Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

All the following photographs are not part of this article but have been included by SAV.

Mark,

Thank you. KFC is the latest company to release a new, deforestation-free palm oil commitment, and it’s because of you!

Over the last year, SumOfUs members have added over 1.5 million signatures to petitions telling some of the world’s largest fast food corporations that there’s no excuse to continue buying palm oil that could cause climate change, loss of endangered species habitat, and tropical deforestation.

We took action. Corporations listened. And acted!

KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell — all owned by multinational conglomerate Yum! Brands, America’s second largest fast food corporation — responded to our demands. Yum! Brands recently announced a new palm oil policy that requires all the palm oil they use for cooking be deforestation-free.

Click here to share the good news on Facebook.

While Yum! Brands still need to go further to ensure its commitments translate into real impacts on the ground, this is a tremendous step forward for the climate, tropical forests, and endangered species.

Together, we are transforming the palm oil industry.

Thanks for all that you do,
Hanna, Fatah, Nicole, Carys, and the rest of the team at SumOfUs.

P.S. Wondering what’s next in the fight for tropical forests and deforestation free palm oil?

Join the more than 110,000 people who have asked Burger King and Tim Horton’s, America’s third largest fast food company, to go deforestation-free.

Tweet BK and tell it that now is the time to adopt strong deforestation-free and peat-free palm oil policies!

Original mail:

Mark,

KFC says it has absolutely no idea where its palm oil comes from — and it’s putting that palm oil into loads of products, from apple turnovers to grilled chicken to country-fried steak.

In other words, KFC, the world’s second largest restaurant chain, can’t guarantee that it’s not buying from conflict palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. It could very well be responsible for the clearing of pristine rainforest, for the deaths of thousands of orangutans and tigers, for child labour on palm plantations, and rocketing carbon emissions from deforestation.

Tell KFC & Yum! Brand’s to do the right thing, and adopt a comprehensive deforestation-free palm oil policy.

KFC is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, two more fast food chains that also use palm oil. To get Yum! to adopt a deforestation-free palm oil policy, we’re joining forces with the Union of Concerned Scientists to push this issue all the way up to the CEO’s desk.

The mega fast food conglomerate insists that it’s phasing out palm oil “wherever feasible”, with only a little more than 30% of its restaurants still using it for frying. But with more than 40,00 outlets around the world, that’s still more than 12,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants that fry with palm oil that could be from destroyed rainforests. Furthermore, Yum! Brands has no policy for palm oil used in the rest of its non-fried products, including KFC’s biscuits and gravy.

Pressure is mounting on KFC to make the switch to responsibly-sourced palm oil. On top of our efforts, Yum! Brands is feeling pressure from its own shareholders over the palm oil issue, and it will have to face a shareholder resolution at its Annual General Meeting in May, demanding that it starts sourcing responsible palm oil.

We’ve already convinced Kellogg’s, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts and other big companies to change their ways, causing a shift in the global palm oil supply chain. Because of our work, it’s easier than ever for companies to buy palm oil that’s free of deforestation. Similar organized consumer pressure has dramatically slowed the rate of deforestation in Brazil. KFC can be moved with public pressure too, especially now with the double whammy of a shareholder resolution looming on the horizon.

Tell KFC and Yum! Brands to step up, and back off the rainforest. Adopt a deforestation-free policy now.

Thanks for all that you do,

Kaytee, Hanna, and the team at SumOfUs.org

More information:

Palm Oil Scorecard: Ranking America’s Biggest Brands on Their Commitment to Deforestation-Free Palm Oil (2014), Union of Concerned Scientists
Yum! Brands latest statement on palm oil, Yum! Brands
Shareholder resolution: Yum Brands! – Sustainable Agriculture / Palm Oil Policy (2015), Trillium Investments

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3.

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Passion gets Animals Represented in NSW Parliament

Despite a tiny budget, but with of plenty of passion, the Animal Justice Party won its first parliamentary seat by gaining the last seat in the Legislative Council election in New South Wales today. At the preference distribution count today the AJP ended up an easy winner for the final seat ahead of the No Land Tax Party and the Liberal Party.

This is a historic result; as Party President and Founder Professor Steve Garlick said: “This is the first time in Australia that animals will be represented at a parliamentary level. We know that more than 80 percent of all decisions made in Australian parliaments impact on the lives of animals and its about time they had a voice representing their interests”.

Elected AJP candidate Mark Pearson will take up his position in the NSW upper house in July and will have much to say about how the lives of farm, domestic and wild animals in NSW can be improved.  Being the Executive Director of NSW Animal Liberation, Mark comes to this parliamentary role with considerable commitment and knowledge about how to stop animal cruelty.

Apart from supporting Mark in his new role in the Parliament of NSW, the Party will now set its sights on a number of elections in 2016 where it hopes to emulate its success and where it will target government supported extreme animal brutality.

Please visit www.animaljusticeparty.org for more info about AJP. Watch this space!

I would like to thank all of you who supported us and voted for animals.

You gave a voice to the voiceless – thank you :))

– for all animals

Teresa

SAV Comment – We are sure Mark will be a big voice speaking out against the live export trade from Australia – 

First time for animals in Parliament; but certainly not the last.  Hopefully this is just the beginning.  Congratulations !!

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This is for EVERYONE who visits SAV:

Dear Mark

we know you are fighting for animals everyday and we want you to know that thanks to your efforts things ARE changing for animals around the world.

One of the places where things are moving forward is in China.

This is how you Mark are helping it happen.

1. You are supporting groundbreaking investigations!

 Your support has helped Animal Equality investigators carry out three investigations. Two of them exposed the brutality behind the Chinese dog and cat meat industry, and the third one exposed the cruel fur trade.

All the investigations reached international coverage appearing in media such as CNN, Sky News, Daily Mail or El Mundo. The footage has touched the heart of millions of people. They are joining you to help end the abuse.

2. You are helping us tell THEIR stories

Vita was terrified that day of April. She was at a dog slaughterhouse in Zhanjiang… she knew that it would soon be her turn. Her life would soon be over.

Vita suddenly saw a stranger enter the dark room of the slaughterhouse with a camera. She desperately tried to call his attention.

She must have known… The investigator saw her and convinced the slaughterhouse worker to give him Vita. Today she lives with a loving and caring family.

You have done so much for Vita! You shared her story with your family and friends. Thanks to that and your donations Vita is now an ambassador of all the animals brutally abused by the dog meat industry.

3. You have spoken

With your signature you have raised your voice with over 400,000 people, and firmly opposed the dog and cat meat trade.

Please stay tuned Mark. In the next months we will be bringing these signatures to Chinese embassies around the world.

4. And finally: You are helping end the massacre

Thanks to the investigations you supported, your signature, and the fact that we worked hand in hand with Chinese activists, 33 markets that sold dogs and cats and a slaughterhouse were closed. 

So today I am writing to say: THANK YOU Mark!

We have a detailed plan to continue working in China and you are a key part of this plan. Soon you’ll receive news on how you can help.

Hope for animals in China is in sight. And you are so much a part of this change. You are their hero. You are our hero.

Thank you,

Sharon Nunez

International Director –  Animal Equality.

BM Box 2732 · London

WC1N 3XX · United Kingdom
Phone: +44 07599 002691
Email: info@animalequality.net

8581 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 350
Los Angeles CA 90069 · USA
Phone: +1 (424) 200 2860
Email: info@animalequality.org

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