Posted on April 14, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
One of the ocean’s most remarkable creatures is disappearing at an alarming rate – and they desperately need your help!
The majestic manta ray is in trouble. Weighing as much as a Toyota Prius with a wingspan twice the size of the largest bird, mantas are being overfished and pushed to the brink of extinction.
But you can help! The National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) is considering listing these amazing creatures under the Endangered Species Act, and they want your comments now.
Globally, populations are believed to have declined by at least 30%, but some manta populations have declined as much as 86%!
The main culprit driving the recent decline is demand for the mantas’ gill rakers, a part of their gills used to filter water and extract food, which can fetch nearly $300 apiece in Asian markets.
Other threats facing mantas include demand for the rays’ meat and skin, entanglement in fishing lines, loss of coral reef habitat and ocean pollution.
Thank you for helping to defend the wildlife we all love!
Sincerely,
Jamie Rappaport Clark
President, Defenders of Wildlife
Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 12, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Free Tibet launches appeal for language campaigner
Who is Tashi Wangchuk?
Tashi Wangchuk conducted a peaceful and non-political campaign to protect Tibetan language education in Tibet. Late last year, he was interviewed in the New York Times, talking frankly and openly about his campaign and the threat to Tibet’s culture. For that courageous decision, he has now been arrested and, if convicted, faces fifteen years in jail. Tibetans charged with political crimes are rarely found innocent in China’s courts. Many are convicted after confessions are extracted through torture.
Please join our campaign to free Tashi Wangchuk by contacting your government now.
Urgent Action: language campaigner Tashi Wangchuk
In January 2016 Tashi Wangchuk was arrested and has been charged with “inciting separatism”. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Please write urgently to your Minister of Foreign Affairs, urging them to call on China to immediately and unconditionally release Tashi Wangchuk.
Tashi Wangchuk, 30, is from Yushu in eastern Tibet. He was arrested after asking China’s authorities to ensure that the Tibetan language is taught throughout Tibet. China’s own constitution guarantees that Tibetans have the right to use and develop their own languages. Tashi Wangchuk pursued his peaceful campaign through official channels and repeatedly maintained that his actions were not political. It is likely he is being punished because he had the courage to work with the New York Times to highlight threats to Tibetan culture, despite the risk he would be arrested.
China has sharply scaled back the teaching of Tibetan in recent years, despite guarantees of cultural autonomy in the Tibetan regions.
Take action
Citizens of the UK, US, Australia, Canada, India, France, Ireland and Germany can follow the links below to contact your foreign ministers to demand action for Tashi Wangchuk. If your country is not listed, please see our guide for the relevant contact for your country, and how to reach them, here. If you are based in a country which you are not a citizen of, please contact campaigns@freetibet.org for help.
Contact your government
Sign the petition
You can also take action for Tashi Wangchuk by
signing our petition to the regional authorities in Tibet, demanding his release.
Free Tashi Wangchuk
– See more at:
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS, SUPPORTERS | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 12, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
IMPORTANT – Please ensure that you copy and send BOTH the Serbian and then the English OR German versions of the letter in your e mail.
The Serbian copy will put pressure on, and ensure the Serbians are left in no doubt as to the situation; and that the EU is being informed of their actions. Remember that Serbia is an EU ‘Candidate Country’ and very much wishes to join the EU. But if it does not follow it own rules / laws, (the EU requirement of the ‘rule of law’); then it should never be allowed to become an EU member.
All the Serbian e mail addresses to which the letters should be sent are given in the first list. EU listings are then supplied.
Please copy them all and paste into one e mail, along with the Serbian and English / German copy of the letter.
This can also be done by NON EU citizens; you could declare your name and nationality at the end – thank you.
————————————————-
SERBIAN E Mail List:
miodrag.petrovic@minpolj.gov.rs, vetuprava@minpolj.gov.rs, zoran.ivanovic@minpolj.gov.rs, predsednikvlade@gov.rs, office@minpolj.gov.rs, office@seio.gov.rs, office@civilnodrustvo.gov.rs, <nsrs@parlament.rs>, zastitnik@zastitnik.rs
Cc: info@fonet.rs, upr@tanjug.rs, spr@tanjug.rs, mc.mail@mc.rs, redakcija@alo.rs, online@alo.rs, redakcija@24sata.rs, redakcija_24sata@ringier.rs, redakcija@blic.rs, desk@danas.rs, press@uns.org.rs, anem@anem.org.rs, redakcija@dnevnik.rs, redakcija@informer.rs, redakcija@kurir-info.rs, redakcija@politika.rs, redakcija@novosti.rs, redakcija@vesti-online.com, infourednici@b92.net, kontakt@b92.net, insajder@b92.net, rtstv@rts.rs, kontaktcentar@rts.rs, infotop@rtvpink.com, info@prva.rs, Jovana@forgotten-paws.com,
——————————————————–
EU E mail list
jan.albrecht@europarl.europa.eu, burkhard.balz@europarl.europa.eu, reimer.boege@europarl.europa.eu, elmar.brok@europarl.europa.eu, klaus.buchner@europarl.europa.eu, udo.bullmann@europarl.europa.eu, <reinhard.buetikofer@europarl.europa.eu>, daniel.caspary@europarl.europa.eu, birgit.collin-langen@europarl.europa.eu, <michael.cramer@europarl.europa.eu>, fabio.demasi@europarl.europa.eu, albert.dess@europarl.europa.eu, <stefan.eck@europarl.europa.eu>, robert.dusek@europarl.europa.eu, cornelia.ernst@europarl.europa.eu, <ismail.ertug@europarl.europa.eu>, <markus.ferber@europarl.europa.eu>, knut.fleckenstein@europarl.europa.eu, karl-heinz.florenz@europarl.europa.eu, michael.gahler@europarl.europa.eu, evelyne.gebhardt@europarl.europa.eu, jens.geier@europarl.europa.eu, <arne.gericke@europarl.europa.eu>, <sven.giegold@europarl.europa.eu>, jens.gieseke@europarl.europa.eu, ingeborg.graessle@europarl.europa.eu, matthias.groote@europarl.europa.eu, thomas.haendel@europarl.europa.eu, <rebecca.harms@europarl.europa.eu>, martin.haeusling@europarl.europa.eu, hans-olaf.henkel@europarl.europa.eu, maria.heubuch@europarl.europa.eu, iris.hoffmann@europarl.europa.eu, monika.hohlmeier@europarl.europa.eu, peter.jahr@europarl.europa.eu, petra.kammerevert@europarl.europa.eu, sylvia-yvonne.kaufmann@europarl.europa.eu, <franziska.keller@europarl.europa.eu>, dieter-lebrecht.koch@europarl.europa.eu, bernd.koelmel@europarl.europa.eu, dietmar.koester@europarl.europa.eu, constanze.krehl@europarl.europa.eu, werner.kuhn@europarl.europa.eu, alexandergraf.lambsdorff@europarl.europa.eu, bernd.lange@europarl.europa.eu, <werner.langen@europarl.europa.eu>, <jo.leinen@europarl.europa.eu>, peter.liese@europarl.europa.eu, arne.lietz@europarl.europa.eu, norbert.lins@europarl.europa.eu, barbara.lochbihler@europarl.europa.eu, sabine.loesing@europarl.europa.eu, bernd.lucke@europarl.europa.eu, david.mcallister@europarl.europa.eu, thomas.mann@europarl.europa.eu, gesine.meissner@europarl.europa.eu, susanne.melior@europarl.europa.eu, martina.michels@europarl.europa.eu, ulrike.mueller@europarl.europa.eu, norbert.neuser@europarl.europa.eu, <angelika.niebler@europarl.europa.eu>, maria.noichl@europarl.europa.eu, markus.pieper@europarl.europa.eu, marcus.pretzell@europarl.europa.eu, gabriele.preuss@europarl.europa.eu, godelieve.quisthoudt-rowohl@europarl.europa.eu, <julia.reda@europarl.europa.eu>, <terry.reintke@europarl.europa.eu>, herbert.reul@europarl.europa.eu, ulrike.rodust@europarl.europa.eu, helmut.scholz@europarl.europa.eu, martin.schulz@europarl.europa.eu, sven.schulze@europarl.europa.eu, joachim.schuster@europarl.europa.eu, andreas.schwab@europarl.europa.eu, peter.simon@europarl.europa.eu, birgit.sippel@europarl.europa.eu, renate.sommer@europarl.europa.eu, martin.sonneborn@europarl.europa.eu, joachim.starbatty@europarl.europa.eu, jutta.steinruck@europarl.europa.eu, beatrix.vonstorch@europarl.europa.eu, michael.theurer@europarl.europa.eu, ulrike.trebesius@europarl.europa.eu, <helga.truepel@europarl.europa.eu>, sabine.verheyen@europarl.europa.eu, udo.voigt@europarl.europa.eu, axel.voss@europarl.europa.eu, manfred.weber@europarl.europa.eu, jakob.vonweizsaecker@europarl.europa.eu, martina.werner@europarl.europa.eu, kerstin.westphal@europarl.europa.eu, rainer.wieland@europarl.europa.eu, hermann.winkler@europarl.europa.eu, joachim.zeller@europarl.europa.eu, gabriele.zimmer@europarl.europa.eu, <heinzk.becker@europarl.europa.eu>, eugen.freund@europarl.europa.eu, karin.kadenbach@europarl.europa.eu, barbara.kappel@europarl.europa.eu, othmar.karas@europarl.europa.eu, <elisabeth.koestinger@europarl.europa.eu>, joerg.leichtfried@europarl.europa.eu, <ulrike.lunacek@europarl.europa.eu>, georg.mayer@europarl.europa.eu, angelika.mlinar@europarl.europa.eu, franz.obermayr@europarl.europa.eu, <evelyn.regner@europarl.europa.eu>, michel.reimon@europarl.europa.eu, paul.ruebig@europarl.europa.eu, claudia.schmidt@europarl.europa.eu, <monika.vana@europarl.europa.eu>, harald.vilimsky@europarl.europa.eu, michal.boni@europarl.europa.eu, jerzy.buzek@europarl.europa.eu, ryszard.czarnecki@europarl.europa.eu, andrzej.duda@europarl.euorpa.eu, anna.fotyga@europarl.europa.eu, adam.giereck@europarl.europa.eu, lidiajohanna.geringerdeoedenberg@europarl.europa.eu, beata.gosiewska@europarl.europa.eu, andrej.grzyb@europarl.europa.eu, marekjozef.grobarczyk@europarl.europa.eu, krysztof.hetman@europarl.europa.eu, danuta.huebner@europarl.europa.eu, danuta.jazlowiecka@europarl.europa.eu, marek.jurek@europarl.europa.eu, robertjaroslaw.iwasciewicz@europarl.europa.eu, dawid.jackiewicz@europarl.europa.eu, jaroslaw.kalinowski@europarl.europa.eu, karol.karski@europarl.europa.eu, janusz.korwin-mikke@europarl.europa.eu, agnieszka.kozlowska-rajewicz@europarl.europa.eu, zdzislaw.krasnodebski@europarl.europa.eu, barbara.kudrycka@europarl.europa.eu, zbigniew.kuzmiuk@europarl.europa.eu, ryszardantoni.legutko@europarl.europa.eu, janusz.lewandowski@europarl.europa.eu, boguslaw.liberadzki@europarl.europa.eu, krystyna.lybacka@europarl.europa.eu, elzbieta.lukacijewska@europarl.europa.eu, michal.marusik@europarl.europa.eu, jan.olbrycht@europarl.europa.eu, stanislaw.ozog@europarl.europa.eu, boleslaw.piecha@europarl.europa.eu, miroslaw.piotrowski@europarl.europa.eu, julia.pitera@europarl.europa.eu, marek.plura@europarl.europa.eu, tomasz.poreba@europarl.europa.eu, dariusz.rosati@europarl.europa.eu, jacek.saryusz-wolski@europarl.europa.eu, adam.szejnfeld@europarl.europa.eu, roza.thun@europarl.europa.eu, bogdan.wenta@europarl.europa.eu, kasmierzjmichal.ujazdowski@europarl.europa.eu, jaroslaw.walesa@europarl.europa.eu, jadwiga.wisniewska@europarl.europa.eu, janusz.wojciechowski@europarl.europa.eu, bogdan.zdrojewski@europarl.europa.eu, kosma.zlotowski@europarl.europa.eu, janusz.zempke@europarl.europa.eu, stanislaw.zoltek@europarl.europa.eu, tadeuz.zwiefka@europarl.europa.eu
TOP URGENT PROTEST ADDRESSED TO THE SERBIAN AUTHORITIES AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
——————————————————-
Letter to copy and attach as part of e mail
– Serbian Text
Poštovani
Dobili smo nezvanične informacije da će u Skupštini grada Niša biti doneta odluka o eutanaziji napuštenih životinja , kako u prihvatilištu koje je inače ne registrovan objekat , tako i onih koji se nalaze na ulicama, a koje se masovno hvataju na najsurovije moguće načine i odvode u gore pomenuti objekat.
Ovim putem najoštrije osuđujemo bilo kakvu ovakvu odluku , jer za nemiile događaje u kome su ljudi povređeni od strane napuštenih pasa , odmazdu ne treba da snose drugi psi, jer nisu oni krivi , već organi koji nisu postupali u skladu sa Zakonom o dobrobiti životinja i počev od dana donošenja Zakona nisu preduzeli svoje zakonske obaveze u cilju smanjenja broja napuštenih životinja.
Zakon mora da se poštuje, a za njegovo nepoštovanje, koje je očigledno, posledice ne trebaju da snose psi .
Zahtevamo da se bilo kakva eventualna protivzakonita odluka Skupštine grada Niša stavi van snage , te da se na ozbiljan i sistematski način pristupi rešavanju problema napuštenih životinja , jer bilo kakvi ad hoc masakri neće dati rezultate i ovakvi događaji će se iznova ponavljati.
Hier bitte unterzeichnen –
Name –
Verein/Organisation
und Land
———————————————————-
Letter to copy and attach as part of e mail
– English Text (for EU Parliament)
To whom it might concern,
We strongly condemn JKP “ Naš Dom” Pozega for their behavior in terms of treatment of abandoned animals. The Animal Welfare Act in Serbia clearly stipulates that abandoned animals cannot be killed except in exceptional circumstances, but must be housed and cared for in the shelters, yet we learned that JKP “ Naš Dom” is planning to kill 90% of the dogs that they catch in 2016.
On the news tonight (16.03.2016 ), on the TV station B92, JKP “ Naš Dom” admitted that in year 2015 out of 1350 captured dogs, 1280 were killed!
We are outraged and appalled by such disrespect of the current law by an institution JKP “ Naš Dom” which is governed by the state! This institution, clearly feels they’re above the law! We will be notifying all competent authorities in the EU and beyond and will be looking into taking measures to prevent future illegal slaughter of animals in Serbia.
We also must add that we are aware of current lynch on street dogs in Nis which is almost announced publicly as form of revenge for the attack carried out on an elderly woman by a pack of dogs. We are also aware of all the unlawful poisonings and killings of animals which are happening in Serbia because the institutions governed by the state assigned to deal with the problem are not following the laws and therefore are failing to deal with the problem as well as not dealing with irresponsible owners who abandon their animals and are part of the problem.
So far we have pointed out how to humanely solve the problem of abandoned animals and for us it is devastating that Serbia does not actually apply these measures. Measures, which are prescribed by the Law.
———————————————-
Letter to copy and attach as part of e mail – German / Deutscher Text
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Wir verurteilen JKP ” Naš Dom” Pozega für ihr Verhalten in Bezug auf die Behandlung von ausgesetzten Tieren. Das Tierschutzgesetz in Serbien ist deutlich festgelegt, Tiere dürfen nicht getötet werden, außer in extremen Ausnahmefällen, sondern müssen im Tierheim/Pension untergebracht und betreut werden. Jedoch haben wir erfahren, dass JKP ” Naš Dom” vor hat 90% der Hunde die sie im Jahr 2016 fangen zu töten.
In den Nachrichten am 16.03.2016, auf dem Sender B92 haben JKP ” Naš Dom” zugegeben, dass im Jahre 2015 aus den 1350 gefangen genommenen Hunden, 1280 getötet wurden!
Wir sind empört und entsetzt über diese Missachtung des Gesetzes von JKP ” Naš Dom”, eine Institution die vom Staat geregelt wird! Wir werden alle zuständigen Behörden in der EU benachrichtigen und darüber hinaus werden wir auch Maßnahmen erforschen um weitere illegale Schlachtung von Tieren in Serbien zu vermeiden.
Wir wissen ebenfalls, dass das aktuelle Lynchen von Straßenhunden in Nis öffentlich angekündigt wird, als Rache für einen früheren Hundeangriff auf eine ältere Frau.
Staatliche Organisationen sehen illegale Vergiftung und Töten der Straßentiere als die einzige Lösung zu diesem Problem, anstatt sich mit verantwortungslosen Besitzern zu beschäftigen, die nur weiter zu dem Problem hinzufügen in dem sie ihre Hunde auf die Straße aussetzen.
Wir haben an die Serbischen Organisationen Empfehlungen weitergeleitetet, wie die Situation der Straßenhunde verbessert werden könnte, rechtmäßig und ohne das es den Tieren zu Schaden kommt. Für uns ist es einfach unfassbar, dass diese tierfreundliche Maßnahmen in Serbien nicht eingesetzt werden. Maßnahmen, die durch das Gesetz eigentlich vorgeschrieben sind!
Wir sind empört wie das Gesetz in Serbien umgangen wird und wir werden alles in unserer Macht steht tun um die geplante Tötung von 1300 Tieren von JKP ” Naš Dom” in 2016 zu verhindern.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, SHELTER - Information, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 6, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Yesterday, 5/4/16, was hopefully a productive day in the campaign regarding live animal exports.
In the morning, Mark telephoned Mr. Marco Valletta at the EU DG (Commission) for Health and Food Safety. Mr. Valletta is directly responsible at the Commission as part of Commissioener Vyetenis Andriiukaitis’ team with responsibilities which directly include animal health and animal welfare. Please note that Commissioner Vyetenis Andriiukaitis is one of two people who we have addressed our petition to – see more at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/763/168/053/eu-commissioners-fail-live-animals-transported-to-turkey./?taf_id=22743166&cid=email_na
In a parallel exercise, Lesley at ‘Eyes on Animals’ in Amsterdam (NL) had a meeting with the Dutch authorities as well as the EoA inspection team. It should be remembered and hoped that the Dutch have very strong views about the current failures of EU live animal transport laws, and that we hope that during the Dutch EU Presidency which lasts until the end of June, they will make major progress with being able to change the system. Please read more about this from one of our past posts – https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/01/23/netherlands-some-great-news-the-dutch-presidency-pleads-for-eu-action-for-animals/
Mark and Mr. Valletta had a good conversation, with Mark expressing his concerns especially about the situation for EU animals being exported live to Turkey. He informed Mr. Valletta about all the evidence which was included in the excellent EoA video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udReHkAumrY&feature=youtu.be and was very surprised to hear back that Mr. Valletta had not actually seen the video !! – and this is the man at the EU Commission ultimately responsible for the welfare of animals !!
We know from Lesley that copies of the video were supplied to the Commission – why it was not seen by the man directly responsible for animal health and welfare in the Commission is anyone’s guess.
Mark sent a mail to Mr. Valletta in the afternoon which included both video and petition links for Mr. Valletta. You can read a copy of Marks mail here –
Mark and Lesley communicated in the evening and it was decided that a formal copy of the EoA Turkish video should be sent specifically and directly to Mr. Valletta. Not only will this allow him to see the cruel reality of the situation for EU animals exported live to Turkey, but it may provide Lesley with assistance when she next meets the Dutch authorities on this issue.
As Mark said to Mr. Valletta in their phone conversation, and as written in his mail to same; the individual EU member states firstly hold immediate responsibility for the enforcement of EU Regulation 1/2005 which should provide protection to animals in transport; but at the end of the day, it is the EU Commission who are ‘top of the pyramid’ and who should be prosecuting individual member states when they fail. And as shown the video, they fail a lot !
This is where Mr. Valletta should come in as the official rep of the EU Commission. Mark reminded him in conversation that he has animal welfare duties to enforce, and that we want to see something positive being done about the Turkish situation. Mr. Valletta watching the video from EoA would be a very good first move !
We are now waiting to hear back from Mr. Valletta when he has seen the video and also had a review of the petition; which we have reminded him, has been signed by citizens of all EU member states.
Regards Mark.
All photos – EoA Netherlands
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 5, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
2016 Stop tolerating systematic violations of international law when exporting livestock to third countries
Press release Eyes on Animals: the presidency of European Council is The Netherlands; it is time to act. Stop tolerating systematic violations of international law when exporting livestock to third countries.
A five years investigation conducted by Eyes on Animals (NL), Animal Welfare Foundation (Germany) and Tierschutzbund Zurich (Switzerland) at the EU/Turkey border has shown that as many as 70% of all inspected livestock trucks from EU countries to Turkey violate the European Regulation EC 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. Eyes on Animals’ director Lesley Moffat: “Unfortunately based on our investigation we have to conclude that these violations are systematic, causing tremendous suffering of tens of thousands of animals. With the Netherlands profiling itself as a positive role model in agriculture, which was stated by secretary Van Dam in the European Parliament, The Netherlands needs to take the right action as EU President and stop this continuous animal abuse’.
During the time period of the investigation, from 2010 until 2015, the EU exported over 900.000 sheep, 850.000 cows and 5000 goats by truck on long-distance journeys to Turkey. In 2015 the export of live animals rose with 39% compared to 2014 (source: Eurostat). For 2016 the EU plans for a further increase. Together with two partner organisations, Eyes on Animals regularly inspects long-distance animal trucks passing the EU border into Turkey in Kapikule.
Lesley Moffat: “We see violations of animals being left on board for far longer than the maximum-allowed times, unrealistic journey times, false declarations of resting hours, animals suffering from extreme temperatures, a lack of water and food, overcrowded conditions on the trucks, lack of clean bedding, insufficient height and serious injuries due to poorly-designed equipment in the trucks, such as partitions with large gaps. More over many drivers are incapable and lack the skills needed on how to handle animals. These transport journeys are a true nightmare for the animals. Sick and wounded animals, animals giving birth and dying animals are deprived from care. We regularly see dead and trampled animals’.
The results of five years of investigations are captured in a report of over 1000 pages and an edited film, which will be presented to the EU-commission and its state members. 352 livestock trucks were inspected of which 247 transport companies from 13 different EU countries violated one of more laws of the EU Transport Regulation 1/2005. Moffat: ‘Not one of the 13 exporting EU-countries complied with the law. There is just no excuse for this’.
European Court of Justice: Comply with the law
Last year the European Court of Justice confirmed that the EU Transport Regulation on animal-protection is applicable during the whole time of travelling: from the place of departure to the final destination, even if situated outside the EU in a Third country. With the Netherlands being EU President, Eyes on Animals asks State Secretary of Agriculture Van Dam to commit to this law being respected. The declaration confirms that national authorities that approve the export of live animals need to apply and uphold these laws. ‘The Netherlands exports a relatively small number of live animals to Turkey compared to some of the other countries, however it is home to many livestock transport companies operating on this route, that pick up animals from other EU countries and bring them to Turkish slaughterhouses, feedlots of farms (cf report).
‘Economic interest more important than compliance with EU laws’
Eyes on Animals and its partner organisations accuse the EU-commission for tolerating the systematic violations of the law. The EU stimulates the international trade of live farm animals, and does very little to secure adequate infrastructure and resources to protect the welfare of animals during transport. Lesley Moffat: “It is unacceptable that animals depend on us non-profit organizations being present at the border for their protection. We do what we can, give first aid to suffering animals and send proof of violations to the responsible livestock transport companies and competent authorities, but it is the EU that should take on its responsibility in this. They are not only responsible for stimulating international trade of live animals on this route, but also responsible for the animals being given the care and protection that is stipulated within the law. ”
After years of negotiations, the EU finally succeeded to persuade Turkey to import animals from the EU in 2010. However, no provisions were made to take care of the EU animals during transport. At the border, there are no stables to unload, water or feed the animals. ‘The animals are stuck in the trucks for hours or days under extreme temperatures waiting because paperwork or health statements are often unclear. Turkey does not have an authority to uphold animal welfare legislation and the EU does not have the authority to check and fine those who violate these laws abroad. According to Moffat, the EU is well aware of this serious problem: ‘The EU lacks the political will to act; EU-members want to get rid of ‘surplus’ animals on the internal market to stabilize the price of livestock.
Ban this illegal trade in animals
The animal welfare organisations call for a ban on the long-distance transport of animals from the EU to Turkey. ‘Aside from the systematic violations of the EU transport regulation 1/2005, this trade is also in conflict with paragraph 13 of the Lisbon Treaty that obligates us humans to provide for the welfare needs of animals as ‘sentient beings”, says Moffat. According to Eyes on Animals and its partner organisations neither the EU-commission, the EU-members or the Turkish authorities, nor the im- and exporters of animals are willing to ensure that this international trade complies with the law. Moffat: this means this is an illegal trade and therefore has to be stopped”.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 1, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
1/4/16 – We have today had a letter from the EU informing us that our petition associated with EU live animal exports to Turkey has now been registered / entered onto the general register for petitions. It has also been forwarded to the Committee on Petitions, who will ‘decide if it comes within the EU fields of activity’. As the issue involves live EU animals being exported from the EU, we very much hope and trust that the petition WILL be considered as coming within the EU’s fields of activity.
The petition remains open, and we ask that everyone helps us by getting as many people to sign as they possibly can.
The associated video link, and the petition link are provided below. In addition, you can see a copy of the letter sent to us today from the EU, explaining the current situation.
Thanks for your help and support on this very important animal welfare issue.
Mark.
Past SAV post links associated with this issue:
All photographs – Eyes on Animals (NL).
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 31, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Above – Employees give a vaccination shot to a chicken at an hatchery in Mangaon, south of Mumbai, India. (Photo: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)
Mar 30, 2016
Willy Blackmore is TakePart’s Food editor.
Bio
The problem with antibiotic use in agriculture is pretty clear: The overuse of drugs in raising livestock is contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections—and that’s led high-ranking officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare the end of antibiotics.
But with nearly all of the major domestic poultry suppliers working toward an antibiotic-free future, and everyone from public health organizations to the president talking about the risks of overusing drugs in livestock production, we finally seem to be having grown-up conversations about antibiotic resistance in the U.S.
Drug-resistant bacterial diseases have little concern for international borders, however, and as the growing global middle-class demands more and more meat, rising production is leading to rising antibiotic use around the world. According to one study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, antibiotic use is expected to double in Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and India thanks to an increased appetite for meat.
In India, where about a third of the population is vegetarian and the majority of those who do eat meat do not consume beef, chicken is often the animal protein of choice. Consumption has increased 14-fold since 1985, according to Bloomberg, which revealed in a story published Tuesday that the rising demand has led to very concerning uses of antibiotics by Indian poultry companies. The story—headlined “Antibiotic Apocalypse Fear Stoked by India’s Drugged Chickens”—reports that five antibiotics regularly used in human medicine, including two the World Health Organization deemed “critically important,” are routinely given to broiler chickens at the behest of poultry companies.
The story’s claims that antibiotics used in human medicine are given to chickens are refuted by the SR Group, which contracts with the farmers who were interviewed for the story.
“Nobody uses antibiotics unnecessarily because we are professionals,” Ravinder Reddy, the technical director of SR Group, told Bloomberg. “We are not illiterate farmers. We know what we are doing.”
But with chicks receiving a variety of antibiotics starting shortly after they hatch, this kind of heavily medicated poultry production is likely contributing to the rising problem of drug resistance observed in India and elsewhere around the world. According to a 2015 study that tracked resistance around the globe, three separate classes of antibiotics are now only 20 percent effective when used to treat a number of E. coli strains.
As World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan told Bloomberg,
“The world is on the brink of losing its miracle cures.”
Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS | Leave a comment »
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 