12 | September | 2014 | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

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Global: Farm, Veterinary and Stray Dog News Shorts – September 2014.

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

BEUC campaigns for clearer labelling on meat

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has launched a Europe-wide campaign, called ‘Where is my meat from?’.

http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Industry-Markets/BEUC-campaigns-for-clearer-labelling-onmeat/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=04-Sep-2014&c=ZlsIu3Xzqrx1LrMZMQO37A%3D%3D

(UK) MPs outline recommendations on religious slaughter

MPS (UK) have made nine recommendations which they believe will help policy makers take more informed decisions on the rules surrounding around religious slaughter.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/latest-news/mps-outline-recommendations-on-religious-slaughter/66996.article

Costs of Bedding, Trailer Wash-out and Transport Losses in Market Weight Pigs

Based on 2011 figures, the highest estimate for annual costs of wash-out and bedding to the US pig industry was estimated at $135 million, according to Rebecca Kephart and others in the Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 2014.

http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/4715/costs-of-bedding-trailer-washout-and-transport-losses-in-market-weight-pigs

Sustainable Street Dog Population Control in Bhutan

From the beginning, it has been HSI’s intention that our street dog program in Bhutan would eventually become self-sustaining—managed entirely by the Bhutanese themselves, guided by the best practices we’ve been sharing.

Topics: dog population management, stray dogs

http://www.hsi.org/news/news/2014/09/bhutan-sustainable-dog-population-control-090214.html

European pig farming shame

Illegal pig farming in the EU is now so rife that the industry’s publications are packed with photos of farms clearly in breach of the law.

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2014/08/european-pig-farming-shame/

Symposium Explores the Future of Farm Animal Welfare

CABI, together with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London, held a symposium marking the 50th anniversary of Ruth Harrison’s influential Animal Machines – a book that heralded an entire movement in farm animal welfare and the welfare of animals in intensive production.

http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/23709/symposium-explores-the-future-of-farm-animal-welfare

Effects of Transport Time and Location within the Truck on Bruises and Meat Quality of Pigs

A Canadian study indicates that the adverse effects of prolonged transport and low temperatures on meat quality can be aggravated by the location of the pig in the transport vehicle. Skin bruises were more prevalent in the winter than the summer.

http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/4705/effects-of-transport-time-and-location-within-the-truck-on-bruises-and-meat-quality-of-pigs

Nestlé Announces Groundbreaking Global Animal Welfare Reforms

Nestlé—the world’s largest food company and makers of iconic brands—such as Nestlé Milkmaid and MAGGI—announced an industry-leading animal welfare program that will eliminate several controversial yet standard practices within its global supply system.

http://www.hsi.org/world/india/news/releases/2014/08/nestle-animal-welfare-program-082014.html

Floor Type Affects Gait Development in Pigs

Changes in the gait patterns of growing pigs is not affected by the floor surface they are reared on.

http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/37222/floor-type-affects-gait-development-in-pigs

Final Report of an Audit carried out in Austria from 25 to 29 November 2013 in order to evaluate the implementation of Council of Europe requirements for Animal Welfare in major farmed species

This audit describes the outcome of a Food and Veterinary Office audit which took place in Austria from 25 to 29 November 2013. The objective of the audit was to evaluate the implementation of measures aimed at the control of animal welfare on farms, in particular farms keeping species included in Decision 2006/778/EC and covered by the recommendations from the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes (hereafter “the Convention”) with particular reference to the farming of turkey, geese and cattle.

Author/Organization: European Commission (DG SANCO)

Year: 2014

Where: Austria

http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/rep_details_en.cfm?rep_inspection_ref=2013-6805

World Vets eNews – August 2014

Contents: 1) A True Island Effort: Colombian Military Works Alongside World Vets. 2) Project Spotlight: Peru. 3) Coming Soon! 2015 Volunteer & Training Opportunities. 4) Leave a Legacy that will Contribute to Animal Welfare.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs101/1102516343880/archive/1118033351142.html

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional | Leave a comment »

Spain: A two-year investigation reveals horrifying treatment of rabbits allegedly supplied to top fashion designers.

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Photo: TakePart

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/09/10/cruel-practices-spanish-rabbit-fur-farms-caught-tape?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-09-11

A two-year investigation reveals horrifying treatment of rabbits allegedly supplied to top fashion designers.

September 11, 2014

By John R. Platt

John R. Platt covers the environment, technology, philanthropy, and more forScientific American, Conservation, Lion, and other publications.

Rabbits with oozing wounds and horrible deformities.

Newborn animals strangled in front of their parents, and sick adults smashed against walls until they stop moving.

Cages caked with layer upon layer of excrement.

These are just a few of the horrifying images captured during a two-year investigation of rabbit fur farms in Spain, which, animal rights groups allege, supply some of the world’s top fashion designers.

Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Burberry, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Louis Vuitton are a handful of the names suspected of buying fur from some 40 farms surveyed during the undercover investigation, the details of which were released to coincide with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, taking place this week in New York City.

Representatives for Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, and Giorgio Armani did not respond to requests for comment.

“These farms in Spain supply rabbit fur to companies around the world,” said Sharon Nuñez Gough, executive director of Last Chance for Animals, the Los Angeles–based group that conducted the investigation along with animal rights group Animal Equality.

Undercover investigators captured video and audio of representatives of two fur distribution companies claiming that the rabbit furs are sold to some of the world’s top fashion designers. Much of the fur, the distributors said, ends up in products sold in the United States.

The rights groups said they have attempted to contact the designers to corroborate these allegations.

“None of the companies we exposed have gotten back to us to deny their relationship with the suppliers who mentioned them,” Nuñez Gough said. The animal rights groups were not able to uncover any physical documentation to back up the distributors’ claimed client lists.

Other organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have conducted similar, albeit smaller, investigations and found similar conditions on rabbit farms in China and Spain.

“Every look into a fur farm is horrifying, and this is no exception,” said PETA president Ingrid E. Newkirk. “For fur farmers, rabbits are commodities—that’s why they’re stacked in cages and left to suffer from infections, respiratory viruses, heat exhaustion, and the constant stress of intense confinement.”

Newkirk added that while the videos from these types of investigations can be troubling to watch, they can persuade consumers to go fur-free and major retailers to adopt cruelty-free options.

Last Chance for Animals has put together a petition at its End Animal Cruelty site asking fashion designers to stop using fur in their products. It’s garnered about 80,000 signatures so far.

“We hope that the public pressure will help them reconsider the use of fur,” said Nuñez Gough. “We will also continue to investigate the fashion industry and expose the cruelty that goes on.”

Watch Sharon Nuñez Gough share findings from the Last Chance for Animals investigation of the fashion industry on TakePart Live.

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »