Farm Animal Voice 187

FARM ANIMAL

VOICE YOUR MAGAZINE FROM COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING

Issue 187 – Spring 2013

PROJECT PIG

The sow stall ban comes into force

LIVE EXPORTS We CAN end the trade without EU permission!

FEEDING THE WORLD without factory farming

HORSEMEAT: THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT CHEAP MEAT

ISSUE 187

FARM ANIMAL VOICE CONTENTS UPDATE

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4 News Animal welfare headlines from around the world 5 Horsemeat Scandal: Join our campaign for clear, honest labelling 6 Project Pig It's official - EU sow stall law comes into force 10 The Big Move One year on and millions of hens are no longer confined in illegal cages

INSIGHT 12 Raw How to feed the world without factory farming 19 Compassionate investment Corporate influence for better animal welfare

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INSPIRATION 20 Twenty years of groundbreaking Compassion We say thank you to Mary-Anne after 20 years of Compassion in Ireland

ACTION 14 Dairy cows need you! Campaigning for dairy cow welfare laws in Europe

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16 Stop Live Exports The campaign heads further afield 22 Get in Touch! Farm animals need you!

Front cover photograph © Shutterstock

Editor Richard Brooks Production manager Sarah Bryan Design Neo – weareneo.com Farm Animal Voice Compassion in World Farming, River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EZ, UK. Enquiries Tel +44 (0) 1483 521 953 (lines are manned Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm) Email supporters@ciwf.org Compassion in World Farming is a registered charity (England), registered number 1095050.

Our Patrons Bishop John Baker, Alexandra Bastedo, Jilly Cooper OBE, Princess Alia Al Hussein of Jordan, Penelope Keith OBE, Bruce Kent, Joanna Lumley OBE, Sir Peter O’Sullevan CBE, Jonathon Porritt CBE, Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO

CHEAP MEAT: THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT’S IN OUR FOOD

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he shocking revelations about horsemeat in beef ready-meals, pork in beef pies, and now even suspicions of donkey meat labelled as beef on supermarket shelves, show that we just can’t trust what food labels tell us.

This photo was taken during Compassion’s 2009 undercover investigation into the live transport trade in horses between Romania and Italy.

Please turn to page 5 to find out how supporting our campaign can improve animal welfare and ensure we all know what goes in our food.

Together, we really can sort this mess out.

Thank you for giving farm animals a voice.

The scandal has been met by outrage.

How did horsemeat get into the food chain and who is to blame? But in all of the debate, it seems that the welfare of horses themselves has been forgotten.

The corruption and contamination issues raised as a result of the horsemeat scandal are just the tip of the iceberg.

The scale and complexity of the food chain are not just bad news for consumers, they are a disaster for animal welfare.

Philip Lymbery Chief Executive My personal blog is available at: acompassionateworld.org or you can follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/philip_ciwf

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Compassion in World Farming is here to make sure horse welfare, and indeed, all farm animal welfare, is not forgotten.

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UPDATE

Food Waste

A new report by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has highlighted some of the ways in which we are wasting food, including poor harvesting, storage and transportation practices; ‘imperfect’ looking vegetables not being sold to consumers; and companies throwing food away. With an increasing strain on food provisions globally, this is shocking, but this is not the whole story.

Farm animals are fed one-third of the world’s cereal harvest. If that cereal were given directly to people, it would feed about 3 billion of us. Farm animals are now in direct competition with us for food.

And the rise of industrial farming means that we are losing out.

For every 100 food calories of edible crops fed to livestock, we get back just 30 calories in the form of meat and milk; a 70% loss.

Compassion’s CEO, Philip Lymbery says: "Factory farms are food factories in reverse; they waste it, not make it; and they waste valuable cropland in the process. People don’t have to choose between eating cereals or meat. We can produce enough to feed our growing population, we just have to stop wasting it. Reducing food waste and ending factory farming go hand-in-hand in ensuring a better and well-fed world for everyone, now and into the future.”

Mixed news on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Thanks to continued lobbying led

by Compassion, the EU Parliament has adopted two of our proposed amendments that would see an improvement to the animal welfare elements of the CAP. This represents a huge step forward. We are delighted that two changes we have pushed for have survived this vital stage in the process. The next challenge is to persuade the EU Member States to accept our amendments Emma Slawinski, Compassion’s Head of Campaigns and Advocacy said: “Compassion has been campaigning hard to ensure these changes were adopted by the European Parliament. We will continue to work hard at each step of the process to challenge the dangerous step away from animal welfare that was in the original proposals.”

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However, the Parliament rejected the opportunity to embark on the fundamental reforms to the CAP that are needed in the interest of food security, the environment and animal welfare.

Peter Stevenson, Compassion’s Chief Policy Advisor, says: “The CAP should help farmers move to much higher standards of animal welfare. It should no longer subsidise cereals grown for animal feed. Animals should instead be reared on pasture or in mixed crop/livestock systems in which they are fed on crop residues and their manure, instead of being a pollutant, fertilises the land. We need a new agriculture that is based on nature not industry. Instead the Parliament has opted for more of the same with just the merest hint of a tint of green.”

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– RICHARD BRIERS – Compassion was saddened to hear of the death of Richard Briers, who was an advocate of farm animal welfare and provided Compassion with fantastic support over many years. His passion for animal husbandry began when he was acting in the hit TV series, The Good Life, and his conviction that farm animals should be raised humanely never faded.

A well known and well loved figure, Richard’s support was invaluable and he will be sorely missed by all of us at Compassion.

ACTION

THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL: EUROPE MUST ACT NOW The horsemeat scandal has given us all a glimpse into an under-regulated and out of control industry. The fact that horse and pig meat slipped into beef-labelled products is a symptom of a broken food system.

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his latest scandal is likely the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is that we clearly, all too often, just don’t know what’s in our food or how it is produced.

With more than 80% of the EU’s farm animals being factory farmed in inhumane conditions; confined, overcrowded, unable to express natural behaviours, pumped full of antibiotics, undertaking long journeys or suffering painful mutilations – the animals that go into many products are likely to have endured a great deal of suffering in their short lives.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY We know that consumers are interested in animal welfare. We know that clear labelling leads to an increase in sales of higher welfare animal products.

We need labels that tell us the truth about what is in our food, and how it was produced.

Public surveys are already showing a marked drop in the sales of processed beef products; and a National Farmers’ Union poll also found that: “More than 86% of shoppers are as likely or more likely to want to buy more traceable food that has been produced on British farms, and 78% agree that supermarkets should sell more food from British farms.”

On your behalf, Compassion is calling on the Government to take the following steps as a matter of urgency: Introduce method of production labelling. Consumers should not only know where their meat came from but also how the animal that provided it was reared. The EU should introduce compulsory method of production labelling on all meat and dairy products.

Reduce the complexity of the food chain so that meat passes through fewer stages between slaughter and sale. Our policy makers must work with food businesses, the European Commission and other EU Member States to agree measures.

Insist on greater transparency in the food chain, liaising with the European Commission and other EU Member States to quickly strengthen EU legislation in this area. Each actor in the food chain should know not just who they bought the meat from but the identity of all the suppliers, starting from the farm of origin, right up until the abattoir.

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TAKE ACTION Join our campaign for clear, honest labelling Please sign and return the petition slip (attached to the bottom of your enclosed letter), urging the new European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, Dr Tonio Borg, to propose urgently needed labelling legislation.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

A SOW STALL IS A METAL CRATE OR CAGE, USUALLY WITH A BARE, SLATTED FLOOR. A STALL IS TOO NARROW FOR THE ANIMAL TO BE ABLE TO TURN AROUND, AND SHE CAN ONLY STAND UP OR LIE DOWN WITH DIFFICULTY. 6

UPDATE

THE SHAME OF BROKEN LAWS AND ILLEGAL ANIMAL SUFFERING Thanks to your support and years of campaigning, on January 1st 2013 a new, EU-wide law came into force that prohibits the use of sow stalls beyond the first four weeks of pregnancy.

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ow stalls confine pregnant pigs in a barren environment so small they can’t even turn around. Pigs stay in these stalls for months on end each time they are pregnant – often more than twice per year. Following many years of Compassionate campaigning against the use of these cruel stalls, in 1999 the UK government took the bold step of banning these cages for pigs.

THE UK LED THE WAY

In 2001, the EU followed the UK’s example. The Pigs Directive lays down minimum standards for the protection of pigs, including a ban on the use of the sow stall, except for the first four weeks of pregnancy. This breakthrough legislation means that the EU’s 13 million breeding sows must now be kept in a group housing system for the majority of their lives, allowing them to move around and interact socially with other sows.

Compassion is now working on your behalf to hold Europe to account and ensure this vital new legislation is enforced in all 27 countries across the European Union.

ban, despite producers having had since 2001 to prepare for it. That’s 11 years of preparation time!

Following some targeted campaigning work, the latest official data suggests that the number of countries breaking the law has now fallen to nine nations.

The numbers can fluctuate, so we take this data with a pinch of salt, but it does definitely show that EU pig farming is slowly moving in the right direction.

That’s why we must use this momentum to keep up the fight.

P.T.O.

CURRENT SITUATION Compassion worked hard with its supporters to ensure the EU-wide sow stall ban came in on time, in full and with no weakening of the law. Together, we succeeded. But early in 2013, initial data from the EU Commission indicated that 17 nations were not compliant with the

At the time of writing, nine countries are still using sow stalls illegally, which is an outrageous flouting of the law. It also creates a very unlevel playing field for farmers who have already changed their sow housing.

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UPDATE

PROJECT PIG Compassion’s Project Pig campaign is working on ensuring all 27 EU nations comply with the ban in full. On your behalf, we are using a variety of tactics ranging from direct political lobbying to media work, campaign actions, stunts, mobilising citizens and challenging powerful food companies to account for the origins of the pork in their supply chains.

AT A GLANCE: ILLEGAL PIG FARMING IN EUROPE Despite having had 11 years to prepare, at the time of writing the following countries are reported to be non-compliant with the sow stall ban: Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland and Portugal*.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, we have just completed an investigation into pig farming conditions and practices in a number of EU states and have more investigative work planned for the coming year.

The crucial evidence we have gathered will be used to shine a very public spotlight onto the illegal farming still taking place in countries across Europe.

Thank you to everyone who donated towards our recent appeal to fund this vital work.

We are delighted to announce that Compassion’s supporters have, at the time of writing, raised a whopping £92,120 in support of the campaign. And, thanks to 28 benevolent supporters, every penny of this will now be ‘match funded’, doubling this amount to a staggering £184,240.

We are delighted by the enormous generosity of Compassion supporters.

Thank you so much.

Please be assured we will use this money to keep up the fight to improve life for farm animals and help get sows out of cages.

Denmark Ireland Belgium

Poland

France

Portugal

Greece

These countries have yet to comply with the sow stall ban. *Data correct as of 13th March 2013.

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Germany

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Cyprus

UPDATE

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR FARMERS AND PRODUCERS Our public campaigning is only part of the story. As well as exposing law-breakers and lobbying for change, we are determined to offer expert help and encouragement for producers in shifting away from the cruelty of the sow stall. We know that to comply with the new legislation, producers may need to convert existing sow stall sheds, re-commission old buildings to satisfy the legal requirements, or invest in new purpose-built sow housing facilities.

SAINSBURY’S TRIALLING NEW IDEAS FOR IMPROVED PIG WELFARE

Compassion has developed a detailed technical booklet for producers that shares best practice advice and presents key elements required for good housing; focusing on space, flooring and bedding and how to manage aggression when mixing sows.

Through our work with leading food companies, we are actively helping to highlight solutions and give practical advice to producers to ensure that any housing system delivers good welfare for sows.

We applaud Sainsbury’s for working with its farmers to help improve animal welfare.

Many of our Good Farm Animal Welfare Award winners are doing great things to ensure farm animals lead better lives, which is having a positive impact across the food industry.

In 2012, Compassion recognised Sainsbury’s for its innovative Pig Concept Farm. The farm is trialling a higher welfare indoor

U THANK YOR FOR YOU SUPPORT

free-farrowing system where sows can build their nests using straw, give birth and nurse their piglets free from the farrowing crate.

This is the largest commercial set-up of its kind, tackling one of the most pressing welfare issues in pig production, and has the potential to transform the industry for the better.

On behalf of the millions of animals whose lives are being vastly improved by our work, thank you.

Without you none of this would be possible.

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SADLY, SO MANY OF THESE INTELLIGENT, SOCIAL ANIMALS CONTINUE TO SUFFER IN CRUEL, ILLEGAL SYSTEMS DUE TO POOR ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS. 10

UPDATE

THE BIG MOVE 1 YEAR ON The 1st January 2012 was a massive milestone for farm animal welfare: the banning of the barren battery cage for hens across 27 countries in Europe. Having campaigned for the elimination of this awful system for decades, Compassion had to fight right up until the last moment to ensure the ban came in on time, in full and without any watering down.

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adly, experience tells us that simply having a law in place is not enough. Animal welfare legislation must be enforced, or it is widely flouted and animals continue to suffer. So as soon as the ban had been secured, Compassion swung into action to campaign for enforcement of the new law across the EU. On the first day of the ban, over 45 million hens were reported as still living in illegal cages across 14 countries.

Since then we have been lobbying individual member states as well as the EU Commission, insisting that the law, which they’d had more than a decade to prepare for, was properly enforced.

Official figures are very hard to come by, but we have had some good news from reliable sources. The current number of hens still confined in illegal cages is now 20 million – in two countries – Italy and Greece. This is a massive improvement, but not good enough.

There is still work to be done.

Compassion won’t rest until Italy and Greece fall into line and get rid of their cruel, barren battery cages. We are ideally placed to do this work as your support helps us lobby at the heart of Europe, backed up by local representation in both Italy and Greece.

1 JANUARY 2012 On the first day of the ban, over 45 million hens were reported as still living in illegal cages across 14 countries.

1 YEAR ON 20 million hens in just two countries remain confined in illegal cages.

Europe has come a long way, but Italy and Greece are letting us down.

Compassion will continue to put pressure on both countries to toe the line.

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Before the ban came into force, more than 250 million hens were in barren battery cages. Despite the work that is left to do, we are proud of what has been achieved. It clearly shows how political lobbying and campaigning for legislative change can result in better lives for millions of farm animals.

What we have learned from the barren battery cage campaign will directly shape our work on improving the welfare of Europe’s pigs (see page 6 for an update).

Sadly, so many of these intelligent, social animals continue to suffer in cruel, illegal systems due to poor enforcement of animal welfare laws.

A HUGE STEP TOWARDS A CAGE-FREE FRANCE Compassion received some amazing news from a well-known French retailer early in February this year: Monoprix, which has 289 stores throughout France, announced that it will only sell free-range own label eggs from April 2013.

Compassion has been working with Monoprix for the last two years, so this significant and historic commitment is a real boost to our food company campaigning. Monoprix is the very first French retailer to say no to battery cage eggs based on animal welfare grounds.

It clearly puts animal welfare higher on the retail agenda and also sends a very strong signal to retailers and the egg industry!

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INSIGHT

Raw: Feeding the world without factory farming Compassion in World Farming’s Raw campaign is kickstarting a revolution to champion better food and farming, for the sake of farm animals, people and the planet. Our focus over the last few months has been on hunger – exploring the impact that factory farming has on food security around the world.

Taking your place at the G8 Table

(high meat) diet. In 2050, we can feed 9 billion people a healthy diet and it will be easier to do so with extensive animal farming than with intensive farming.

In the last issue of Farm Animal Voice, we asked you to join us in urging the UK government to support better food and farming at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland in June 2013. Over three thousand of you reserved your virtual place at the G8 table – an incredible response. Thank you.

We’ve used your signed cards to create a video, which we’ll share in the near future on our dedicated campaign website, raw.info. What’s more, we’ll be passing every single card on to David Cameron, showing him that we want our voices heard at the G8 Summit.

Exposing the Raw truths of factory farming Compassion has commissioned new research from global experts to explore the links between livestock farming and water use, environmental degradation, food security and the spread of disease. Our latest report examines how we can best feed a growing population in 2050. The author, Professor Erb, and his team found that food security is put at risk if,

All our research reports and summary brochures are available to download from ciwf.org/resources or can be requested by emailing supporters@ciwf.org or calling +44 (0) 1483 521 953 (office hours Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

// livestock farming is intensified, // meat consumption is high, and

A better way to feed the world

// crop productivity is low.

Compassion is using this research to challenge the United Nations and global governments to re-think their agricultural policies; to move away from factory farming and to support extensive, small-scale farming, which is better for animals, people and the planet. The UN heard our message loud and clear when we launched our latest research at their annual conference in Rome on Food Security in October 2012. Alongside a diverse range of other Civil Society Organisations at the UN food conference, we lobbied together for better food and farming systems; for transparency in decision making about agriculture; and for strong rules to ensure that big investments into agriculture are responsible.

Why is this? Mainly because animals kept in factory farms eat vast quantities of grain and soya, using more food than they produce. Intensifying farming and increasing meat production both exacerbate this problem.

Putting ruminants outside to feed on grass and forage on land where crops cannot be grown is a more efficient way to produce food than using prime arable land and grain to feed farm animals.

The report also finds that there are just not enough resources in the world for us all to eat a western-style

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Over 3,000 Compassion supporters have reserved a ‘virtual place’ at this year’s G8 meeting in Northern Ireland – thank you! We’ve used the signed cards to create a video, which will be available to watch at raw.info very soon.

Strength in diversity In January 2013, we joined with 100 other NGOs – including Oxfam, Unicef and Save the Children – to demand an end to world hunger. The campaign, ‘Enough Food for Everyone IF’, is working to pressure the most powerful governments in the world to fix the broken food system. Compassion is there to show that good animal welfare will play a critical role in achieving this. Find out more about IF and join the campaign at raw.info/if The movement for better food and farming is expanding elsewhere too. We are helping to lead an ‘Eating Better’

alliance that encourages sustainable diets, which includes eating less but better meat. We are also working in partnership with the Slow Food Movement and ActionAid to support better farming in Italy. These partnerships highlight how vital Compassion’s Raw campaign is, not just to the farm animal welfare movement, but also to a diverse range of other causes.

Working together, we are showing that everyone wants better food and farming. Together, we’re creating a better world for farm animals and each other.

What do these visionaries have in common?

They are all helping to kickstart a food and farming revolution: Over 100 leading thinkers and change-makers such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Joanna Lumley, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Dr Jane Goodall, Dame Vera Lynn, Professor Peter Singer, Peter Gabriel and Tony Juniper all support our Vision for Food and Farming.

The Vision is currently open for signature by respected global figures in fields such as the Arts, business, religion and academia. By encouraging their endorsement for the Vision’s principles, we will achieve greater weight in achieving policy change. Put simply, our visionaries have joined us in calling for farming that is safer, fairer and greener.

The Vision for Fair Food and Farming seeks to achieve global adoption of food and farming policies which respect and protect the interests of people, animals and the planet.

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ACTION

DAIRY COWS NEED YOU Over the past year, Compassion in World Farming has been working with ethical ice cream producers, Ben and Jerry’s and animal welfare organisation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) across Europe. The aim of our campaign is to bring about the first ever EU Directive to protect the welfare of Europe’s 23 million dairy cows.

continues to dismiss calls for species-specific legislation as unnecessary. Compassion does not believe that dairy cow welfare can be protected without a Directive written to establish minimum standards.

THE STORY SO FAR In the last few months, we have taken the Supporting Better Dairy campaign straight to Europe’s citizens.

We have held a peaceful protest in Prague, we have strategically placed miniature cow models around Berlin and launched Ben & Jerry’s ‘Cow Power’ ice cream in a number of EU nations.

We will continue to push the Commission to take the appropriate steps to ensure this is brought about as a matter of urgency.

SHOWING LOVE FOR THE COWS

GOOD FOOD NATION SHARES COMPASSION’S WELFARE GOALS

In February 2013, Valentine cards were sent to MEPs calling for support on the campaign and ‘maxi-cards’ were sent to the European Parliament and the European Commission. A ‘cow choir’ serenaded people in London on Valentine’s Day and, in the Netherlands, a Valentine’s card was delivered to the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee whilst a ‘Guerilla Action’ took place urging Dutch MPs to sign up to the campaign.

Good Food Nation was recently awarded a Good Dairy Award for its outstanding commitment to higher welfare farming in producing its own-label Cow Nation milk.

Good Food Nation puts the welfare of animals at its core – they are treated with the kindness and respect they deserve. Good Food Nation’s dairy model allows each cow to live out its full, natural life, along with her offspring – both male and female calves. The cows even earn ‘pensions’ for their retirement from the milk they produce.

THE TASK AHEAD Thanks to Compassion in World Farming’s incredible supporters, we have been able to investigate the true extent of cruelty that Europe’s dairy cows are suffering, because they have no legal protection. Compassion’s dairy investigation was launched to the media in Brussels in December 2012 and a copy of the film was sent to EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg.

Good Cow Nation milk is sold as skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk. It is available to order at farmaround.co.uk where you can also buy a box of Good Hen Nation cage-free eggs. Find out more at GoodFoodNation.co.uk

Despite the wealth of evidence that dairy cows across the EU are in urgent need of protection, the Commission

TAKE ACTION Please sign our Happy Cows online petition at ciwf.org/happycows to show your support for dairy cow welfare protection. Thank you.

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VIVE LA RÉVOLUTION ANIMALE! And, from France, we have two more good news stories to celebrate…

public and authorities on the many damaging effects of intensive farming: on animals, the environment, farmers’ livelihoods, public health, and food quality.

By raising the issues, we hope to stop French dairy farming from intensifying and following the road taken for pigs and poultry.

The dairy brand, Les 2 Vaches, has joined our campaign to support dairy cow welfare in Europe. It will be promoting the issue with a television advert on main national channels, at peak times; inviting viewers to “Say yes to cow welfare” by signing its Facebook petition at facebook.com/les2vaches

POWYS MEGA FARM DECISION DUE END MARCH 2013 In March 2012, the Welsh Planning Inspectorate held a public inquiry into the mega-dairy farm application in Welshpool, Powys. This application would have seen over 1,000 cows being kept indoors almost all-year-round. In November 2012, despite advice from their own Planning Inspector to reject the proposal, Powys County Council approved the application.

And, on Sunday 3rd March, in Paris, Compassion France joined more than 40 organisations including farmers unions, environmental and animal welfare charities and their supporters in Paris to call for an end to intensive farming in France.

The demonstration was organised by a local citizens group, Novissen, which is fighting a mega dairy project in the north of France on the grounds of the impact it will have on the landscape, on health, on the environment, on farmers and on the animals. Very much like Compassion’s UK campaign that successfully helped stop the building of Nocton Dairies in 2010.

Following lobbying by NGOs, including Compassion and its supporters, the Welsh Assembly Government Planning Inspectorate decided to take charge of making the final decision about this farm. After the announcement made by the Welsh Assembly Government, and as a result of ”changes to Powys County Council’s constitution and committee membership”, the Planning Committee met again to review the application in October 2012 – and rejected it.

The projected dairy farm in the North of France was originally looking for planning permission to build a zero grazing unit, whereby 1,000 dairy cows would be permanently housed. Public pressure has succeeded in limiting permission to 500 cows instead of 1,000.

At the time of writing, the full inquiry is due to take place in March 2013 and will have the final say on whether the dairy expansion can go ahead. Please keep an eye on our website, ciwf.org, for the latest developments.

Beyond this specific project, Compassion France will continue leading new campaigns to inform the general

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UPDATE

STOP LIVE EXPORTS

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride in the battle against live exports from the UK. Following on from the decision by Thanet District Council to suspend the trade in September 2012 and a swift resumption of the trade from Ipswich, things went quiet in the media.

But Compassion in World Farming has continued working tirelessly behind the scenes, to ensure public concerns about this cruel trade are heard, loud and clear.

RAMSGATE: THE ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST CRUELTY

THE UK PUBLIC DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THIS TRADE

In late October 2012, a High Court injunction forced Thanet District Council to re-open Ramsgate port to exporters.

Three sailings took place almost immediately. Ramsgate Council then applied for an injunction to make a permanent ban on the grounds that their port was not suitable for this trade, but later dropped this due to the costs of proceeding along this route.

Compassion in World Farming continues to lobby Defra and the National Sheep Association. We are calling on them to take the necessary steps to end the trade. The vast majority of the trade consists of sheep being sent to slaughter outside the UK and Compassion believes that the sheep sector should respect public opposition to this trade and end the export of British sheep as live cargo.

The RSPCA, who have been inspecting shipments leaving Ramsgate for many months, applied for a judicial review against the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency (AHVLA) on the basis of a lack of facilities at the port, the level of inspections at the port, and the inability to stop shipments sailing in any weather.

Compassion has also released the results of a new YouGov opinion poll which reveals two-thirds (66%) of the British public would prefer British farm animals to be slaughtered in the UK and exported as meat, with just 6% thinking they should be exported live. The British public currently indirectly subsidises the live export trade, as taxpayers fund the policing of ports and inspections of the transporters by government staff.

But 62% of respondents in the same poll thought the companies that export live animals should be primarily responsible for bearing the cost of the trade.

62% of British people surveyed

by YouGov said they do not want their taxes to support the live export trade.

In January 2013, a High Court judge, much to Compassion’s dismay, rejected the judicial review and claimed that the AHVLA had no case to answer. At the time of writing, there is an oral hearing scheduled in late March 2013 to ask for a reconsideration. We will keep you posted on the outcome.

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UPDATE

• Take the lead in pressing the EU to place a maximum limit of eight hours on journeys to slaughter or for further fattening.

In December 2012, a House of Commons debate took place on the issue and a large number of MPs from all parties spoke passionately about the need to end this trade and for it to be replaced by a trade in meat. A position fully supported by Compassion.

• Amend an 1847 UK Act to enable ports to refuse to allow live export consignments to use their harbour.

• Press the sheep and dairy sectors to end this trade of their own volition.

WHAT NEXT? Compassion believes that our politicians can END the live transport trade. Whilst Defra claims that it is powerless to stop the trade due to EU Regulations, there are a number of steps that can be taken by elected British officials: • Go to Brussels and press for a change in EU law to allow individual EU Member States to ban live exports.

On 21st November, a shipment left Ramsgate Port in Force 8 winds, with no thought for the animals on board.

After 2½ hours of trying to cross the channel, the boat, called Joline, had to return to the port of Ramsgate and the sailing was aborted.

• Ensure that the costs of regulating the trade, in particular the costs of pre-export inspections (both at the place of departure and at the port) are borne by the trade not, as at present, by the taxpayer (something supported by the majority of the public in the recent YouGov opinion poll).

THE ISSUE OF LIVE EXPORTS IS NOT LIMITED TO THE UK ESTONIA

The map below shows the most common long distance routes between the European Union and non-EU countries, where our welfare laws don't apply.

LATVIA LITHUANIA

IRELAND

BELARUS UK

POLAND

CZECH REPUBLIC

BELGIUM

SLOVAKIA HUNGARY

FRANCE

ROMANIA ITALY

CROATIA BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

SERBIA

BORDER EU – TURKEY BULGARIA

SPAIN

GREECE

TURKEY

LEBANON IRAQ

TUNISIA MOROCCO

ALGERIA

ISRAEL JORDAN

LIBYA

Cattle exports Sheep exports All EU animals to Turkey COMPASSION’S OPPOSITION IN EUROPE In Europe, millions of animals are exported to countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In January 2013, Compassion in World Farming, working with Eyes on Animals and Animal Welfare Foundation, released footage of the trade passing from the EU into Turkey. One incident involved bulls being transported from Latvia. Having travelled for 5 days, the animals were then stuck at the border for a further 6.5 days due to not having had the appropriate paperwork. Stuck on the truck for almost the entire period at the border, and unable to return to the EU, they were eventually allowed to enter Turkey. Their journey ended 2,000km further down the road, in Iraq, where they are likely to have faced a cruel and inhumane end.

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Please write to your MP and MEPs, asking them to urge the European Commissioner for Health and Consumers to end the inhumane trade in live animals from the EU to non-EU countries, where EU welfare laws do not apply.

In February, the campaign to end live exports took another knock, with the resumption of exports from Ireland to Libya – a country ravaged by war and which the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommend against travelling to unless absolutely essential. Compassion has made strong representations to the Irish Government, who is currently holding the Presidency of the European Council, asking that it does not take on the role of president in any discussion involving the issue of animal welfare. This call was echoed by over 20,000 Compassion supporters who emailed the Irish Agriculture Minister in February as a result of this awful trade resuming.

For the most up-to-date information on our Stop Live Transport campaign, please visit ciwf.org

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BENCHMARKING THE GLOBAL FOOD INDUSTRY’S APPROACH TO FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

Thanks in no small part to decades of campaigning by Compassion in World Farming, the treatment of farm animals involved in food production has become an increasingly important issue for food companies. But to date, there has been a lack of consensus on how the largest global companies should holistically manage farm animal welfare issues in their supply chains and specifically on how they should report on them.

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In order to address this concern, Compassion has developed the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) in partnership with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The Benchmark is the first global measure of how leading food companies address farm animal welfare. It aims to guide and improve corporate performance on key farm animal welfare issues, as well as generate greater transparency within the sector.

The Benchmark is designed primarily as a tool for use by investors who can influence corporate policy, but also for NGOs and other companies and stakeholders interested in understanding the welfare performance of food companies.

The very first Benchmark was launched on 25th February 2013 and represents a bold step forward in our work to improve the performance of the world’s leading food companies on farm animal welfare. The initial report presents the findings of an independent evaluation of 68 leading food companies on their approach to managing and reporting on farm animal welfare issues.

Since its launch, there has been a steady stream of interest from the media in thought-leading publications such as the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Huffington Post.

The Director of Compassion-USA, Leah Garces, also reports an impressive level of interest and acceptance in the Benchmark US, not only from the investor community, but also in the general press and in the NGO community.

In essence, Compassion in World Farming really is in the global driving seat for farm animal welfare – and reform.

None of this work would be possible without your support. Thank you. To find out more, visit: www.bbfaw.com

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INSPIRATION

– MARY-ANNE BARTLETT – A personal reflection on 20 years of animal welfare campaigning in Ireland

by Joyce D’Silva, Compassion in World Farming Ambassador ciwf.org

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20 YEARS A GROUND-BREAKER IN IRELAND

Compassion in Ireland, 1996. Mary-Anne is joined by Boris Johnson's father and former MEP, Stanley Johnson, to support the campaign for Europe to recognise animals as sentient beings. n 1992, Mary-Anne set up a very small Compassion office in Ireland – our first ever overseas location! As she now retires, I caught up with her to review her twenty years of campaigning for farm animal welfare in a predominantly agricultural country, where, back then, farm animal welfare was simply not a recognised issue.

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Mary-Anne distributed thousands of copies of Compassion’s Irish educational film, Good for Farm Animals, Good for Us! to schools and it became widely used in the Civic, Social and Political Education course.

She says it had a massive impact – children would come up to tell her “I saw your film at my school”.

Forging relationships with the farming community was crucial. Early on, Mary-Anne took a Compassion stall at Ireland’s largest agricultural event, the National Ploughing Championships. She initially received angry comments, but over time, many farmers came to respect Compassion, sometimes saying they did not like factory farms either. There was only one issue on which they could rarely agree with her – the export of live animals, which still remains a contentious issue.

Due in large part to her persistent lobbying, the Irish government banned velvetting of farmed deer (the process by which the velvet is stripped from antlers); and finally set up a Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council – and invited Mary-Anne to join it! At last, farm animal welfare was being taken seriously. Codes of Practice were produced and the Irish government took action such as a ban on the electro-immobilization of animals.

Looking back at Compassion's first Irish newsletter, Mary-Anne is delighted to see that, apart from an end to live animal exports, all Compassion’s 1992 goals have been met: EU bans on barren battery cages, sow stalls and veal calf crates and official recognition of animals as sentient beings.

Mary-Anne organised protest after protest against the live export trade – and media interest in Compassion’s work grew in Ireland. By 1995, the leading Irish TV documentary programme, Tuesday File, devoted a whole programme to Compassion in World Farming.

Mary-Anne achieved so much in her time at the helm.

She modestly says it was all due to the credibility of our evidence, support from Head Office, and Compassion’s wonderful supporters in Ireland. But we know she was an absolute star and changed the Irish scene for ever.

Thank you Mary-Anne!

Behind the scenes, Compassion also took action against a subsidy of one million Irish pounds given by the Irish government to fund a new live export ship.

The European Commission declared the subsidy illegal and ordered repayment.

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ACTION

WE CAN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITHOUT YOU For decades, we have been making the world a better place for millions of farm animals.

From ridding Europe of cruel veal crates and barren battery cages, to influencing the food industry to make changes that benefit millions of animals - we are proud of what we have achieved together.

Yet none of our work would be possible without our amazing supporters, fundraisers and volunteers. With so much still to do to end factory farming, in Europe and beyond, we need you now, more than ever, wherever you are!

Please Get in Touch and let us know how you are making a difference!

REMEMBER US – WE NEED YOU! All our supporters are wonderful – but we are especially grateful to those who remember Compassion in their Will. Legacies account for a huge chunk of our income and we have relied on this support to carry out much of our work.

But recently this vital source of income has been declining. Last year, it was a third lower than just four years ago.

As you can imagine, this is a considerable financial blow.

If this trend continues, it could have a huge impact on the work we can do to protect farm animals from terrible suffering. To stop the misery of factory farming, we must be confident that the income we need will be there in the future.

If just 1,000 more supporters remember us in their Will, it will help us transform the future of millions of farm animals worldwide. You don’t have to be rich to leave a small portion of your estate – and you can even use our free Will writing service.

Why not Get in Touch to find out more? Contact Hannah Child on +44 (0) 1483 521 953 or email legacy@ciwf.org

WALK WITH COMPASSION Our annual Walk with Compassion fundraiser is coming up soon – on Sunday 12th May. Last year, our sponsored Walkers raised an incredible £3,000. This year, we want it to be even bigger and better than ever – and in as many places as possible!

If you would like to organise or join in a Walk with Compassion near you, please Get in Touch today. It’s a great way to catch up with friends, meet new people, walk the dog or enjoy some fresh air. And it’s also an invigorating way to raise vital money to help factory farmed animals – so many of whom never experience life outdoors..

Compassion staff will also be Walking with Compassion on the 12th May. If you live nearby, please do come and join us on our 10km-walk around Guildford, Surrey. If you can’t join us or walking isn’t for you, please Get in Touch to sponsor us!

A COMPASSIONATE OCCASION Raising money and awareness for Compassion in World Farming by way of celebratory giving can make a big impact to our work. Imagine how many friends and family members you could inspire to make a difference to the lives of farm animals, simply because you have asked them to donate to Compassion rather than buy gifts you may not need.

Take for instance, our newly-wed supporters, Sean and Laura, and soon-to-be-wed, Lyn and William.

They have asked their wedding guests to give money to Compassion in lieu of wedding presents.

Sean and Laura said of their decision: “Our wedding was such a happy day, filled with love and laughter and knowing that the generosity of our family and friends would be contributing to such a good cause, made it even more special”.

If you feel inspired to celebrate a special occasion and raise money for Compassion, or you have other innovative ways of raising money and awareness, please Get in Touch today!

ACTION

PS: COMPASSIONATE LOCAL GROU LONDON Written by Carrie Thomas, the London Group coordinator.

“Fast-paced city life, with its countless supermarkets, ubiquitous fast food restaurants and quick-fix lunch chains might seem a surprising place to kick start a food and farming revolution. However, we know that our large cities are full of people who care about the food they’re eating and the animal welfare issues involved.

In September 2012, Compassion in World Farming put three such Londoners in touch. Each of us had been active members of the organisation for some time, so we decided to start a local group – and we’re so glad we did.

It’s a great opportunity to bring together like-minded people – we’ve grown in strength and numbers and had lots of fun promoting Compassion. For our first event we took part in Bake with Compassion,

hosting a cake sale in a community garden. We raised over £200 and ate a lot of cake – so a success all round!

We have lots of plans for 2013, including a charity speed-dating night!

We really are a very friendly bunch, committed to spreading the word of Compassion in London in a way that’s positive and enjoyable. We’re keen for new members, so if you’re interested, please get in touch and help us show that the city does care!”

COLLECTION BOXES Our little green collection boxes may look small, but they can raise significant amounts of money for Compassion – and with very little effort. If you know sympathetic shopkeepers, cafés, pubs and hotels in your community who would be happy to have one on their counter, please Get in Touch. We can send you a box (or boxes!) for you to give out, and you’ll be spreading the message of Compassion too!

For more information about joining the London Local Group or a Local Group near you, please Get in Touch!

GET IN TOUCH!

to raise money If any of our ideas have inspired you to take part in for Compassion or you would like get in touch, any of our campaign actions, please need you! wherever you are! Farm animals (office hours Telephone: 00 44 (0) 1483 521 953 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday) Email: supporters@ciwf.org

YOU ARE HELPING

TO FIX A BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM

On your behalf, Compassion in World Farming works tirelessly to ensure farm animal welfare is taken seriously by politicians, food businesses and consumers.

YOUR SUPPORT ALLOWS US TO INVESTIGATE AND EXPOSE THE TRUE COSTS OF FACTORY FARMING, CALLING TO ACCOUNT THOSE WITH THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR FOOD SYSTEM. THANK YOU.

Compassion in World Farming, River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EZ, UK Tel +44 (0) 1483 521 953 Email supporters@ciwf.org Web ciwf.org Compassion in World Farming is a registered charity (England), registered number 1095050.