Posted on June 20, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Animal welfare: third meeting of the EU platform to take place tomorrow
Tomorrow, the EU Platform on Animal Welfare will hold its third meeting. Launched in June 2017, the Platform has already become a pivotal forum for sharing information and good practices for all Member States and various stakeholders across Europe. In the past year, the involvement of the Platform’s Members has been helping the Commission in its objective of improving the welfare of animals through a better implementation of EU rules, the development of voluntary commitments and the promotion of EU animal welfare standards at a global level. The agenda of this third Platform includes a presentation of work by the subgroup on animal transport and a presentation of the scope and terms of reference of a second subgroup on the welfare of pigs. The Platform’s Members will have an in-depth discussion on the welfare of farmed fish, followed by a presentation of the Commission’s report on the impact of international activities relating to animal welfare. The Commission will also present a project for an EU Coordinated Control Plan on the online sale of cats and dogs.
The meeting will be web-streamed here and on EbS (at 9.30 CET). The agenda is available online.
And the issue of stray dogs in the EU and in the Balkans; so-called Candidate EU nations; will be discussed when:
Stray animals don’t make the EU money – animal transport does; end of ………….
Posted on June 20, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
In an article dated June 13, 2018, in the “Zeit” newspaper came an interview with the President of the Max Planck Society Martin Hartmann.
After the undercover shootings of the SOKO organization in August 2014 in the laboratory of Max Planck Institute in Tübingen shook the public, it is the first time that the director of the company gives an interview.
Martin Stratmann has been President of the Max Society Institute since 2014, which conducts basic research at 84 institutes. In this interview he talks about why primate attempts are important today, there will probably be more in the future, why the primate experiments explode in China, and how German researchers can compete internationally.
Logothetis
After public pressure against the illegal experiments on primates in the cybernetic laboratory of Max Planck Institute, in Tübingen, this research is set. The Greek Nikos Logothetis, the director of the cybernetic laboratory, ended his work with primates, the Max Planck Society then deprived him of part of his leadership function.
The Story
Max Planck Institute in Tübingen since August 2014 caused horror in public: The Max Planck Institute in Tübingen holds monkeys for basic research in the field of brain processes. Animal rights activist Friedrich Mülln (SOKO) had given stern TV editors photos, documents and more than 100 hours of video material that the animal rights activist “Pawel” had collected as an undercover employee in the Tübingen Max Planck Institute. The stern TV report on animal testing had effects on other circles: It was determined against employees and stakeholders. The animal rights activists also had to face attacks and criticism. But finally, the monkey experiments in Tübingen were completely discontinued last year.
The Greek Nikos Logothetis is (or more precisely, he was) the director of the cybernetic department of the institute. There monkeys are kept for basic research in the field of brain processes.
The hell of the lab
In August 2014, images with tortured primates were shot and secretly recorded at Logothetis’ Institute.
The life of the animals is a series of suffering: They are fixed on the neck and their head is immobilized. For this, a “head holder” is implanted in the skull. Holes are drilled in their skulls. The head wounds often become infected and cause unbearable pain. The wound often does not heal in three weeks. For several hours a day these monkeys have to fulfill monotonous tasks. The animal experimentation industry tries to give the public a picture in which everything the monkeys do is “voluntary”.
A shameless lie. The experimenters use terms like “training” and “sitting in the chair”. The monkeys are forced to do so in agonizing positions for several hours a day. The monkeys do not get water for hours. They try to lick the cages after the stables have been cleaned. Some of the animals even drink their own urine.
After the undercover investigation, the prosecutor’s office has investigated, the district court Tübingen issued a penalty order, the Greek Nikos Logothetis, the director of the cybernetic laboratory, ended his work with primates. The Max Planck Society then deprived him of part of his leadership function.
Why then an interview?
Stratmann: “the pressure that the protests exerted on the respective scientists is extremely great. The attacks are often very personal and thus go to the limit of what a person can endure. I find that unbearable”.
And we, on our part, ask ourselves, how would Mr. Stratmann label the torture the primates are exposed to? Where exactly are the limits?
Living beings, who are extremely similar to humans, not only have to suffer pressure or “personal attacks”, but the satisfaction of sadistic and sick fantasies of unscrupulous experimenters.
Stratmann: “primate experiments are extremely expensive. Take the Max PIancks in Tübingen and Frankfurt, where experiments with monkeys have been or will be. If you go in there you will find first-class primate houses, the whole thing looks more like a zoo, not like a research institute!!!. In addition, there are investments in operating rooms, that are almost on the standard of human medicine”.
In this point we no longer ask ourselves, how is it possible for one to think we are so stupid and dumb to sell such a crap.
Because he himself gives us the explanation for his outrageous lie: “The budget of the Max Planck Society is almost two billion euros, most of which come from the taxpayer. This money allows us researchers an extremely high degree of freedom (!!!), as it seldom exists in the world”!
The taxpayer must get at least a nice picture of animal experiments, as a compensation for not being asked if he wants to pay or not.
Mr. Stratmann ends his third-class teaching about animal experiments, conscientious colleagues, and fat budgets as follows:
“We find attempts on non-human primates important. We will not withdraw from this research. The prerequisite, as in other areas, is that we can only attract top-class scientists for this”!
The moral of the story:
Mr. Stratmann: it’s all about your own right to exist! You must first explain to us, how is it to create and endure, to hold on to animals, to buckle, to sting, to poison, to bore their heads while watching their agony, their cries!
And for that we need …… attract top-class scientists!
Posted on June 20, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
One of Australia’s major live export companies has announced it will not send sheep into the deadly Middle Eastern summer this year.
This will spare 150,000 Aussie sheep from the horror of live export.
The West Australian newspaper broke the news that Livestock Shipping Services, Australia’s second largest sheep exporter, has paused its northern summer operations because new government regulations have impacted profitability.
Mark, this is an historic milestone in our efforts to save sheep from this cruellest of trades.
The decision by this exporter confirms that the live sheep trade has a business model based on suffering. The government’s new requirements are minimal in terms of animal welfare improvements, but clearly they inhibit the ability of exporters to make their desired profits.
With temperatures rising in the Middle East, this last minute reprieve for Aussie sheep could not have come at a more critical time. More than 22,000 sheep have perished on this exporter’s vessels over the past five years — over 4,000 of them dying from heat stroke on a single shipment.
But these animals have been spared from more than a gruelling sea journey. These sheep would have been destined for the annual ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ in Jordan — a time when cruelty and suffering inevitably increase.
But not this year. And, if we can keep the pressure on, not ever again.
Incredibly, there is still one major live sheep exporter, Emanuel Exports, on the water, despite being exposed for regulatory breaches and terrible animal cruelty. But they will be watching developments closely, knowing that their days of inflicting suffering on sheep are numbered.
Emanuel Exports’ offices were ‘raided’ by WA authorities yesterday as part of their investigation into breaches of WA Animal Welfare Laws. This company is central to our Federal Court action which will play out next month as we present our case that export permits are being granted unlawfully.
There is barely a day currently when we don’t hear of a development that brings us closer to ending this cruel trade. To have stopped one of Australia’s largest sheep exporters sailing from our shores is a memorable day. Those who support this industry would have hoped the wave of compassion for these animals that arose after 60 Minutes would be short-lived. How wrong they were…
So very proud and grateful to have you with us in this historic battle.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 