BREAKING NEWS.
Our affiliate Fur Free Society, Inc. has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) against Ruby Fur Farm Inc., an Iowa farm that repeatedly broke federal law by allowing hundreds of fur-bearing animals to suffer in dangerous and extreme heat conditions.
Temperatures in the metal housing exceeded 100 F degrees and heat indexes reached as high as 122 F degrees on at least four separate dates.
Animals in severe heat distress were panting, drooling, lethargic, breathing heavily, non-responsive to activity around them, and unable to cool off.
Fur Free Society is asking the USDA to impose the maximum fine of $13.75 million ($10,000 per animal affected, per violation) and to immediately terminate any and all licenses held by Ruby Fur Farm Inc.
Posted on August 30, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Here is some footage of the protests against live animal exports at Ramsgate, Kent, England, on 24/8/17.
English campaigners have stopped the live export trade after more than 25 years of campaigning; but now there is still one (periodic) exporter left – Johannes Onderwater; a Dutchman who exports British sheep to the EU.
The animals here in the video mainland are going for ritual slaughter in mainland Europe for the festival of Eid which starts on 31/8.
There are no English exporters (hauliers) involved – they were stopped by protest and legal action a long time ago. Only Dutch Onderwater remains now, but he will probably stop once Eid gets under way. He has not exported from the UK for many months, but is now doing a trade with live sheep for sacrificial slaughter at Eid. He has been using Ramsgate for the last week or so, getting out as many sheep to the EU as he can.
A good turn out by UK protesters as always, those who detest this trade and let it be known. Large turn out by the police also but they really do not know how to handle it now. They are protecting a trade in live animals which is legal under EU rules. This is why it will be so much better when the UK gets out of the EU, which will be within the next few years. The UK will be in charge of its own regulations and not have to put up with crap from the EU as we do currently. The EU makes the rules but cannot enforce them, even when presented with clear evidence of abuses.
UK campaigners will fight to ensure that on the day the UK officially leaves the EU, UK legislation will be in place and ready to stop live animal exports from the UK.
If other nations in the EU did the same, then the trade could be slowed. But who else is currently leaving the EU ? – nobody.
So the UK goes it alone at the moment; but other member states will leave over time – we think that is a definite !
Possums were introduced to NZ by humans from Australia in 1837 – wow what a surprise ! – man knows best, introduces a non native species and then years later the same humans call it a ‘pest’. Some would call it Karma.
Yes they do cause damage to natural flora and some fauna; but we are putting this petition out because of the fact that very young children are being encouraged to hunt and kill animals.
What we ask does this teach young kids about their natural wildlife ?
Does it teach kids to think that killing is a natural way of life? – we find the whole thought process behind this ‘hunt’ very disturbing. What does this teach kids for the future ?
Stop Sickening School ‘Possum Hunt’ Where Children are Encouraged to Kill
Children as young as 5 years old are urged to kill innocent possums in a sickening fundraiser for Orini Combined School in Taupiri, New Zealand, scheduled for September 29, 2017.
“We don’t care if you trap ‘em or shoot ‘em. it’s all on to clean up the possum vermin in Orini and raise some funds…all welcome to join in the family fun,” reads the twisted event poster.
The barbaric event — for grades 0 through 8 — is horrifically cruel to the possum victims, and also teaches children at a very young age that slaughtering animals is not only OK, but a fun and rewarding activity. The children are even awarded prizes for killing the heaviest possum and the possum with the “best fur.”
Sign the petition demanding that Orini Combined School cancel this horrific event, and instead teach children that animals are not “vermin,” but thinking, feeling beings that deserve respect, not violence.
Posted on August 28, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
I also got the news that for the moment the merger Bayer / Monsanto was put on hold.
This is certainly a success, but far from the end of the story. The situation looks like this: the four major conglomerates Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont and Bayer control roughly 70 percent of world trade with agricultural raw materials. If the merger Bayer / Monsanto were to be achieved, three companies would determine more than 60 percent of the global market for seeds and pesticides: Bayer / Monsanto, DuPont / Dow and ChemChina / Syngenta (The merger of the two last couples has already been approved).
With the help of the EU, they want to contain and patent seed and food diversity to a manageable extent. Stubbornly, the corporations are working on a law that cements their power: the European Seed Regulation. Under this Regulation, no more seed which has not been tested, certified and registered may be passed on. Worse still, the offspring of these crosses are particularly productive, but only in the first generation and as seed unusable. Seed must therefore be purchased from the breeder every year.
The four major players in the agricultural industry will determine the market for seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and feed. An unimaginable power concentration, which is completely foreign to the interest in plants, animals, human life.
Until now, the population and politicians in Austria, and German environmental associations, have been fighting against this dictum of the giants. New petitions have been launched, which is necessary, because the negotiations are not yet finished.
The EU has already offered the first compromise, we have seen it.
But the letter from the deputy Vestager makes it clear that the provisional postponement of the Bayer / Monsanto merger has not been decided on “Risks for human health, food safety, consumer protection, the environment and the climate“, but “is limited to competition (Merger assessment): concerns about potential negative effects of the merger on consumers and farmers”.
Within 90 days, the EU Commission will make its final decision after “the antitrust law” tests have been completed. We need to mobilize further, not just pushing Vestager, but also the other EU bodies and local politicians.
I have therefore attached (link below) a new petition from the Umweltinstitut Deutschland.
It goes to Mrs Vestager, to the German Minister for Economic Affairs, Brigitte Zypries, and to the President of the Bundeskartellamt Mundt. It already has 34,000 signatures, but we still need many more.
And we must continue to think positively and, above all, remain alert and informed.
Posted on August 24, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Trailer Released For Hotly Anticipated Vegan Documentary ‘Dominion’
The film will expose the brutal reality of factory farming
The trailer for a highly-anticipated animal rights documentary has been released.
Dominion is the new film by Chris Delforce from organization Aussie Farms, who previously made movie Lucent.
Feature length
Dominion, which is a feature-length documentary, will focus on how animals are used and abused in Australia.
According to a spokesperson for Aussie Farms: “By exploring six primary facets of our interaction with animals – Pets, Wildlife, Scientific Research, Entertainment, Clothing and Food – the film will question the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.”
Footage
They added: “Drawing heavily from the Aussie Farms Repository so as to contain the most recent, highest-quality footage from across the country, Dominion will also make use of emerging technologies, such as aerial drones, to capture new perspectives and examine the wider context of animal exploitation upon our landscape and within our society.”
The documentary was partly crowdfunded, with donors giving $19,000. In December 2015, animal protection institute Voiceless gave the filmmakers a grant.
Posted on August 23, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Great News for Bees.
Mark,
Great news: The European Commission just announced they won’t greenlight the Bayer Monsanto merger.
And you made it happen!
You and thousands of SumOfUs members around the world bombarded Commissioner Vestager with tweets, emails and postcards raising the alarm about this merger. And Vestager just replied directly to you, saying she shares your concerns.
She’ll now open an in-depth probe of the merger. This will take months — and gives us more time to stop the merger once and for all.
SumOfUs members like you opposed this merger from the very beginning — and built up one of our strongest campaigns ever: more than 700,000 of you signed our petition. And with your donation, we were able to pay for: Congressional hearings, our own people-powered lobbyist, and a legal White Paper that proves that this merger is illegal.
But we didn’t stop there: Thanks to your financial support we even took over the whole politico.eu homepage and pressured decision makers in Brussels with our ads. Check them out:
Bayer and Monsanto wanted the EU to quietly approve their merger. But you didn’t let that happen. You ramped up our campaign and pressured the Commission to first extend its review, and then finally open an in-depth investigation.
This is a crushing defeat for Bayer and Monsanto — but our fight is far from over. In fact, we will need to work harder than ever in the upcoming months to stop their plans. But with this victory, you have proven once again how strong our community is. And I have no doubts that together, we will stop this merger for good.
Thank you so much for all that you do,
Anne and the team at SumOfUs
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 