NEWS FROM GERMANY
SEPT 13TH More
ducks to be destroyed in German bird-flu drive
GERMANY - Duck stocks at two more German poultry farms are to be destroyed as
health officials try to rein in the spread of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza
virus.
Information
on Pro-Med on the German outbreaks
German bird-keepers are now threatened with an indefinite lock-up, causing
welfare problems in particular for waterfowl eg
the case of wet feather, on the left
Joint
Protest against the German Bird Flu Policy
by
29th September 2007
On
line petition at http://www.gegen-stallpflicht.de/?id=280
where
you will need to check the box:
Ich unterstütze die Petition "Freiheit für
's Federvieh".
=
I support the petition "Freedom for Poultry"
and
press absenden
= send
We feel bound to the protection of animals and to the health of humans and
animals alike and reject intensive holdings.
We protest decisively against the current order of having to keep poultry under
cover to fight poultry pest. The
dangerous H5N1 virus type is not a problem in free ranging poultry but in
systems with intensive mass holdings of large animal stocks.
They are endangered by infectious diseases as these sickly bred birds are
kept in tightly close-up conditions in dark stifling sheds under permanent
stress, in conditions hostile to their breeds.
In the open H5N1 can exists only briefly and is very limited to the locality.
The lock-up order makes no sense as it weakens the immune system of the
birds.
We
demand:
-
immediate
and instant retraction of the lock-up order, strict controls of intensive
holdings, of the international net of trade routes and measures against
spreading the virus by the transporting of poultry and ~products, as well as
bringing out excrement.
-
Because
we see the “culling” of healthy animals as a contradiction of the law for
animal protection we demand an end to this method of fighting the pest.
-
keeping
animals free-range in a manner fitting to their type as well as the preservation
and breeding of varied, robust stock is in need of support from
the State.
NEWS UK
RSPCA News from the press
office Friday 25 May 2007: It's Time To Ban The F-Word * Foie Gras
Nearly two-thirds of people in Britain (63 per cent) believe foie gras should be
banned, according to a new poll commissioned by the RSPCA. The production of foie gras is not allowed under Britain's animal welfare laws,
but it is still imported and sold in the UK.
Chloe Alexander, campaigner for the RSPCA said: "Foie gras means
cruelty. Foie gras is produced from the livers of geese or ducks which have been
restrained and force-fed unnatural amounts of food to make their livers
grotesquely fatty and enlarged.Why not send your MP a copy of the RSPCA press
release?
Chief Veterinary Officers from across the world are
backing the move towards a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare which is
supported by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and is being
recognised by a growing number of government authorities and international
organisations.
Members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gave overwhelming
backing to the initiative at their annual meeting in Paris on Friday 25 May. The
WSPA-supported initiative for a Universal
Declaration for Animal Welfare working with HSI, RSPCA, CIWF, IFAW and the ASPCA
to be adopted by the UN is currently gaining momentum around the world:
• A global petition is close to achieving 500,000 signatures from members of
the public all over the world
• Government authorities in Kenya, India, the Philippines, Costa Rica and the
Czech Republic are officially backing the Declaration
To find out more about the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare visit
the Animals Matterwebsite http://www.animalsmatter.org/
