Posted on February 5, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Picture – CIWF.
An update from our friends and fellow campaigners; Philip and the crew at Compassion In World Farming (CIWF), down at Godalming, here in England.
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Please note that the video on the following link shows extreme cruelty, and viewer discretion is advised.
Update January 2015:
During December 2014 Compassion attended several meetings in Beirut with government officials to discuss and advise on the animal welfare issues at Karantina and the potential next steps that must be taken to reduce animal suffering. It became clear that authorities wish to carry out temporary renovation work at Karantina with a view to building a new slaughterhouse in the future that will both improve animal welfare and food hygiene. Officials were positive about the importance of improving animal welfare in any new set up and have said they will keep Compassion involved as the situation develops. We very much hope that this work will be the start of improving other slaughterhouses in Lebanon also, so that we can see a meaningful reduction in the suffering of the animals facing slaughter in Lebanon.
Update November 2014:
We are delighted to report that the Karantina Slaughterhouse has been SHUT DOWN. This is a fantastic result for Compassion supporters, following our 130,000 strong petition and extensive lobbying efforts. We wait to hear how long the shutdown will last, and what the plans are for the future. But right now, the Karantina slaughterhouse, one of the cruellest we have ever borne witness to, is empty. Millions more animals need our help, please take the action below to demand that no more European animals are exported beyond the reach of animal welfare laws.
Horrific conditions exposed
In 2013, as part of our investigation into the fate of exported EU animals Compassion witnessed animals being subjected to brutal slaughter conditions in Lebanon.
Man dragging a sheep at the Karantina slaughterhouse
At the Karantina slaughterhouse in Beirut, which supplies a third of the meat in the Lebanese capital, animals were being picked up and slammed onto their backs on the concrete floor, where they were held down as their throats were cut while they were fully conscious. Sheep were dragged by one hind leg to a line where they are slaughtered alongside others that were thrashing around in blood and faeces.
The treatment these animals face contravenes the guidelines of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) of which Lebanon is a member. Compassion in World Farming is currently campaigning to have Karantina shut down until such a time when it can be renovated to provide slaughter facilities that, at the very minimum, meet OIE standards.
Who we (SAV) ask are the real terrorists ?? – animal rights, or the alleged humans creating terror in all these animals which you see in this footage ??
Read More – Investigations Unit –
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Posted on February 3, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
3/2/15 – Kent, England based Animal Aid (Kent – also SAV territory) have today released undercover footage of animal suffering at the hands of Halal slaughtermen.
We have supported calls for ages to have cctv fitted into EVERY slaughterhouse across the entire EU, to ensued that there are more controls on the abuses that animals suffer at their time of death. Via the Animal Aid data provided below, you can take several lines of action. We suggest you watch the video footage prior to taking the actions.
Animal Aid – Latest News & Campaigns
Undercover: inside a UK non-stun slaughterhouse
Animal Aid has today made public footage it took covertly from inside Bowood slaughterhouse in Yorkshire. The footage, which was taken over three days in December, showed:
Sheep kicked in the face; smashed into solid objects headfirst; picked up and hurled by legs, fleeces, throats and ears.
A worker standing on the neck of a conscious sheep, then bouncing up and down.
Slaughterhouse workers erupting into laughter at a sheep bleeding to death with spectacles drawn around her eyes in green paint.
A worker holding a sheep by her throat and pulling back a fist as if to punch her.
Slaughtermen taunting and frightening the sheep by waving knives, smacking them on the head and shouting at them.
Slaughtermen hacking away at the throats of still-conscious sheep.
– The petition currently has over 86,000 signatures. If we can achieve 100,000+ then it is possible that this issue would have to be debated in UK Parliament. Therefore please sign now.
HM Government e petition wording is as follows:
Make CCTV mandatory for all slaughterhouses
Responsible department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We urge the government to make CCTV installation mandatory for all slaughterhouses, with selected footage independently monitored by welfare experts.
Animal Aid investigated nine randomly chosen UK slaughterhouses and found breaches of welfare laws in eight. Animals were shown being kicked, slapped, stamped on, beaten, punched, burned with cigarettes, and picked up by their fleeces and ears and thrown into pens. It showed inadequate, botched and multiple stunning, and the sadistic use of stunning equipment to ‘punish’ animals.
Neither the government-appointed on-site vets nor the slaughterhouse operators detected a single illegal act that we filmed.
Properly monitored CCTV would deter abuse, encourage best practice, help with staff training, and provide evidence for prosecutions.
CCTV won’t end slaughterhouse suffering, but it is an invaluable tool to help vets and welfare officers protect animals from gratuitous abuse and incompetent or negligent workers.
This e-petition has received the following response:
As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:
The Government encourages the highest standards of welfare at slaughter. Both EU Regulation 1099/2009, on the protection of animals at time of killing, and the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (WASK), as amended, contain strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals being slaughtered. In slaughterhouses, these requirements are monitored and enforced by Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency to ensure that animals are spared unnecessary suffering, distress or pain during the slaughter process.
Some of the undercover evidence has been gathered in premises which already had CCTV which implies CCTV may not be an effective monitoring tool though it could be helpful as a verification tool for audit purposes after a welfare breach has taken place in a particular slaughterhouse. The Government is not convinced of the need for further legislation at this time but will be keeping the need for CCTV under review in the context of the new monitoring requirements required under Regulation 1099/2009 which came into direct effect in January 2013.
This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.
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The ‘Guardian’ (UK National Press) Link with detailed video footage – WARNING – animal abuse shown.
Halal slaughterhouse staff investigated over alleged animal cruelty
Video footage from animal rights group appears to show sheep being kicked, hacked at and hurled into structures at Bowood Lamb abattoir in Yorkshire
Secret CCTV footage exposes halal abattoir cruelty
Undercover video shot by an animal welfare group appearing to show the brutal treatment of sheep at a Yorkshire abattoir has rekindled the debate over whether animals need to be stunned before they are killed.
The footage gathered by campaigning group Animal Aid shows sheep being kicked, threatened with knives and thrown into solid structures. In one case a worker appears to be pinning a sheep’s head down with his foot. Four slaughtermen at Bowood Lamb, a halal slaughterhouse in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, have had their operating licences suspended and the company said one worker had been sacked.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched an investigation into the footage, saying there is “no excuse for treating animals in the way shown on the video” and adding that prosecutions could follow.
Over three days in December, activists from Animal Aid used hidden cameras to record footage which appeared to show:
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A worker hacking and sawing at animals’ throats, in direct contravention of Islamic practice. In one instance it took up to five attempts to sever blood vessels.
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Sheep being kicked in the face and head, lifted by their ears, fleeces or legs and hurled into solid structures.
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A worker standing on the neck of a conscious sheep and bouncing up and down.
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Staff erupting into laughter over a sheep bleeding to death with spectacles drawn around her eyes in green paint.
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Employees taunting and frightening animals by waving knives, smacking them on the head and shouting at them.
The law requires abattoirs to stun animals before slaughter to prevent unnecessary suffering, but there are exemptions for Jewish and Muslim producers.
Under the halal code, animals are supposed to be killed quickly, with a single sweep of a surgically sharp knife.
They should not see the knife before they are slaughtered, or witness the death of other animals.
Footage from the Animal Aid video of the halal slaughterhouse.
Photograph: Animal Aid/PA
The video footage appears to show that these rules were not adhered to at Bowood, where more than 4,000 sheep were filmed being killed, the animal rights organisation said.
Sheep appeared to have knives sharpened in front of them and watched their flock-mates bleeding to death before being shackled and hoisted.
Responding to the allegation from Animal Aid that the alleged abuse captured on film was “routine”, Jamie Foster, solicitor for Bowood Lamb, said that was not correct.
Speaking on the BBC’s Farming Today programme, Foster said one employee had been sacked and added the company took animal welfare extremely seriously.
“We have very limited access to the footage … but clearly the piece we saw which involved a slaughterman standing on the neck of a sheep was something that fell far below the standards that Bowood would find acceptable and that individual was immediately dismissed for gross misconduct.”
Kate Fowler, head of campaigns at Animal Aid, said the scenes were “inexcusable”.
Animal Aid also criticised the poor design of the slaughterhouse. The group said that sheep fell some distance from a chute on to a slippery floor in the kill area and were often unable to stand.
They were then frequently thrown head first into a solid structure, Animal Aid said.
The group is calling for independently monitored CCTV cameras to be compulsory at slaughterhouses.
Slaughterhouses in the UK are regulated by the FSA, which provides operating licences and carries out inspections.
The FSA said: “The Food Standards Agency takes animal welfare at abattoirs very seriously, which is why we immediately suspended the licences of the slaughtermen involved.
“There is no excuse for treating animals in the way shown on the video and we are therefore investigating the footage with a view to prosecution.”
Last year, 2.4m sheep and goats were killed without being stunned in halal and Jewish shechita abattoirs, according to the British Veterinary Association.
Animal Aid said it recognised there was a risk of the video stirring up anti-Muslim feeling, but added: “Withholding release of the footage would be a betrayal of our key mission: to expose and combat animal cruelty.”
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Past SAV posts relating to Halal:
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 1, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Jill Phipps (15 January 1964 — 1 February 1995) was a British animal rights activist who was crushed to death in Baginton, Warwickshire, England by a lorry transporting live veal calves heading for continental Europe via Coventry Airport.
See Jill’s film here – we start with part 4, the final part – which involves the actions at Coventry airport – fighting live exports – and the death of Jill on 1st February 1995.
It has taken some 20 years since her death, but there are currently NO live animal exports from the UK to Europe. They may return, but when they do, campaigners on the English SE coastal ports will be ready to take action.
See Jill’s film (4 Parts) – Note that this film is now several years old, and many issues have changed; some for the better, some are still as they were and some, well, have possibly declined even more !
Fatal accident
On 1 February 1995, Phipps was one of 35 protesters at Coventry Airport in Baginton, protesting at the export of live calves to Amsterdam for distribution across Europe.
Ten protesters broke through police lines and were trying to bring the lorry to a halt by sitting in the road or chaining themselves to it when Phipps was crushed beneath the lorry’s wheels; her fatal injuries included a broken spine. Phipps’ death received a large amount of publicity, being brought up at Prime Minister’s question time in the House of Commons.
The Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to bring any charges against the driver. Phipps’ family blamed the police for her death, because the police appeared determined to keep the convoy of lorries moving despite the protest. The inquest heard that the driver may have been distracted by a protester running into the road ahead of him, who was being removed by a policeman.
The policeman in charge of the protest speculated that Phipps had chosen “deliberately [to] fall” under the wheels of the truck, but Phipps’ father insisted that she did not want to die as she had a young son to live for.
Aftermath
Veal calf exports from Coventry Airport ended months later, when the aviation firm belonging to the pilot responsible for the veal flights, Christopher Barrett-Jolly, went bankrupt following accusations of running guns from Slovakia to Sudan in breach of EU rules.
In 2006 he was charged with smuggling 271 kg of cocaine from Jamaica into Southend airport.
The continuing level of protest was such that several local councils and a harbour board banned live exports from their localities. All live exports of calves later stopped due to fears of BSE infection. In 2006 this ban was lifted, but Coventry Airport pledged that it would refuse requests to fly veal calves.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 31, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
After a Year Inside a Chicken Cage, a Baby Orangutan Gets a Second Chance
Kept as a pet in Ketapang, Indonesia, the undersize ape was given only condensed milk for the first 10 months of his life.
January 24, 2015 By Kristina Bravo
Kristina Bravo is Assistant Editor at TakePart.
Watch the video here:
Budi the orangutan had a rough start on life, but thanks to an animal rescue group in Indonesia, things are looking up.
The ape arrived at an orangutan rescue center in Borneo, Indonesia, in December. His former owners, who kept him as a pet in a chicken cage, had called the authorities after he became sick.
“The owner said that she was afraid to give Budi any fruits and thought that giving condensed milk would be sufficient,” Ayu Handayani, a veterinarian for the International Animal Rescue, said in a statement.
It took the rescue team 10 hours by boat and road to bring Budi to IAR’s rescue center, where he was found to be suffering from severe malnutrition and anemia. The lack of protein in his diet also made his body swell up with fluid.
Budi is old enough to climb trees, according to IAR program director Karmele Sanchez, but he can’t fully move his limbs and can only sit up for short periods.
“We cannot even imagine how much pain this small baby has suffered,” said Sanchez. “His eyes fill with tears every time he’s moved by the doctors, and he screams in pain. It’s really amazing that Budi has been able to survive this long.”
Endemic in Borneo, orangutan populations have plummeted over 50 percent during the past six decades. The clearing of swaths of trees for palm plantations has forced many orangutans toward developed areas, where they’re hunted for meat or in retaliation for destroying crops. When their mothers are caught (female orangutans are known to share a strong bond with their young), the babies are often kept or sold as pets.
While the species’ fate depends on consumers worldwide—half the products found in American grocery store aisles contain palm oil—Budi’s rescuers are optimistic.
“With good nutrition, supplements, and therapy from the medical team, we hope he will continue to improve,” said Sanchez.
To read more on Budi’s progress, and to make a donation to help with keeping Budi progressing, go to:
International Animal Rescue – UK Office – Headquarters
Address:
Lime House
Regency Close
Uckfield
East Sussex, TN22 1DS
England.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 28, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Fiona finally seems to be doing well at last.
Her second surgery was successful and the stitches have just been removed.
She looks a lot more cheerful after the protective collar she’s been wearing for days has been taken off.
Walking on three legs is obviously not a problem for her, she’s gotten accustomed to it pretty quickly. She’s still being kept in the cage for the main reason of her own safety, as she just might get re-injured if she starts to jump around before she’s completely ready.
Long story short, we dare to hope her story will have a happy ending after all.
Above – Morgan – Earlier Times – at the vets!
Latest pose for the camera
Morgan’s not a kitten anymore, although he’s running and playing as if he is.
He’s grown a lot, put on some weight and is already a teenager, just like that!
He doesn’t seem to have any problems now, but considering his terrible reaction to the general anesthesia during the surgery performed a couple of months ago, we can’t be sure he’s completely healthy.
However, he’s obviously enjoying life now and we take a lot of delight in his happiness 🙂
Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 25, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Posted on January 24, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
There have been a lot of very depressing videos and news here recently; some things like little Tak passing away cannot be resolved as much as it is wanted; other things could be greatly resolved if some of the politicians who are able to make the change in Serbia came out from hiding behind their desks and acted to stop cruelty !
So we are giving a link to a much better video here – it is one we have shown before, but it is always great to see the excellent work of the Hillside crew up in Norfolk, here in England; feeding and taking care of the hundreds of rescued farm animals which they have at the sanctuary.
And it is the right time of year to see this, with snow on the ground in many parts of the UK.
Enjoy watching the recued animals having fun in the snow !
All funded as a charity by donations from great folk who like to see animals being cared for.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SHELTER - Information, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
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