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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