Posted on March 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
‘EU MUST ENSURE ANIMAL WELFARE‘
– OR PROBABLY NOT WHEN IT RELATES TO NON EU LIVE ANIMAL EXPORTS.
Would you like to have a guess at who said the following:
“I certainly won’t be bullied by 500 text messages that I receive on my
phone during the course of the day on animal welfare issues.
That won’t work with me, forget about it. (…)
I will not give a direct answer in relation to the way animals are exported outside the European Union to other countries because I don’t know at this stage which country’s legislation is under crisis. (…)
The question whether we should have live export of cattle or not,
I am in favour of live cattle export. (…)”
Well, it was an EU Commissioner who has the name of Phil Hogan – and the statement was his answer to Olga Kikou, European Affairs Manager of NGO “Compassion in World Farming” re live exports to Non-EU countries.
Above – Commissioner Hogan
Check out Phil Hogan on the following sites which are available to the public (us):
One has to ask if this un-elected person and the comments made to very well respected CIWF representative have anything to do with him guarding the interests of the Irish cattle “producers” and export industry ?
– recently Ireland established live cattle exports from the country to Libya, for example. One has to question what the slaughter procedures for these same animals were like there ? – certainly NOT to EU standards !
It goes to show that an un-elected Commissioner can appear to overrule the wishes of tens of thousands of EU citizens who want the export of live animals to non EU countries to be stopped immediately.
Please check out our following post to see what typically happens to live animals when they are exported live to non-EU nations. In other words; a trade that Phil Hogan appears to support.
See video footage of the situation here – filmed by the very people that Mr. Hogan is dismissing – London based ‘Compassion In World Farming’ (CIWF). http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
See also the CIWF investigation into EU animals brutally slaughtered in Gaza; a NON EU location. No doubt Mr. Hogan also supports this following on from his statement to CIWF.
Cattle transported live from Romania and Hungary (EU member states) many thousands of miles to be barbarically slaughtered by having their throats cut without any from of pre-stunning. Live animals no longer protected by EU legislation.
** WARNING – Graphic footage in the following video of animal suffering **.
Please note you have the option of viewing a Censored or Un-Censored version of the investigation video.
Thanks to D for getting the ball rolling with this.
How common is all of this which we see with live animals exported from Australia ?
We are sending this post to English Members of the European Parliament. – SAV.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
Did you know the USDA itself estimates as many as 1 million birds are scalded alive at slaughterhouses every year in the United States? It’s downright shameful.
Actress Pamela Anderson is teaming up with Mercy For Animals to expose and end this horror.
Gordon Food Service supplies restaurants like PF Chang’s, Red Robin, Perkins, Culver’s, and The Melting Pot.
The stomach-turning video footage reveals:
Birds recklessly and violently shackled upside down, their fragile wings and legs breaking in the process
Severely sick, injured, and dying chickens sent through the slaughter line along with other birds intended for human consumption
Frightened birds dragged through an electrified vat of water, painfully shocked but left fully conscious
Birds having their throats sliced open while still conscious and able to feel pain
Live, conscious birds scalded to death in feather-removal tanks
Pamela speaks up for the birds – watch the video here:
Even though more than 95 percent of the animals killed for food in this country are chickens, these sensitive and intelligent animals are excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. This means Gordon Food Service chicken suppliers get away with torturing to death millions of animals a year in ways that would be illegal if the victims were cows or pigs.
We cannot allow this to continue!
Pamela Anderson and MFA are calling on Gordon Food Service to adopt meaningful animal welfare guidelines for all of its suppliers to prevent the worst forms of animal abuse in its supply chain, including immediately switching to systems that eliminate the horrific suffering caused by dumping, shackling, shocking, and slaughtering conscious animals.
As the largest private foodservice provider in the country, Gordon Food Service has enormous power and influence to end many of the worst forms of institutionalized animal abuse in the poultry industry.
Please, take a moment to sign Pamela Anderson and MFA’s petition calling on Gordon Food Service to stop torturing chickens.
Then please share the hidden-camera video with friends and encourage them to take action too. And if you haven’t done so already, please consider ending your support of this needless cruelty altogether by adopting a compassionate vegan diet.
Sincerely,
Nathan Runkle
President
P.S. You can make a special tax-deductible donation to support MFA’s hidden heroes who work undercover to expose and stop systemic animal abuse on factory farms.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Firstly; you will see that from today, our global visitor map – the ‘Clustrmap’; has now cleared and started afresh.
This is an annual activity which allows all the information from the past year to be archived.
You can see the new, clean Clustrmap on the left side of the ‘Home’ page of the site; or you can also see it by clicking on the following link – http://www4.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?user=9b44b4e0
As we get more visitors to the site, the locations and sizes of the red dots will grow once again.
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March news from Keith Taylor – SE England Member For the European Parliament (MEP).
Dover Live Exports Inquiry
Keith has labelled the exporting of live farm animals both “cruel” and “needless”, in evidence submitted to Dover Council’s inquiry into the trade. The one year inquiry, which concluded this month, recommended that the council urge for laws to be changed so that ports can refuse the trade and that the RSPCA should be present during all shipments, to ensure EU laws are fully enforced.
Keith is opposed to live exports and welcomes further recognition that farm animals are not ‘goods’ but sentient beings.
—————————–
News from SAV –
From the above – “laws to be changed” – mean the UK 1847 Act.
So what is the ‘1847 Act’ that could possibly change / stop live exports from the UK ?
As you can see from the ‘About Us’ section of this site – https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/about-us/ – SAV founder Mark has had some 25 (or more) years experience with many aspects of the live animal transport trade in Europe. Thus, we feel that we have some experience when we say that the UK could enforce legislation to make the live export of live farm animals to mainland Europe much harder. This could be undertaken by amending the UK legislation of the 1847 Act.
The Act is UK legislation which could be amended in Parliament by a British government – it has nothing at all to do with EU law – the British government could amend the law independently if they wished. Instead they hide behind the EU; informing UK campaigners that things cannot be changed because of EU law. Was the UK part of the EU in 1847 ? – dont think so !
We have always felt this is wrong and the UK could act independently by amending the 1847 Act if it really wanted to take real action against live animal export from the UK.
Remember the Battle of Waterloo ?
Remember, just as a basic guide to the age of this legislation that the UK government STILL works to; the famous Battle of Waterloo – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo took place in June 1815.
Some 32 years after the Battle, the UK passed legislation for the 1847 Act – and it is still used today – 2015 !! – have we not moved on into Century 21 now and should the law regarding rules in UK ports not reflect this ? – or is the actual 21st Century reality that the British government does not want to amend the law in favour of UK live animals; but instead try to mislead the British public into believing that we cannot stop the trade in live animals because of ‘Europe’.
So how does the 1847 Act affect UK port regulations ?
A UK law that is over 160 years old, the ‘Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847’, means that public ports across Britain have no say in whether they wish to accept the trade in live animal exports.
In other words; they ARE forced to take the trade in live animals by law, EVEN IF the port and its management were completely opposed to being involved.
We know from many, many years of campaigning experience that many UK Port Authorities (probably all) would rather not allow shipments of live animals from ‘their’ port. But as long as this outdated legislation remains on the books, their hands are tied. They are legally obliged to allow the trade to continue; despite their objections.
By the term ‘outdated legislation’, we mean that the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act became law in 1847; and is still being used as the reason for ports to take the trade in live animals today – 2015 !!
The 1847 Act is an ‘SI’ law – this stands for ‘Statutory Instrument’. An SI is an act of UK law, made by a UK Parliament, which can be changed by a UK Parliament. It is NOT EU legislation.
The Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act (1847) states that all ports must allow the free trade of ‘goods’, including farm animals. So, by law, British public ports must allow lorries full of animals to pass through, even if the port authority doesn’t agree with the trade. It’s about time this law was updated so that ports can legally refuse consignments of live, SENTIENT (under EU law), animals without fear of legal repercussions.
The amendments we’re calling for are not unreasonable. And if the UK does get challenged by the EU the UK Government should do the right thing and stand up for the animals facing export. The Government should take the case to the European Courts if necessary. But we do not feel that this would even happen in the first place.
Below is reference to the Compassion In World Farming (CIWF) issue of the 1847 Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act.
As the article states, “the Government Department that oversees live exports, don’t seem to understand what we are calling for. They believe that amending the 1847 Act would be a ban on live exports – and illegal under EU law”.
It is not a case of banning the live animal export trade; but simply giving all ports the OPTION of what trades they allow to pass through their port(s).
This legislation is a 1847 Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act is a Statutory Instrument (SI), is the principal form in which delegated legislationis made in Great Britain. They are governed by the SI Act of 1946.
An SI is an act of UK law, made by a UK parliament, which can be changed by a UK Parliament. It is not EU legislation which an antiquated British government still loves to hide behind.
So the outcome of what we are calling for is for the UK government to amend the 1847 Act; give ports the choice to refuse live animals exports; and thus have a legal impact on the trade in live animals to Europe.
This is just one of many animal welfare issues which we hope will see David Cameron and his cronies thrown out of government in the May 2015 UK General Election !!
Did someone mention the 1847 Act ??
ME ! – Dont Bleat Mr. Cameron; Act to change 1847 !!
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 15, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Please give your full support to this petition – Make it a BIG one !! – Thanks – SAV.
Create A Public Registry For Animal Abusers
Target: Head of the USDA, President Barack Obama
If I need to give you a reason to sign this, then I have no reason to continue believing in good in the hearts of men.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 15, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
MONSANTO LOSES GMO PERMIT IN MEXICO – JUDGE SIDES WITH THE BEES
A number of countries around the world have now completely banned GM food and the pesticides that go with them, or have severe restrictions against them. This comes after the world has experienced a massive resistance against Monsanto and other biotech giants that manufacture GMOs and pesticides.
It’s (the resistance) also a result of numerous studies that have emerged showing the environmental and health dangers that are associated with pesticides, as well as health dangers that could be associated with GMOs.
The latest country to make headlines with regards to banning Monsanto products is Mexico, as a group of beekeepers was successful in stopping Monsanto from the planting of soybeans that are genetically modified to resist their Round-up herbicide.
MONSANTO LOSES MEXICAN PERMIT
Monsanto had received a permit to plant its seeds on over 250,000 hectares of land, which equates to approximately 620,000 acres. That’s a lot of land, and they managed to get the permit despite thousands of citizens, beekeepers, Greenpeace, Mayan farmers, The National Institute of Ecology and other major environmental groups protesting against it.
According to The Guardian:
“A district judge in the state of Yucatán last month overturned a permit issued to Monsanto by Mexico’s agriculture ministry, Sagarpa, and environmental protection agency, Semarnat, in June 2012 that allowed commercial planting of Round-up ready Soybeans. In withdrawing the permit, the judge was convinced by the scientific evidence presented about the threats posed by GM soy crops to honey production in the Yucatán peninsula, which includes Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán states. Co-existence between honey production and GM soybeans is not possible, the judge ruled.” (source)
Mexico is the fourth largest honey producer and fifth largest honey exporter in the world.
THESE PESTICIDES ARE KILLING BEES AND FARMERS ARE UNABLE TO EXPORT POLLEN FROM GMO CROPS
Be colonies are declining very fast, threatening food security all over the world, and as the guardian reports:
“GM crops could devastate the important European export market for Mexican beekeepers, where the sale of honey containing pollen derived from GM crops has been restricted since a landmark decision in 2001 by the European Court of Justice.”(source)
Here is more on a study that found GM pollen destined for Europe after this ruling, and according to local farmers, threatens the honey industry.
Below is a summary of the problem (apart from massive bee declines):
“David Roubik, senior staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and his colleagues developed the ability to identify pollen grains in honey in Panama and in Mexico during the 1980s and 1990s when they studied the effects of the arrival of Africanized bees on native bees. “Nobody else can do this kind of work in the ‘big field’ environment and be confident that what they are seeing are soybean pollen grains,” said Roubik. They found that six honey samples from nine hives in the Campeche region contained soy pollen in addition to pollen from many wild plant species. The pollen came from crops near the bee colonies in several small apiaries. Due to strict European regulations, rural farmers in the Mexican Yucatan face significant price cuts or outright rejection of their honey when their product contains pollen from GMO crops that are not for human consumption. The regional agricultural authorities, furthermore, seemed unaware that bees visited flowering soybeans to collect nectar and pollen” (source)
Related CE Articles with links to more information and proof:
THERE ARE MULTIPLE CONCERNS HERE, AND ONE OF THEM HAS TO DO WITH THE CROPS THAT HAVE BEEN GENETICALLY MANIPULATED TO RESIST MONSANTO PESTICIDES. WHY? BECAUSE THESE PESTICIDES ARE VERY HARMFUL TO HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH.
A study is published in the US National Library of Medicine and in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology shows how several recent studies illustrate glyphosate’s potential to be an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the hormone system in mammals. These disruptors can cause developmental disorders, birth defects and cancer tumors. (source)
A group of scientists put together a comprehensive review of existing data that shows how European regulators have known that Monsanto’s glyphosate causes a number of birth malformations since at least 2002. Regulators misled the public about glyphosate’s safety, and in Germany the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety told the European Commission that there was no evidence to suggest that glyphosate causes birth defects.(source)
A new study out of Germany concludes that Glyphosate residue could reach humans and animals through feed and can be excreted in urine. It outlines how presence of glyphosate in urine and its accumulation in animal tissues is alarming even at low concentrations. (source)
It’s also been linked to Alzheimers, Parkinsons Disease and Autism.
A recent study conducted by researchers from RMIT university, published in the journalEnvironmental Research found that an organic diet for just one week significantly reduced pesticide (commonly used in conventional food production) exposure in adults. ( source)
Thirteen participants were randomly selected to consume a diet consisting of at least 80% organic or conventional food for precisely 7 days, afterwards crossing over to the alternative diet from which they started. Urinary levels were used for analysis. The study found that urinary dialkylphosphates (DAPs) measurements were 89% lower when they ate an organic diet for seven days compared to a conventional diet for the same amount of time.
“A lot of these agents were initially developed as nerve gases for chemical warfare, so we do know that they have toxic effects on the nervous system at high doses. Conventional food production commonly uses organophosphate pesticides, which are neurotoxins that act on the nervous system of humans by blocking an important enzyme. Recent studies have raised concerns for health effects of these chemicals even at relatively low levels. This study is an important first step in expanding our understanding about the impact of an organic diet” (source) – Dr. Liza Oates
Here is a link to more information on how the Roundup herbicide was recently found to be 125 times more toxic than regulators claim.
The list goes on and on, but bottom line is that there is a tremendous amount of evidence, and it’s great to see countries like Mexico take more steps towards a completely GMO/Pesticide free environment.
For more CE articles on pesticides click HERE. For more CE articles on GMOs click HERE.
Like this article? Then join the Conversation with many others in EWAO !
Sources:
Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 15, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Re our very recent appeal for Danica and the cats at Felix for a second tank of gas:
Well in less than a week the target amount for the new tank of gas has been met and greatly exceeded ! Fantastic work by all; and big thanks to everyone who donated to raise money for the fuel; especially as a couple of really large donations were given – Thank you all !!
Here is a message from Danica about the help that she has been provided with:
Dear friends,
Thanks to you all and due to your overwhelming generosity, all of the funds needed for the new tank of heating fuel have been raised in just a couple of days!
By the end of next week, our gas tank will be filled up again and the kitties will be warm and cozy regardless of the state of the weather outside.
Such a huge weight off of our shoulders!
You guys are absolutely amazing!
All of us here have been left speechless by all of your incredible kindness and we’re humbled and honored to have such wonderful friends!
You all rock!
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, SHELTER - Information, SUPPORTERS, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 13, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Petition Link –
Target: China’s Hunan TV Station
Demand: Cancel the show “Wonderful Friends”
A popular reality show in China called “Wonderful Friends” features celebrities interacting with animals. While the show has done extremely well with 20 million people watching the first episode, it exploits animals and should not be tolerated.
The basis of the show is that celebrities are paired with animals to do human-like activities. For example, an elephant gets a pedicure in one of the shows. In another episode, a baby orangutan is dressed in human clothes, which experts say could lead to alienation among his fellow orangutans.
One particularly sad scene involved a father and son chimpanzee. The baby chimp was taken by a celebrity to “find its father” and the father became violent and emotional when they were separated. Experts say that the reactions of the animals in the show, such as an orangutan smiling, are being mistaken by viewers as “cute.” They are actually signs of fear and stress. Experts also say that the show is unsafe. Wildlife activist Wang Hui, who works with the activist group Animals Asia, said: “When they [the animals] see these strangers, they might become afraid and take action because of the stress, which is very dangerous to human beings.”
Using animals for entertainment is wrong, especially when they are put into situations that are cruel, stressful, and unnatural. This television show is sending all the wrong messages, and should be stopped immediately. Demand that Hunan TV cancel this show.
Petition Link –
Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »
