Farmed Animal Watch: Objective Information for the Thinking Advocate
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MaY 5, 2007 -- Number 14, Volume 7


SUICIDE FOOD: "Animals that Desire to be Eaten."
http://suicidefood.blogspot.com


1. MILLIONS OF CHICKENS FED MELAMINE

As many as three million chickens from an Indiana producer were given feed containing melamine (see: http://tinyurl.com/39zk64) and have been sold for human consumption. Hundreds of other producers may also have given chickens contaminated feed and sold them as food in recent months, federal health officials report. In California, officials are attempting to locate some 50 people believed to be in possession of meat from pigs who were given contaminated feed. Both federal and state officials recommend the meat not be eaten but also say the health risks from it are considered minimal. Since none of the animals have been reported to have sickened from the feed, and little is believed to have accumulated in their flesh, no recall is planned. However, little is known about how the toxin interacts with other compounds in food. An additional 100,000 Indiana chickens who ate contaminated feed in February are to be euthanized and their owners financially compensated by the federal government.

For years the use of melamine in pig, poultry and fish feed in China has been an “open secret.” The nonnutritive chemical, derived from coal, is used to make the protein content of feed appear higher than it actually is. Chinese regulators banned its use in vegetable proteins on April 27th following the pet food scandal but they have issued no recall. The presence of melamine in any food in the U.S. is illegal, and the Food and Drug Administration has issued a detention alert for a number of suspect ingredients imported from China (see: http://tinyurl.com/2rgm36). Critics have renewed accusations that the agency is not adequately screening imported food. (The U.S. is expected to import $70 billion in agricultural products this year but only 01.3% of imported food is inspected: http://tinyurl.com/3cnzem) A company recall of pet food, begun March 21st, has now been expanded to include additional products in Canada, Europe and the U.S.: http://tinyurl.com/ywqf5d

CHICKENS JOIN LIST THAT ATE TAINTED FEED
Sacramento Bee, Deb Kollars, May 2, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/164794.html

OFFICIALS TRACKING DOWN POSSIBLE TAINTED PORK
The Record, April 25, 2007
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/A_BIZ/704250309

MILLIONS OF CHICKENS FED TAINTED PET FOOD
The Washington Post, Rick Weiss, May 2, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050102071_pf.html

FILLER IN ANIMAL FEED IS OPEN SECRET IN CHINA
The New York Times, David Barboza and Alexei Barrionuevo with Rujun Shen, April 30, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30food.html

 

2. BUSH SIGNS ANTI-ANIMAL-FIGHTING LAW; LA. COCKFIGHTING BAN

President signed into law on May 3rd a bill which, effective immediately, adds felony-level penalties to interstate activities which promote or encourage animal fighting (see: http://tinyurl.com/2999s3). Cockfighting is a felony in 33 states and remains legal only in Louisiana. (Dogfighting is illegal throughout the U.S. and is a felony in 48 states.) Many anti-animal-fighting laws carry a punishment of no more than a year in jail. Violators of the new federal law will face up to three years in jail.

A Louisiana House committee has unanimously agreed that cockfighting should be banned but not until 2009 (see: http://tinyurl.com/2999s3). A competing bill in a state Senate committee, which has yet to debate it, seeks to ban cockfighting immediately. Members of the House Agriculture Committee tried but failed to agree on a bill last year. The main contentions now are whether to ban cockfighting immediately or phase it out, and whether it should be a misdemeanor or a felony. Supporters of a phaseout say that people involved in cockfighting should be given time to sell the roosters and find new ways to make money. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) launched a $75,000 statewide radio campaign this week to promote an immediate ban. (The ads are accessible on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/2jq4av) The organization argues that no other state that banned cockfighting has phased it out. The House bill makes cockfighting a misdemeanor with penalties of up to six months in prison and $1,000 in fines. It next goes to the full House for debate. To become law, any final version of the bills must clear both House and Senate and be signed by the governor. HSUS also wants a state law reversed that exempts chickens from the state anti-cruelty law: http://tinyurl.com/3dw2fr


ANIMAL FIGHTING GETS FELONY STATUS
Associated Press, Matthew Daly, May 3, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1151AP_Animal_Fighting.html

LA. HOUSE PANEL OKS BAN ON COCKFIGHTING IN 2008
Associated Press, Doug Simpson, May 3, 2007
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/61192.html

COCKFIGHTING BAN ADVANCES, BUT LONG PHASEOUT CRITICIZED
2TheAdvocate, Will Sentell, May 4, 2007
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/7327896.html

 

3. CAMBODIAN COCKFIGHTING

"The money is going to destroy our traditional game," a police officer complains about
Cambodia’s recent transformation of cockfighting “into little more than bloodsport for the wealthy.” Legislation to regulate cockfighting has been proposed by a deputy prime minister, a reputed fight fan who hosts high-end tournaments at his home. Officials say they hope the legislation, which skirts the issue of gambling, will bring order to the activity and revenue from ticket sales. While cockfighting is legal, betting on the matches is not but the authorities largely ignore it. Growing moral revulsion is also reported to be impacting the activity’s popularity. The article notes: “Fights that were once a rarely fatal test of strength between cherished pets have become brutal gladiator matches that do not end until one bird is so badly mutilated it can no longer strike back. Broken bones, deep slashes, punctured lungs and gouged eyes are all common injuries suffered as fight organisers rush to pair up as many birds as possible in order to keep the gamblers happy.” Seng Savorn, Press Director at the Council of Ministers counters: "We respect the roosters' rights, and if one bird wins, it becomes a hero. If you view (cockfighting) in a negative way it might seem like animal torture, but viewed positively it promotes the sport." The on-line article includes photographs.


BIG MONEY RUINING CAMBODIAN TRADITION OF COCKFIGHTING
Agence France-Presse/Sawf News, May 2, 2007
http://news.sawf.org/Lifestyle/36602.aspx

 

4. LAST U.S. HORSE SLAUGHTERPLANT GRANTED A REPRIEVE

With a 2-1 vote on May 2nd, a U.S. Court of Appeals granted an emergency request by Cavel International to allow it to temporarily continue killing horses. The court is considering the Belgium-owned company’s appeal of a lower court’s March 28th decision to halt federal inspection of its Illinois slaughterplant, which shut it down (see: http://tinyurl.com/24r5jj). Cavel had argued that the plant will otherwise go out of business while the case is being considered. In a dissenting opinion, Judge Judith Rogers pointed out that the plant stayed in business despite a two-year closure due to a fire, and that the company now no longer has any U.S. competitors. The slaughterplant had been slaughtering about 1,000 horses a week.

ILLINOIS HORSE-MEAT PLANT GETS REPRIEVE
Chicago Tribune, John Biemer, May 3, 2007
http://www.star-telegram.com/100/story/89513.html

 

5. LISTEN & LOOK

“As an industry, we can sometimes be insensitive to common practices,” veterinarian Brian J. Gerloff admonishes in an article in Dairy Herd Management. He gives the length of time it took the veterinary profession to oppose the practice of starvation-induced-forced molting of chickens as an example [http://tinyurl.com/27bpa]. Gerloff, who operates Seneca Bovine Services in Marengo, Ill., advises: “What is needed instead is a willingness to actively listen to concerns raised by critics of some current practices — and listen without preconceptions. We need to objectively look at our animal-husbandry practices as an outsider would. And we must look beyond the emphasis of profit and performance.” He urges others “to be able to look our animals in the eye,” since “ultimately, the responsibility to improve our industry is our own.”

LOOK YOUR FOOD IN THE EYE
Dairy Herd Management, Brian J. Gerloff, May 1, 2007
http://www.dairyherd.com/directories.asp?pgID=727&ed_id=6427

 

6. VEGAN STYLE

When it comes to fashion, “the next trend to watch is vegan,” announced the April 23rd episode of NBC’s Today Show. A guest from Lucky magazine [http://www.luckymag.com] showed viewers how to be “sexy, stylish and animal-friendly.” The May issue of the magazine showcases vegan accessories (handbags, shoes, belts and wallets) which “provide an affordable, fashionable alternative” to those made from animal products. There’s now even a fashion blog to help locate “cruelty-free” style options: http://veganfashionblog.com The trend is attributed to designer Stella McCartney [Paul and Linda McCartney’s daughter]. “[S]he's going to infect every industry with her way of thinking," claims Lucky accessories director, Christine Frey, “She's upping the style quotient.” Although the use of only plant-derived materials tends to be a bit pricier, Frey notes that consumers have shown a willingness to pay a little extra for “green” products. And while McCartney is among the few high-end designers trying to avoid the use of leather, wool and other animal products, trendy designer knockoffs (“cheap chic”) has increased the availability of stylish vegan shoes and accessories at budget stores such as Payless and Target. "The materials industry has come a long way," remarks a Payless spokesperson, "The technology has come a long way and we're taking advantage of it."

“You can buy a pair of man-made plastic shoes, but how much damage will they ultimately do to the environment? Did workers in third-world countries suffer to make them?” asks Ashley Worley, owner of Firefly shoe store. In an article entitled “Leather: Dead Skin, Environmental Nightmare,” Bruce Friedrich, with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), states that fur and leather “have adverse environmental impacts that far outpace their faux fur and pleather (i.e., faux leather) counterparts.” He explains: “…even if it says “Made in Italy” (or wherever), the materials are very likely sourced from the cheapest possible country…More than half of leather comes from China or India, where animal welfare and environmental regulations either don’t exist or are not enforced.” Friedrich relates numerous “shocking” abuses he witnessed inflicted on cattle in India. He goes on to tell about “horrible” things experienced by “human workers and anyone unfortunate enough to live near a leather tannery (all poor people, you can rest assured)” The “nasty stew of toxic chemicals” used to process leather creates “an eco-disaster many times greater than [that caused by] creating a synthetic leather.” Links to various PETA videos are included throughout the article.

DESIGNERS THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING FASHIONABLY
The Associated Press (The Birmingham News), May 3, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/28dl88

ANIMAL-FRIENDLY ACCESSORIES FOR HIPSTERS
Today Show, April 23, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18269937

STYLE GOES VEGAN
The News & Observer, Samantha Thompson Smith, April 16, 2007
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/564665.html

LEATHER: DEAD SKIN, ENVIRONMENTAL NIGHTMARE
Common Dreams, Bruce Friedrich, April 30, 2007
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/30/863






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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.