
“Shocking…I’m grossed out really, but mostly shocking…unbelievable,” he said.
We also spoke with a woman who wasn’t as surprised. Jennifer Flatt coordinates tour groups for nearby Big Cat Rescue. She says for years they’ve heard disturbing sounds coming from an adjacent property.
“You’ll hear what sounds like horses or donkeys or cattle screaming, not their regular farmyard sounds, it’ll go on for several minutes, then it’ll just stop,” Flatt said.
Three years ago, the sanctuary started building an 8-foot high fence around their perimeter, but Flatt says that hasn’t stopped another ongoing problem: gun fire. She showed us several bullet holes in the wall near their leopard habitat.
“We’ve had to increase our security because we’re hearing a lot of gunshots. Basically, it could be in the morning, in the late afternoon or after hours in the evening,” she said.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed to FOX 13 that they have an ongoing investigation, as does the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.
But a sheriff’s spokesman says the ban on selling horse meat in Florida that took effect two years ago doesn’t forbid someone from killing a horse for their own personal consumption.
The man who wrote the Senate version of that 2010 legislation doesn’t see it that way. Former State Senator Victor Crist is now a Hillsborough County Commissioner whose district includes Citrus Park.
“If for whatever reason there are loopholes here that others may have been clever to navigate through, then I would work to find a way to close those,” Crist said.
Crist says he was horrified by what he saw on Kudo’s video—not just what appears to be the sale of horse meat, but the slaughter of other animals.
” I would be concerned about this going on anywhere in our country,” he said.
The commissioner says he’s working with the county attorney to come up with an ordinance that would ban horse slaughter in Hillsborough County—period. That would require approval by the entire board of commissioners.
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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