Farmed Animal Watch: Objective Information for the Thinking Advocate
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APRIL 27, 2007 -- Number 13, Volume 7

1. CONGRESS ACTS TO PROTECT EQUINES

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted (277-to-137) to prevent the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from selling for slaughter any wild horses and burros from public lands. There are about 29,000 such equines, according to the BLM which removes some 10,000 of them annually. The April 26th vote aims to restore protection from a 1971 law that was removed in 2004 by a measure inserted in a spending bill. The House voted last year and in 2005 to end the sales but the Senate didn’t act on it. On April 25th, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee passed a bill to outlaw horse slaughter nationally. (It has yet to be voted on by the full Senate.)


BAN ON COMMERCIAL SLAUGHTER OF WILD HORSES, BURROS OK'D
Associated Press, Suzanne Gamboa, April 27, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3cpf3z

 

2. WELFARE ACTION FOR PIGS: TAIWAN, AUSTRALIA, OREGON

More than 70% [21 of 27] of the public slaughterhouses in Taiwan kill pigs in a inhumane manner, according to a 3-year study by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan. The organization says that pigs are hung upside down by one leg and then beaten unconscious before being killed. Video footage brought several lawmakers to tears, and a member of the ruling party has promised to propose an amendment to the country’s animal protection law to bring animals raised for economic purposes under its protection.

On April 20th, Australian agriculture ministers approved new welfare codes for pig gestation stalls. The revised codes call for larger stalls and reduce the time pigs can be kept in them to 6 weeks (down from 16). The changes are to be phased in over a 10-year period. Australia’s animal protection laws exclude farmed animals. Instead, industry and the government outline welfare guidelines in codes of practice. Industry is supportive of the new codes but animal advocates want the stalls banned. Noting that 68% of the country’s pig farmers already comply with the proposed terms of the code, they point to the European Union and large companies in Canada and the U.S. which are phasing out the stalls entirely. Paul Hemsworth, Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre at the University of Melbourne, says that scientific research suggests a combination of stall and group housing yields the best welfare results. The Sydney Morning Herald includes video of pigs in stalls on its website: http://tinyurl.com/2tpwyj.

On April 26th, the Oregon state Senate passed by a two-to-one margin a bill intended to prohibit the use of gestation stalls. The legislation specifies that pigs cannot be confined during pregnancy in a manner that prevents them from lying down, fully extending their limbs, or turning around freely. [This marks the first time in U.S. history that a gestation stall bill has passed an entire state legislative chamber.] The Salem-News article includes a legislative timeline.


PIGS KILLED CRUELLY AT OVER 70% OF TAIWAN SLAUGHTERHOUSES
ThePigSite News Desk, April 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/27ysrb

NEW PIG HOUSING CODE
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Jennifer Macey, April 23, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2nrxk4

RSPCA URGES MINISTERS TO REJECT CONTINUED USE OF SOW STALLS
ThePigSite News Desk, April 21, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3bnbl7

OREGON SENATE PASSES BILL TAKING AIM AT PRACTICE CONSIDERED ONE OF FACTORY FARMING’S WORST ABUSES
Salem-News.com, April 26, 2007
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april262007/cruel_crates_42607.php

 

3. CONTAMINATED PET FOOD GIVEN TO PIGS

More than 60 million containers of cat and dog food have been pulled from U.S. supermarket shelves in recent weeks. The food is believed to be contaminated by two chemicals which, when combined, can cause kidney failure. Chinese suppliers have been accused of intentionally adding one of the toxic chemicals to cause the ingredients to test higher in protein content. It is estimated that 39,000 cats and dogs have fallen ill from the food and that hundreds have died. According to Stephen Sundlof, the Food and Drug Administration’s chief veterinarian, it is common in the U.S. for pet food that doesn’t meet quality standards to be reconstituted into farmed animal feed. Authorities have identified 6,000 pigs in seven states who may have consumed the contaminated pet food or pet food byproducts. As many as 300 such pigs may have entered the human food supply. Officials claim the human health risks of eating animals fed the contaminated food are very low. The surviving pigs are quarantined. They are to be euthanized and the government will pay compensation for them. It is also possible that chickens may have been given contaminated food.


CRIMINAL PROBE OPENED IN PET FOOD SCARE
The Washington Post, Patricia Sullivan, April 21, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/23l765

HOGS THAT ATE TAINTED FOOD TO BE EUTHANIZED
The Washington Post, Rick Weiss, April 27, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/238prb

INVESTIGATORS: TAINTED PET FOOD FED TO HOGS
The Boston Globe, Diedtra Henderson, April 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/22g8a6

FDA: LIVESTOCK FED PET FOOD WITH SUSPECT ADDITIVE
The New York Times, Sarah Abruzzese, April 25, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2ddds7

 

4. NO MERINO MULESING IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand farmers have stopped performing mulesing on merino sheep, a procedure whereby skin around the tail is cut off to prevent flies from laying eggs there (see: http://tinyurl.com/2vwtpy ). Instead, some three million sheep have been selectively bred to be bare of wool in that area. This is said to have been done in an attempt to capture U.S. textile markets, and follows a 2005 declaration of commitment between the U.S., Britain and regional ranchers to establish a timetable for finding an alternative to mulesing. Australia has set a 2010 deadline for ending the practice (see: http://tinyurl.com/2x8lfu ).


NZ FARMERS END MERINO MULESING
ABC Radio Australia, April 25, 2007
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1906081.htm

 

5. VEAL RESUSCITATION

In the 1950s and 1960s Americans ate four pounds of veal a year on average. Today per capital consumption is around half a pound a year. In large part, this is attributed to “the most successful animal rights boycott in the United States.” Decreased supplies of veal due to higher beef demand and smaller dairy herds are also said to be responsible. Alternative production methods are causing some consumers, including former vegetarians, to indulge in veal “without the guilt.” Despite premium prices, sales of veal at D’Agostino, a 20-store supermarket chain in New York, have risen 35% since it began carrying “certified humane” veal only. The article notes: “Farm Sanctuary, an organization that sponsors a campaign urging people not to eat veal, acknowledges that raising animals in pens rather than in individual crates is more humane. But the organization believes, as its president, Gene Baur, put it, that ‘the least objectionable way to do it is on pasture.’” One farmer who now pastures calves for veal admits: “I did raise factory veal — all the chemicals, antibiotics, steroids I used. We wouldn’t let our friends eat what we used to raise. For our own use we were raising humane veal.” Baur adds: “We think vegan is better.” The New York Times ran three letters in response to the article: http://tinyurl.com/youobz (It also ran three letters in response to its Wolfgang Puck article: http://tinyurl.com/3e3qn7 See: http://tinyurl.com/2l2sup )

The Ontario Veal Association (OVA), which represents about 450 farms, has been spiffing up its website, persuading supermarkets to carry more veal, and recently hosted a six-course veal luncheon for the media. OVA President Judy Dirksen also invited members of the media to tour her farm. She explains the basics of raising calves for veal, at one point noting the inquisitive nature of the grain-fed Holstein calves she uses. The article quotes celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain: "It's not nice what they do to calves to make that pale, tender, and attractive meat we so love. But if I tasted that good after being locked up and immobilized in a dark shed, I wouldn't blame anyone for trying." In his book The Ethical Gourmet, American chef and author Jay Weinstein, who uses veal bones to make "ethical brown stocks," wrote: "With the exception of the small amount of humanely raised meat, sold mostly by mail order, veal is produced in reprehensible ways. I won't go into the details, because by now they're widely known." The Toronto Star published three letters in response to the article: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/200057

VEAL TO LOVE, WITHOUT THE GUILT
The New York Times, Marian Burros, April 18, 2007
http://www.twincities.com/restaurants/ci_5746882

THE REAL DEAL ABOUT VEAL
The Toronto Star, Jennifer Bain, April 4, 2007
http://www.thestar.com/article/199070

 

6. MEATLESS ONE DAY

In 2000, total meat consumption, including poultry and fish, reached 195 pounds per person — 57 pounds above the average annual consumption in the 1950s. "Would we all be better off if we dramatically reduced meat to the point of one meal a week? I would say yes," said Dr. Bob Lawrence, director of the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, "But the reality is that, from a public health perspective, if we just get some modest reductions in our intake of saturated fats, it'll have a big impact." Lawrence works in association with the Meatless Monday Campaign, which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by helping people reduce their consumption of saturated fat 15% by 2010. This translates into cutting out meat and high-fat dairy products one day a week. The article notes health benefits of limiting meat intake and includes tips for doing so.

MEAT CAN BE MURDER ON LONG-TERM HEALTH
Forbes, Allison Van Dusen, April 27, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18310903/

 

7. U.S. VEG RESTAURANTS NEARLY DOUBLED IN 7 YEARS

There are 1,000 to 1,200 vegetarian restaurants in the U.S., nearly double the number seven years ago, according to the president of VegDining.com, an online guide to vegetarian restaurants. “…the vegetarian and vegan experience in some cities has blossomed on par with its carnivorous counterparts, complete with Zagat ratings and celebrity clienteles,” notes this Associated Press article. This is attributed in part to advances that have enabled chefs to prepare proteins with taste and texture similar to meat. It’s also due to “an expanded global pantry,” with international dishes now receiving a higher profile. "It's been going on in pockets for years, but it's much more of a trend across restaurants now," explains Eve Felder, associate dean for culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America (New York). "They say it's harder to change people's food habits than their religion or politics," comments the owner of one of the fine dining venues featured in the article. "The door is wide open," Felder remarked.

VEGETARIAN CUISINE GAINS MAINSTREAM MOMENTUM
The Associated Press, Kelli Kennedy, April 26, 2007
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_5754952

8. GOURMET MAGAZINE FEATURING MEATLESS RECIPES

The April cover of Gourmet Magazine announces "Tips from a Vegetarian Chef + Amazing Meatless Main Courses." The issue includes nine mostly vegan recipes in an article entitled “Mission: Meatless” [http://tinyurl.com/2rhzdv ]. Beginning in May, the magazine will include a monthly column featuring vegetarian main courses. In her monthly letter, editor Ruth Reichl writes: "Time has marched on, and now it is becoming increasingly clear that we ought to change our ways. We live in a society that consumes more meat than any other group in history. There are currently more than three billion domesticated cattle, sheep and goats in the world - and that number does not include the 100 million pigs or the 9 million chickens that we consume every year in this country alone. Livestock grazing and feed production now use 30 percent of the surface of the planet, and that takes a toll on the environment. Eating so much meat takes a toll on us as well: Most health professionals agree that we would be better off if we consumed less meat and more vegetables." Pressure cookers for easier vegetarian cooking are also considered (and see: http://tinyurl.com/2nyrrs ).

GOURMET MAGAZINE FEATURES MEATLESS MAIN COURSES AND PROMISES MORE
DawnWatch, Karen Dawn, April 6, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2qvsj2






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Compiled and edited by Cat Carroll and Mary Finelli, Farmed Animal Watch is a free weekly electronic news digest of information concerning farmed animal issues gleaned from an array of academic, industry, advocacy and mainstream media sources.