New Zealand Vegetarian Society » What Can You Do?

Ban Live Exports from Australia

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:15:42 +0000

The incredible story of Bill and other animals has emerged after investigation footage of animals exported live from Australia was filmed by Animals Australia investigators in Indonesia recently. Please join us, Animals Australia, and RSPCA Australia to demand justice for Bill and all animals exported live through the live export trade.

You can watch Bill’s story and cast your vote at Ban Live Export

(Please note that the second half of the video is very difficult to watch.)

If you can’t bear to watch all of the video, you can still protest about this. There is a form letter to sign, or you can write your own, and you can share it through Facebook or Twitter. Please do this – we can make a difference from here.

‘Medical’ Abuse of Animals in the USA: a success story with more you can do

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 02:46:59 +0000

After a long campaign by PCRM and its members, Massachusetts General Hospital has ended its lethal use of sheep in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses! Given the status and reputation of Mass General in the medical community this is a monumental achievement, and make no mistake about it, this would never have been possible without your dedication and commitment. This decision by one of the world’s most prominent hospitals supports the superiority of medical simulation—rather than live animals—for trauma training.

Since PCRM launched its public effort on Mass General in October 2009 with a peaceful demonstration in Boston, you and others have sent more than 38,000 e-mails to hospital leadership. Now we need to keep that momentum going. Please take a moment to ask the president of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., to end its use of pigs in ATLS training immediately.

Baystate is currently the only ATLS program in Massachusetts—and one of the last in all of the United States and Canada—that continues to use live animals. The American College of Surgeons, which oversees ATLS courses, has approved the use of human patient simulators such as the TraumaMan System to teach these courses, but at Baystate, trainees learn on live animals. After numerous invasive procedures are practiced on the animals, they are killed. Baystate continue to use pigs for this training despite the fact that it already owns the TraumaMan System simulator.

So far, the responsible faculty members and administrators have ignored our pleas to change their methods. Please contact the president of Baystate today.

Thank you for all of your help and for all that you do for animals.

Christchurch Animal Aid – We Need You!

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:05:30 +0000

SAFE is assisting with the Christchurch relief effort for people and animals who are separated and to support animal welfare groups on the ground. We have set up the Animal Aid facebook site which lists all the resources for those who have lost animals and those who have found them, in an attempt to link everybody up.

This Animal Aid site is for Christchurch people who have lost or found animals following the catastrophic earthquake. Please BECOME A FAN too, then SHARE with friends to help us unite people with their beloved animals. Let’s help lessen their worry and suffering.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Aid-Christchurch-Earthquake/128399143899998#!/pages/Animal-Aid-Christchurch-Earthquake/128399143899998

Silo Occupation Exposes Hen Cruelty

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:50:18 +0000

MEDIA RELEASE 20 February 2011

The plight of New Zealand’s three million battery hens has prompted a daring lock-on demonstration on top of two silos at a battery hen farm in Tuakau, south of Auckland, at first light this morning.

Two activists, who are chained to two seven-metre high metal fixtures, say the sound of tens of thousands of battery hens in the sheds below is keeping them motivated and determined to stay overnight. One of the chained activists, Deirdre Sims, says while their occupation is unlawful they are prepared to be arrested in the interest of helping caged hens in New Zealand.

Local SAFE campaigners have joined a crowd of 20 demonstrators protesting outside the farm along the roadside. The national animal advocacy group says it wholeheartedly supports this peaceful demonstration as it coincides with its own NoCages campaign launched last week, calling for a ban of battery cages.

“We totally understand their frustration and conviction, given the scale of animal abuse happening inside factory farms like the one they are occupying. It should be the battery hen farmers being challenged by the law, not those advocating for the better treatment of battery hens,” says SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor.

“The New Zealand public is growing ever frustrated that two decades of Government inaction and failures to adequately amend animal welfare legislation still has the majority of layer hens in cruel cages. New Zealand claims to be a world leader in animal welfare but three million hens suffering inside cages is nothing to be proud of,” says Mr Pryor.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), which reports to the Minister of Agriculture, issued the draft welfare code for layer hens on 8 February for public consultation.

“NAWAC is foolishly recommending simply replacing existing battery hen cages with another cruel system called colony cages. This is a totally ridiculous position for NAWAC to take, which is why SAFE is calling on the public to make submissions calling for a total ban on all cage systems. Over 3000 e-card submissions have been sent to the Government since the code review process began,” says Mr Pryor.

For more information contact SAFE campaign director, Eliot Pryor, on 021 1899 226.

Hen Code Proposes Cruel New Cage System

admin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:48:47 +0000

MEDIA RELEASE

8 February 2011
The draft welfare code for layer hens, released for public consultation today, has left animal advocates outraged and questioning the logic of the Agriculture Minister’s animal welfare advisors. The code proposes to ban existing battery cages on the basis that they fail to comply with welfare standards, yet allows their replacement with equally cruel cages.

National animal advocacy organisation SAFE says that the draft code, developed by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), intends to phase out existing battery cages over a yet to be determined period but possibly not until 2030. The group is at a loss to understand why NAWAC would allow so-called ‘enriched’ cages (also referred to as colony systems) that do not provide the animals with adequate living conditions.

“These modified battery cages provide largely illusory improvements for the hens. The enrichment features, a nest box, perch and scratch pad, are of such minimalist design that the cages still do not meet the hens’ behavioural and welfare needs,” says SAFE director Hans Kriek.

”Enriched cages provide each hen only 600 square centimetres of usable space, this is smaller than an A4 sheet of paper, nowhere near enough for the animals to lead a normal life. As a result, these cages are condemned by international animal welfare agencies and are already banned in Germany and Austria. It is ludicrous to introduce a cage system that is already banned overseas on the grounds of cruelty,” says Mr Kriek.

“NAWAC would have us believe that these new, modified battery cages provide significant animal welfare benefits and that New Zealand egg producers should invest millions of dollars in these cages. These modified cages, with their token accessories, will not be accepted by the New Zealand public as a humane alternative,” says Mr Kriek.

Last year SAFE successfully convinced the Government to ban cruel sow crates. Eight out of ten New Zealanders are opposed to battery hen cages and SAFE believes that it is time for the Government to listen to the public’s concern and introduce a complete ban on the caging of all commercial laying hens.

This week SAFE launches its NoCages campaign, urging New Zealanders to make a submission calling for an immediate ban on cages for hens.

For more information, contact SAFE director, Hans Kriek: 027 446 2711.

For information on the campaign and to sign a submission visit http://www.nocages.org.nz

Animal Testing Ban Successes

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:15:26 +0000

Together, we continue to save lives and stop cruel training practices! We recently learned that PCRM was successful in ending the use of rabbits and pigs in trauma training courses at two Canadian medical facilities.

In a pediatric trauma training course in Hamilton, Ontario, trainees made an incision between live rabbits’ ribs and inserted a plastic tube into the animals’ chest cavities. In another course at Hamilton Health Sciences, up to 91 pigs per year were used in a course in which needles were inserted into the animals’ chest cavities and the sacs around their hearts. Pigs were also used in a trauma training course at Saint John Hospital in New Brunswick. Both hospitals now teach these crucial lifesaving procedures with medical simulators modeled on the human body.

PCRM urged course directors and administrators at both medical centers to adopt nonanimal training methods. We also filed a federal complaint against Hamilton Health Sciences with the Canadian Council on Animal Care before the hospital confirmed that it had replaced animal use.

These victories are part of PCRM’s highly successful United States- and Canada-wide effort to replace the use of animals in Advanced Trauma Life Support courses. With your help we have saved thousands of animals from being used in these courses and advanced medical training at dozens of facilities across North America. Please help us make Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., the next program to replace animal use by e-mailing its CEO and chief of trauma.

Thank you for your continued work on this important effort and your support of PCRM.

Very truly yours,

Ryan Merkley
Manager of Research and Education Programs

Sow Stall Ban First Important Step

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 02:03:58 +0000

The government has taken the first crucial step to improve pig welfare in New Zealand by announcing it will ban the use of sow stalls from 2016.

SAFE, which has fiercely campaigned for three-years to end sow stalls and farrowing crates, says it welcomes the announcement, although it is disappointed that the ban excludes farrowing crates – an equally cruel confinement system.

“SAFE is delighted the government has finally accepted that sow stalls are cruel and in breach of welfare legislation. The five-year phase-out period, however, still means that over 15,000 sows will continue to suffer in sow stalls until 2016. It is great to know sow stalls are finally going after so much lobbying and campaigning but we remain mindful that pigs are not yet free,” says SAFE director Hans Kriek.

“With a ban on sow stalls now in place, SAFE will focus its attention on farrowing crates, which are used by over 60 per cent of the pig industry.. The organisation will continue to lobby for a ban on farrowing crates, as research shows these confinement systems are just as cruel as sow stalls,” says Mr Kriek.

Since the government is unlikely to take further action in the short term, SAFE is stepping up its consumer focus and beginning to encourage supermarkets to take meaningful animal welfare initiatives by not stocking pork products from suppliers who continue to use sow stalls.

“It is up to consumers to get the pigs out of their cruel crates sooner than 2016,” says Mr Kriek. “Eight out of ten New Zealanders are opposed to sow stalls and farrowing crates. SAFE plans to urge New Zealand supermarkets to follow the example of Coles, Australia’s second largest supermarket chain, by refusing to buy pork from farms that still use sow stalls.”

“Supermarkets must start taking some responsibility for how animals are being raised on factory farms. Consumers don’t want pork products produced on factory farms and it is time supermarkets heeded the wishes of the New Zealand public,” says Mr Kriek.

“It is encouraging to see New Zealand following the lead of the UK, which banned sow stalls over a decade ago, but there is a long way to go before we see an end to pig cruelty in New Zealand,” says Mr Kriek.

Going vegetarian one day a week can make a big difference

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:56:48 +0000

By Carol Misseldine

in the Marin Voice

Posted: 11/05/2010 10:30:00 AM PDT

The indefensible impacts of factory farms, including unspeakable animal suffering, environmental devastation and human health, are well known.

Yet over 95 percent of meat, dairy and egg products consumed in the U.S. still come from these operations. Even in “green” Marin, most fast food outlets, grocery stores and restaurants rely on factory farms for the food they offer.

The unconscionable suffering inflicted on animals should be reason enough to end these horrific operations. In a recent Washington Post column, Princeton University philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah identifies factory farming as a practice our descendents will condemn us for, just as we now condemn the once accepted practice of slavery.

The fact that animals experience fear, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, joy, empathy and compassion is callously ignored on factory farms. Worldwide, 58 billion land animals, including birds, pigs and cows, are slaughtered for food each year; 10 billion in the U.S. That’s 31 million each day in our country alone. Most live miserable lives and die horrific deaths.

Extreme overcrowding on factory farms prohibits many from turning around or stretching their limbs for their entire lives. The dehorning, castration, tail docking and beak-trimming treatments routinely forced on farm animals without painkiller would be punishable by criminal charges if inflicted on our pets.

Since most people say they do not want animals to be abused, supporting factory farms by purchasing their products is inconsistent with most people’s values.

The environmental impacts are also devastating. Livestock production is a major contributor to biodiversity loss, land degradation and water consumption, and contributes at least 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Much of this impact comes from growing and fertilizing feed for livestock; 16 pounds of plant protein are needed to produce one pound of beef protein. A U.N. study found that “a shift “… to vegetarianism in the U.S. could reduce land and fertilizer demands of Mississippi Basin crops by over 50 percent, which would return nutrient loads to levels at which the Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ was small or nonexistent.”

Eating vegetarian one day each week reduces environmental impact to a greater extent than eating a completely local diet. Switching to a plant based diet results in greater reductions than switching from a sedan to a Prius.

When it comes to our health, research continues to underscore the impacts of the “Standard American Diet” (SAD), characterized by high consumption of animal products and low consumption of plant based foods. Cultures that eat the reverse of SAD have a lower incidence of obesity, cancer and heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Dietetic Association, and former President Bill Clinton all promote the benefits of a plant based diet.

Some suggest free-range farming as an answer.

While this is a step in the right direction, there is simply insufficient land to pasture the 58 billion animals killed for food each year to meet current global demand. Living sustainably, and compassionately requires a reduction in our reliance on animal products.

Any major social change has relied on people of conscience to highlight indefensible practices and insist on higher standards. Factory farming is a blight on animal welfare, the environment, and human health. What we do with that knowledge defines who we are.

As Jonathan Safran Foer writes in his book, “Eating Animals,” “We can’t pretend ignorance, only indifference. The critique of factory farming has broken into public consciousness. We are the ones of whom it will be fairly asked: What did you do when you learned the truth about eating animals?”

Cutting Costs With A Vegetarian Diet

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:28:34 +0000

Check out this page from Meat and Egg Free for great ideas on helping your food budget.

Cutting Costs

$2 million Anti-Factory Farming Fund Launched

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:43:54 +0000

8 November 2010

A two-million-dollar fund is being launched today to challenge cruel factory farming practices in New Zealand in an effort to stop widespread animal suffering on factory farms. National animal advocacy group SAFE will administer the fund and says the Animal Justice Fund (AJF) will act as a national watchdog for factory pig, chicken and battery hen farms.

The Animal Justice Fund has been established to promote animal protection through strategic litigation, public awareness campaigns and the prosecution of persons or businesses who commit offences against animals on factory farms or through commercial practices.

The Animal Justice Fund is financed by former Kathmandu founder and philanthropist Jan Cameron. Ms Cameron and SAFE are confident that the AJF will have a significant impact on cruel farming practices in New Zealand.

“Ms Cameron is a passionate supporter of SAFE’s factory farming campaigns and has, over the last four years, donated more than A$35million to various human and animal-related causes in Australia and New Zealand,” says SAFE director Hans Kriek.

“The Animal Justice Fund will enable SAFE to step up its public awareness campaigns and provide a strategic opportunity to take court action against companies who mislead consumers about the origins of their products. SAFE may even challenge, in the High Court, welfare codes that allow ongoing abuse of animals,” says Mr Kriek.

The Animal Justice Fund will also provide rewards of up to $30,000 for information provided by farm workers and other industry insiders who expose animal cruelty that leads to a successful prosecution or a significant animal welfare outcome.

“In New Zealand, no routine inspections of factory farms are carried out by animal welfare enforcement agencies. This means that animal welfare standards are not properly monitored, let alone enforced, and the suffering of millions of animals goes unnoticed. The need to encourage those who witness cruelty to come forward is more critical than ever,” says Mr Kriek.

Ms Cameron has initiated a similar Animal Justice Fund in Australia where she has contributed A$5million. SAFE is extremely grateful for Ms Cameron’s generosity and willingness to help factory-farmed animals in New Zealand.

“Ms Cameron has a proven track record as an astute business woman and she will bring that same level of determination to the campaign to improve the lives of millions of abused factory-farmed animals in New Zealand,” says Mr Kriek.

For more information contact SAFE director, Hans Kriek on 027 446 2711.

Photographs of animal cruelty on New Zealand factory farms or examples of SAFE’s new ‘Animal Justice Fund Whistleblower’ advertisements, that will soon be appearing in rural newspapers, are available on request. For more information visit: The Animal Justice Fund