Uk (England): Congratulations to Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP – New President of the European Union Animal Welfare Intergroup

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

SAV would like to offer sincere congratulations to Caroline on being named as the new President of the EU Animal Welfare Intergroup.

CL

Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP

Caroline is a stalwart campaigner for all animal welfare issues, and we see this new position as being of immense benefit to all animals in both the EU and worldwide.  As an example, Caroline played a key role in the creation of legislation to ban the sale of cat and dog fur in the EU, and in the recent ban on the import of seal products.

export demo

Caroline Protests in England About Live Animal Exports to Europe

SAV have worked with Caroline in recent years to provide information to the EU regarding the treatment of stray and roaming animals within Serbia.  Caroline wrote to the President of Serbia in October 2008 on behalf of the EU Intergroup, which we covered in the following SAV post:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/europe-eu-intergroup-on-the-welfare-conservation-of-animals-writes-to-the-president-of-serbia-expressing-concerns-about-serbian-stray-animal-treatment/

A copy of the formal Intergroup letter to Serbian President Tadic is as follows:

letter-to-the-serbian-president-on-stray-animals-1

and a Serbian translation of the EU Intergroup letter to President Tadic of Serbia can be seen as follows:

serb-eu-letter-translation-to-pres-tadic1

We know that Caroline will continue now, with even more support within the Intergroup, to be a voice for the animals of Serbia.  In her position, Caroline will be paramount in being able to provide information to the EU Commission regarding the much needed changes and animal welfare implementations which are required within Serbia if it hopes to become an EU member state within the next few years.

We at SAV, along with our fellow campaigners in Serbia, will continue to provide Caroline with both the positive and negative issues that are happening within Serbia.

A very positive note today is the additional programmes introduced by Leskovac City authority – please see our post at:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/serbia-leskovac-city-makes-fantastic-model-authority-to-no-kill-animal-control-programmes/

We hope that this example at Leskovac City will act as a model for all authorities across Serbia in the near future.

Again, we give our biggest congratulations to Caroline – from all in the SAV alliance, and from animals everywhere.  Caroline, you will now be making even bigger differnces than before – Good Luck with all your campaigns !!

The official Press Release from Caroline is as follows:

Note – bold and underline added by SAV

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South East England Green Euro-MP To Head Up Influential Animal Welfare Group

23 September 2009 –

Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Euro-MP for the South East of England, has been named as the new President of the European Parliament’s cross-party Animal Welfare Intergroup. 

The MEP is well known for her longstanding efforts to achieve better protection for animals, having played a key role in the creation of legislation to ban the sale of cat and dog fur in the EU, and in the recent ban on the import of seal products.

She has also campaigned against the continued use of animals in travelling circuses and the EU-subsidised practice of bullfighting, and opposes the cloning of animals for food.

Dr Lucas, who was given the RSPCA’s Michael Kay Award for her outstanding contribution to European animal welfare in 2006, has pledged to put her considerable experience to good use as President of the Intergroup – one of the most effective, high profile cross-party groups in the Parliament. 

She said: “I am honoured to have been nominated as President of the Animal Welfare Intergoup and am committed to doing everything possible to build on its well-earned reputation for achieving results.

“With key challenges ahead, like the revision of EU law on the protection of animals used in experiments, it’s more vital than ever that the Animal Welfare Intergroup continues to champion animal protection across the EU.” 

Dr Lucas is also a new member of the European Parliament’s Women’s Committee, and will continue to serve on the Palestine Delegation, as well as the Trade, Environment and Climate Change Committees.

ENDS

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 Further Links to Caroline:

http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/category/animal-rights/

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/

http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/people/caroline-lucas.html

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SUPPORTERS, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »

Serbia: Leskovac City Makes Fantastic Model Authority to No Kill Animal Control Programmes

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Serbian Flag

 

You may remember our post of 18th August regarding the great news that Leskovac City in Southern Serbia had started a no-kill sterilisation programme for stray and roaming animals; attempting to reduce animal numbers without undertaking any killings.

Original SAV Link: 

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/serbia-breaking-news-leskovac-city-commences-no-kill-sterilisation-programme-for-stray-and-roaming-animals/

We sent our thanks to the officials of Leskovac city for being so positive thinking and decisive regarding their city future approach to stray and roaming animal management. 

Well we have some further great news to share now, as we hoped we would be able to give when we wrote our August post.

Leskovac city arms

Leskovac City Arms

On 25th September 2009,   Leskovac city has gone further in its attempts to solve its stray and roaming animal troubles.  It has now produced a second and vitally important document – a scheme which allows pet owners to sterilise and undertake anti tetanus vaccinations of their dogs and cats by an approved veterinarian using money / funding provided from the local municipal budget of Leskovac city.

The documentation declares that if for any reason, pet owners do NOT want their animal to be sterilised, then they, the owner have to declare this in writing on a form to the city authorities.  As a response the city authorities will send inspectors to the owners of the animals approximately 3 or 4 times every year.  If the owners re home or sell these un-sterilised animals, then they are obliged to keep the necessary documentation about the animal for at least 2 years.  If the owners of the animals do not comply with these requirements, they will be given a financial fine.

In addition, it is a requirement that all dogs and cats MUST be microchipped and vaccinated in agreement with existing Serbian national legislation.

Odluka o sterilizaciji

program kontrole brojnosti Leskovac

This is considered to be a great forward step for stray and roaming animals – because now this is a documented, legal way of undertaking the no kill sterilisation strategy which we have campaigned for in Serbia for years.

We very much trust that now they have produced all this legislation for stray and roaming (owned) animals in the city, the authorities of Leskovac city will fully implement them.  We are sure that they will and we say ‘Thank You’ to Leskovac City for being so forward thinking about animal numbers control programmes.

Further, we are informed that Leskovac city has now undertaken the construction of a No Kill Delta shelter for animals; a shelter which will comply with all the national legislation for shelters.

Leskovac must be congratulated for being the first city in Serbia to undertake such measures for stray and roaming (owned) animal control programmes.  This is a model of preventing unwanted animal births whilst at the same time financially punishing animal oweners who do not have their animals sterilised in the attempt to reduce and control the cities animal population.  Remember, although they are owned by someone, many animals are put out every day by their owners.  If these animals have not been, or are still not sterilised, then there is a daily chance that further production of new litters can happen.  Sterilsed animals cannot produce young; so we ask that all pet owners have their animals go through this procedure, unless there are specific reasons why it cannot be undertaken.

Serbian campaigners have already sent a request to government authorities in Belgrade requesting that all the other 134 community / authorities in Serbia now undertake the same policies as that running in Leskovac city.

Leskovac city is the first and a shining example of an authority which decides to be a no kill animal control authority, supported by a programme of animal microchipping, sterilisation and vaccination against disease.  And funded from the city budget !

As has been requested, we hope that this programme will now be used as a model by all 134 authorities throughout Serbia, and that gradually over time, we will begin to see stray and roaming (owned) animal numbers reduce.  This will be our aim, to have a day when no animals are caught and then killed in authority shelters and pounds as we have exposed so many times in the past.

Thank You Leskovac City for being such a forward thinking and animal welfare supportive city. 

We ask please that you send letters of thanks and support for their programme to the officials at Leskovac City.  Contact details are as follows.  Please inform them that they have become famous internationally for their positive approach to stray and roaming animal control programmes.

E mails to:    lodamiloda@hotmail.com

CC copies can also be made to Serbian national authorities at:

Kabinet@minpolj.gov.rs

micovicz@minpolj.gov.rs

jzivanovic@predsednik.rs

snezana.poledica@minpolj.gov.rs

also ‘Bcc’ please to:  epar@yunord.net

Link to Leskovac City:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leskovac

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia | Leave a comment »