Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that are found in products ranging from toothpastes to face scrubs. They go down the plughole and end up in our oceans and waterways, where they can be mistaken for food by fish.
When this campaign started back in January 2016, hardly anyone had heard of microbeads (including me!)
But with your help, these tiny plastic polluters became a massive issue.Over 385,000 of you signed Greenpeace UK’s biggest petition yet, calling for the UK government to ban microbeads. Thousands of you emailed your MPs, posted on social media and shared your ideas for microbead alternatives.
Microbeads went from being virtually unknown, to being talked about by everyone from government ministers to celebrities – they even made it onto the front pages of national newspapers!
Hundreds of thousands of us came together, alongside organisations like the Marine Conservation Society, Fauna and Flora International and the Environmental Investigations Agency, to make real change happen.
The UK government’s ban is the strongest in the world to date. It’s not yet perfect, but crucially the government have left the door open to broaden the ban in future – and we’ll be keeping a close eye on them to make sure this happens!
There are still many threats facing our oceans – from climate change to overfishing to plastic bottles – but with your help, we’ll continue to take action to protect our precious oceans for years to come.
Posted on July 21, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
SAV Comment: We have said for a long time on this site that the UK getting away from the Junker / Tusk / Van Goethem attitudes of ‘we can do nothing’ when it comes to the environment and animals welfare should be very beneficial to both the environment and animal welfare. Free from EU shackles which really mean and do nothing to help either, because the EU does not enforce its own rules and regulations, will mean that post Brexit in just a few years time, the UK will take back control of its own laws from the EU and can work hard with NGO’s to make the all round situation much better for environment and animals.
We have some faith in Mr Gove who describes himself as an ‘environmentalist’ – which is great as he is now the newly appointed Minister at the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in the UK. –https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs – as the Defra Minister, Mr Gove is the first and most important UK government person in charge of how the UK stands regarding environment and agriculture; including animal welfare
As an NGO, we are most keen to see the UK prepare to ban live animal exports as soon as it leaves the EU. We are certain this will happen as there is already a lot happening on this issue ready for the day we leave the EU and take back our own controls as a nation
We are more than happy to assist Mr Gove with our views and knowledge on some issues – especially things such as animal exports.
The EU, under Junker, Tusk and co. will simply plod on doing nothing in reality for animals and the environment. If other EU welfare organisations want things to remain as they are; which basically means having their evidence ignored; then they stay in the EU – the union of no progress or hope. If they want improvements in the environment and animal welfare, then they should follow the UK and get out of the EU – take back their own controls by their OWN governments – not that of tin pot masters in Brussels.
The other nations of Europe have their choice to leave, but will any of them do it ? – we very much doubt. So they can all plod along meeting Mr do nothing types like Van Goethem; presenting all their evidence of animal cruelty etc – and we guess they will continue to be simply ignored just like they have been so much over so many years. SAV.
Mr Gove has said in his speech of 21/7/17:
The decision to leave the European Union has been interpreted in many ways, and I won’t revisit the debates now which led to that decision being made. Now that decision has been made, it creates new opportunities, and challenges, for the British Government. And nowhere more so than in the area of environmental policy.
We now have (outside of EU controls) an historic opportunity to review our policies on agriculture, on land use, on biodiversity, on woodlands, marine conservation, fisheries, pesticide licensing, chemical regulation, animal welfare, habitat management, waste, water purity, air quality and so much more.
Leaving the European Union means leaving the Common Agricultural Policy, leaving the Common Fisheries Policy, and taking back control of environmental policy.
Farm subsidies will have to be earned rather than just handed out in future, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said in a speech.
Farmers will only get payouts if they agree to protect the environment and enhance rural life, he will say.
The move is part of what he calls his vision for a “green Brexit”.
He criticised the current system for giving money to some of the UK’s wealthiest landowners, for encouraging wastage, and for not recognising “good environmental practice”
Mr Gove described Brexit as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reform how we care for our land, our rivers and our seas, how we recast our ambition for our country’s environment, and the planet”.
Michael Gove says microbeads – tiny pieces of plastic that are easily swallowed by marine life – will be banned from use in cosmetics and personal care products
The UK Government will ban the sale of microbeads as part of efforts to reduce plastic in the ocean, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced.
The measures, unveiled by Gove as part of a speech on ‘delivering a green Brexit’, would mean microbeads – tiny pieces of plastic that are easily swallowed by marine life – will be banned from use in cosmetics and personal care products such as toothpastes and shower gels.
Announcing the government would follow a recent consultation with legislation to prohibit their use later this year, Gove described the effect of microbeads on marine life as “devastating”.
Gove also outlined plans to explore new methods of reducing the number of plastic bottles from entering the oceans.
Speaking at WWF UK on Friday morning, Gove said: “Eight million tonnes of plastic are discarded into the world’s oceans each year, putting marine wildlife under serious threat.
“In October 2015, the government introduced the 5p carrier bag charge. Figures released today show that policy’s enormous success – nine billion fewer carrier bags distributed since the charge was introduced, a fall of 83 per cent. More than £95million raised from the charge has been donated to environmental, educational and other good causes.
He added: “There is more we can do to protect our oceans, so we will explore new methods of reducing the amount of plastic – in particular plastic bottles – entering our seas, improve incentives for reducing waste and litter, and review the penalties available to deal with polluters – all part of a renewed strategy on waste and resources that looks ahead to opportunities outside the EU.”
Michael Gove ‘deeply regrets’ Trump’s approach to Paris climate agreement
In first speech since cabinet return, environment secretary says he hopes US president will have a change of heart.
The environment secretary said international cooperation was crucial to resolve the problem of climate change, adding: “The world’s second-biggest generator of carbon emissions can’t simply walk out of the room when the heat is on.
Gove described himself as an environmentalist in his speech in Woking, Surrey, on Friday morning. “Leaving the EU gives us a once in a lifetime opportunity to reform how we care for our land, our rivers and our seas, how we recast our ambition for our country’s environment, and the planet. In short, it means delivering a green Brexit.
“I am an environmentalist first because I care about the fate of fellow animals, I draw inspiration from nature and I believe we need beauty in our lives as much as we need food and shelter.”
Posted on July 21, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Sorry the following layout is not good but this is currently the best we can do.
Hopefully the links will work. SAV.
Click HERE to see this newsletter from our homepage.
New Sister/Friendship City Campaigns need your action!
Seoul – Over 400 dog meat restaurants and hundreds more so-called “Health Food Shops” which commonly sell “dog elixir”, are in this capital city of South Korea. This is devastating!!! Seoul had connected as a Friendship City with London, UK just a couple of years ago. Let’s ask for London’s help in fighting this horrific trade. We have added many new Sister/Friendship campaigns.
A scene has been recorded of dog meat farmers from across the country trading hundreds of dogs at a hillside of Yangsan(Gyeongsangnam-do Province). On July 11th, the Busan KAPCA exposed video of dogs, raised for consumption, being secretly traded on July 4th at a hillside in Yangsan. Dog farmers from across the country were trading these dogs.
The footage contains pictures of seven or eight large Dosa dogs in a tiny and rusty metal cage with no space in which to move. During the course of the trade, dogs that were not cooperating were jabbed with iron sticks. One struggling dog is shown being grabbed by the collar. It is estimated that there are several hundreds of dogs in metal cages that are lined up in vacant lot. The dogs were being sold for 400,000 to 600,000 Korean won each, and it was estimated that up to 250 dogs were being sold daily.
the demonstration had a great turn out but we need more activists for the Day 2 and 3. So would you please join us? Day 2: Friday, July 21, 2017 Click HERE for Facebook Event. Day 3: Friday August 11, 2017 Click HERE for Facebook Event. Where: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea 460 Park Ave, 57th Street, New York, NY 10022 Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (Consulate Hours: Open • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:30 – 4:00 pm) Posters and brochures will be provided but homemade posters, props and other materials are encouraged! We also have petitions to be signed and sent to the Ambassador of South Korea. Free t-shirts for the volunteers (while supplies last). Click HERE for all of our upcoming events.
Click HERE to join the Demo from your home – Phone Blitz.
Huntersclaim to hang dead animal heads on the wall because they are ‘beautiful’.
My mum is very attractive, but I have a photo of her on my wall ! – Mark – SAV.
Dear Mark — Founder ‘Serbian Animals Voice’,
Cecil the lion’s six-year-old son, Xanda, has been killed almost exactly on the second anniversary of his own death, which caused international outcry over the cruelty of trophy hunting.
Just like Cecil, Xanda, a young father himself, was lured away from the safety of a national park in Zimbabwe. Also like Cecil, Xanda was wearing a research collar and was an important part of a long-term study on lions.
Killing Cecil and Xanda shows a shocking display of disrespect for these imperiled animals and the unnecessary killing of these majestic creatures just for bragging rights and a head-hunting exercise.
The tide is turning against trophy hunting around the world as a result of Cecil’s death—and the killing of his son will only add to that momentum.
Andrew Rowan
President and CEO
Humane Society International
Can we rely on President Trump to be a voice of the USA against this trophy hunting ? – NO; he supports the hunting and killing of any beautiful animal by sons ‘dim and dimmer’.
Above – ‘Dim and Dimmer Trump’ proudly display their
efforts as such ‘superb hunters’;
– fully supported by environmentalist father Donald naturally !
In a historic move the Vietnamese government has agreed a plan with Animals Asia to finally end bear bile farming in the country.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines an agreement between animal welfare NGO Animals Asia and the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) to work together to rescue the remaining bears still caged on farms across Vietnam – believed to be around 1,000.
The document was signed and announced at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi on Wednesday 19 July.
Mr Cao Chi Cong, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, joined Animals Asia CEO and founder Jill Robinson MBE in signing the MOU.
The move follows the MOU between Animals Asia and the Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Association signed in 2015, agreeing to ensure a complete end to bear bile prescription among traditional medicine practitioners by 2020
This is anticipated to continue a significant reduction in demand and contribute towards the ending of the illegal market for bear bile.
Today’s agreement is effectively one that will finally close the loophole that has allowed bile farms to continue despite the illegality of the trade.
The MOU commits the government to ensuring no bears are allowed to be kept by private households – where illegal bile extraction can take place – and that the approximately 1,000 bears currently held in captivity around the country are moved to sanctuaries.
Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director Tuan Bendixsen said:
“This historic document ties NGOs and the government of Vietnam to a common goal – the end of bear bile farming in Vietnam.
“Crucially, the government has agreed to close the loophole that has allowed bile farming to persist for the last decade. By signing this MOU, they have agreed that there can be no bears kept on farms, because as long as they are there, they will suffer extraction.”
Animals Asia has so far rescued 186 bears in Vietnam since setting up its sanctuary in Tam Dao in 2008.
Bear bile farming has been illegal in Vietnam since 1992. In 2006, every bear in captivity was microchipped so that no new bears could be added to farms. But with the country lacking resources and expertise to build rescue centres and care for the animals, households were allowed to keep the bears on the government’s behalf having agreed not to extract bile. This loophole has effectively allowed bear bile farming to continue until now.
Since bear bile farming became a common practice in China and Vietnam in the 1980s, wild populations have been decimated to meet the demand the industry created.
A report by Animals Asia and Free The Bears released in 2016 found that wild populations across South East Asia had fallen dramatically with precious few pockets of wild bears existing in Vietnam today. It had been wrongly anticipated that farming bears would actually help conserve wild bears.
In 2005 bear bile farming reached its peak in Vietnam with over 4,000 bears in captivity, but with farmers unable to add new bears to existing stocks, numbers have dwindled to around 1,000.
Tuan said:
“This agreement shows Vietnam acknowledges that bear bile farming harms wild populations. By signing on, they’ve shown they are serious about conserving the country’s remaining wild bears and protecting the heritage of future generations.”
While the signing of a memorandum of understanding is a landmark achievement in the battle to end bear bile farming cruelty, it will not mean an overnight end to the industry in Vietnam.
Key issues such as how to fund and manage the sanctuaries and how to proceed with the transfer of privately owned bears to rescue centres will be hammered out as part of the agreement.
It’s anticipated that new sanctuaries would need to be constructed and assistance sought from existing sanctuaries run by animal conservation and welfare charities.
Animals Asia’s Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:
“This agreement has been a long time coming with discussions beginning around 2014, so to see it finalised is a major step forward. This, of course, doesn’t end the work. Quite the opposite, but it now means we work together with a common goal – to end this cruelty.
“With all parties pulling in the right direction and in agreement about our goals we can make real progress. For the animals who have suffered for more than a decade in awful conditions the move to sanctuaries cannot come soon enough and that is the next issue – how to fund, build and manage the new sanctuaries which are necessary to rescue all bears.
“We’ve essentially sat down with the government and made a list of what needs to be completed to end bear bile farming and agreed to work through these issues together.
“It is still a huge undertaking and will require the participation of many groups, NGOs, government departments and the support of animal lovers in general to make this agreement reality, but pivotally we are all in agreement about what has to be done and now we can get on with seeing it through.”
Posted on July 18, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Do you know what really goes on behind the closed doors of Scotland’s 35 slaughterhouses?
We certainly don’t! But we do know that welfare standards are breached time and time again, and Animal Aid’s incredible investigative work has uncovered extraordinary brutality.
I’ll be honest with you. I don’t like the idea of slaughterhouses full stop. But for as long as they are here, we have to do what we can to protect the animals from cruelty. That’s why I’m asking you to sign a petition to the Scottish Parliamentcalling for the introduction of mandatory CCTV monitoring in all Scottish abattoirs, covering all the key areas, that is accessible by independent experts.
So how bad is the problem? Animal Aid’s investigations show the horrifying cruelty in English abattoirs, and there is nothing to suggest that the situation in Scotland is better.
Data released by Food Standards Scotland in April shows over 700 breaches of animal welfare took place between 1 May 2015 and 31 January 2017, with 176 breaches happening inside abattoirs.
Some of the breaches included:
Animals being abused by workers – One worker was seen kicking a sheep and another pushing and dragging a pig by its tail.
Injured animals – Hundreds of animals were found bruised, injured, wounded or with broken bones.
Animals slaughtered while heavily pregnant – 130 animals were killed in the later stages of pregnancy.
Animals repeatedly stunned before killed – 45 incidents happened where multiple or inadequate stunning took place or where procedures didn’t work.
This shows us that clearly something is not working and that’s why we want to bring transparency to Scotland’s abattoirs. If you agree, then please sign this petition calling for the Scottish Parliament to introduce mandatory CCTV.
We have launched this petition in association with activists who successfully changed SNP policy in support of CCTV in slaughterhouses. This happened last September and we have now agreed that we need to jointly put the pressure on to see this party policy made Government policy.
The Scottish Government, like the rest of the UK, recommends the installation of CCTV as best practice. However, France has now taken the lead in the EU by announcing CCTV will be compulsory in all French slaughterhouses from 2018. If France can do it, then surely Scotland can too.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 