Good News! YES to CCTV in slaughterhouses.

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Excellent news!  Animal Aid has reported that despite the government being reluctant to encourage slaughterhouses to install CCTV, supermarkets Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, the Co-op, Asda, Lidl, Tesco, Iceland, Marks & Spencer and the wholesalers Booker, have all agreed to only deal with slaughterhouses that have independently monitored CCTV cameras installed.

Animal Aid is now working with the supermarket chains to ensure that the footage taken is monitored properly and that any incidents that break the law are dealt with effectively.

Do you remember back in November when we were contacting the supermarkets to ask them to consider this?  Isn't it great to have a success!

Animal Aid reports that one slaughterhouse has actually closed down due to their exposé which also resulted into legal action against nine workers and four slaughterhouse operators.  The case was dropped in September 2010 by Defra but most of the workers will not be allowed to slaughter again.

Another positive development is that the University of Bristol are using the footage obtained in order to train vets and Soil Association inspectors and government agencies and veterinary bodies are discussing how to implement changes to improve animal welfare in slaughterhouses.

This campaign has brought the horror of slaughter to the attention of the public and has also encouraged many people to adopt a meat free diet.

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Whaling Round Up

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This year's International Whaling Commission takes place this month and it is an ideal opportunity for our friends at WDCS International, IFAW and HSI to plead with the US government on behalf of the wales.  Representatives from 89 countries (both pro whaling and pro whale protection) gather in Jersey for this meeting.

News from WDCS

WDCS is currently asking for signatures on a petition which urges the US government to impose sanctions on Iceland for its out of control whaling.  So far, 200,000 people have protested leading WDCS to expect an announcement from President Barack Obama's administration at some point soon.

Please add your name to the protest here.

What about the EU?

WDCS is working to ensure that if Iceland joins the EU, it must give up whaling.  The Dutch and German parliaments have already passed resolutions making Icelandic whaling a "zero tolerance" issue. 

News from HSI

At the top of the IWC agenda is whether to create an ocean sanctuary for whales in waters neighbouring the Caribbean.  Unfortunately, four Caribbean island nations continue to vote against protecting whales each year, thus voting against a proposition that would be both a blessing for the whales and their own region.

Please click here and enter a few details to write to these nations asking them to support the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.


News from IFAW

IFAW reminds us that Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to kill hundreds of whales.  Japan slaughters three different species of whales under a disguise of "scientific research".  Iceland and Norway are harpooning hundreds of minke whales and defying the global ban on whaling.  These three countries will target over 1,700 whales this season.

IFAW are encouraging government officials to join the global consensus for the conservation of whales.  More pressure is needed though so they are asking us to tell the UK Government to take action in order to end whaling.

Following these links and entering a few details can really make a difference, please remember to spread the word.  Thank you.

Good News about Whaling in the Antarctic

 

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It's a pleasure to share the following great news with you!

Japan has called its Antarctic whaling fleet home which means there will be no more whaling there this year!  Last season 507 whales were killed and in comparison 172 whales have been killed this year.  It would be ideal if no whales were killed but at least this is progress as this could have huge impact on the future of Antarctic whaling.  For WDCS's complete article have a look here.

Whales in the North are still a target for whaling fleets belonging to Japan, Norway and Iceland so we do need to keep the pressure up.  If you can spare some time to visit the WDCS site, they have prepared an e-mail for you already which you can send to the US government asking them to take action.  Click here to send. 

Remember to tell your friends...

WHALING BAN STAYS!

After two days of talks in Agadir - Moscow, delegates from the IWC were unable to agree on a proposal which would see commercial whaling being legalised. Therefore the ban still stands. However, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue whaling outside the IWC sanctions.

Despite presentations by pro-whaling advocated the majority were not convinced by their arguments that killing whales via commercial whaling was acceptable. It has also been rejected that quotas be given whilst the ban still stands. (Quotas meaning the amount of whales killed)

Australia and the Latin America countries were clear in their opposition and after weeks of uncertainly the EU took a strong position and rejected the proposed deal but is still willing to negotiate. The pro-deal advocates did not push their proposal to a vote so they didn’t risk being publicly rejected.

WDCS anticipated further discussions but calls on the world to realise that the old world view of whaling is over. Nicolas Entrup the spokesperson for WDCS in Agadir says “We now call on governments to work together to ensure the moratorium is implemented fully and effectively ending commercial, and so-called scientific whaling, which have no place in the 21st century. WDCS believes that the IWC has a strong future, but not one that legitimizes this cruel, unmanageable and unnecessary industry.”

The IWC meeting now continues and will now be looking at agenda items including a demand from Denmark that Greenland is allowed to expand it’s hunt to include 10 humpback whales per year.

WDCS Report
IFAW Report

Action Alert: Whaling

It's been a while since I posted some campaigns and action alerts so here is a call for help from the Humane Society of the US asking for people to assist them in contacting President Obama and asking him to make the moratorium on commercial whaling stronger as the current plan being considered by the International Whaling Commission which would give approval to Japan, Norway and Iceland participating in commercial whaling.

If you follow this link it will take you to a ready prepared e-mail but you may need to spend a bit of extra time on this one as the HSUS ask you to add your own comments.

Here are some suggested additions:

The proposal will not save whales--it will kill them.

It will allow whaling in the Antarctic Southern Ocean Sanctuary.

It will stimulate new whaling markets rather than close out struggling subsidized industries.

The proposal is not based on sound science. The quota numbers used are based on politics.

The proposal does not address animal welfare issues.

The proposal was developed using a process that prevented civil society from having any input or role in the negotiations.

I had a bit of trouble with the link so if it doesn't work please e-mail me at the.animal.news@googlemail.com and let me know and I'll direct you to the page another way.

Take Action on Whaling in Norway

Some wording and figures taken from Peta UK.

Despite an international ban on commercial whaling, Norway will this year hunt and kill nearly 1,300 minke whales in defiance of the ban. Only one per cent of Norwegians eat whale meat regularly and the majority agree that the suffering whales endure is unacceptable. Despite this, this year's quota is the highest in 25 years.

Norway has a new Animal Welfare Act however has made no provision for marine mammals within the Act. There is no known humane way to kill whales, they are shot with exploding harpoons and rifles and can endure an hour of suffering before death.

It is not only Norway who are rebelling against the ban, both Japan and Iceland also continue to practice whaling.

How Can We Help?

Please follow this link which will direct you to a ready prepared letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg asking him to stop the suffering of whales today and to live up to Norway's desire to be seen as a progressive and modern country by promoting whale watching, not whale hunting. Simply enter your name and e-mail address, click send and make a difference. If you can spare some more time perhaps edit the letter to voice your own opinion about this.