Animals Australia s investigations in the Middle

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1 Animals Australia Campaign Update Forging Progress in the Middle East Animals Australia s investigations in the Middle East have once again resulted in significant welfare outcomes for animals in recent months. In November, regulations were introduced in Bahrain that prohibit sheep purchased from the government s feedlot to be transported in the boots of cars. The positive development resulted from footage obtained by Animals Australia s investigators of the abuse of animals at Bahrain s major feedlot airing nationally in Australia on 7.30 Report in February and A Current Affair in October last year. In January, the Greater Amman Municipal abattoir in Jordan became the first in the Middle East to introduce pre-slaughter stunning for both cattle and sheep. This historic development, which will significantly reduce the suffering of animals, has resulted from Animals Australia exposing cruel treatment of animals in Jordan and bringing the evidence to the attention of HRH Princess Alia. In further good news, Australian animals are still not being exported to Egypt as a result of Animals Australia s investigations there in 2006, saving hundreds of thousands of animals from brutal treatment. The progress that has been achieved by Animals Australia in the Middle East so clearly reveals the importance of exposing animal cruelty. We are enormously grateful to our supporters for funding these crucial investigations that have provided a voice for animals for the first time in the Middle East, whilst increasing pressure on the Federal government to end live export to the Middle East. Ab Fab Star Speaks Out for Farm Animals Most Australians know acclaimed British Actress Joanna Lumley OBE for her starring role as the memorable Patsy in the hit British TV series Absolutely Fabulous. For over twenty years Joanna has also been an outspoken advocate for Compassion in World Farming, using her celebrity status to passionately campaign against the cruelty of factory farming. During that time Joanna has been imprisoned in a human-sized battery cage in London, driven a protest tractor to the National Farmers Union, taken a piglet to Parliament, led meetings with ministers, lobbied the European Parliament in Brussels, and added her own indefatigable energy and compassion to scores of events, from marches to fundraising dinners to press conferences. As a vegetarian, Joanna says it was a natural progression for her to direct concern for farm animals towards forging links with Compassion in World Farming; first as a celebrity face, and then as a patron during the 1990s. One of the joys of being recognised is that one can use it to bring issues that matter to the public s attention. So it was that I came to play my cameo role, in a star performance by Babe the pig outside the Houses of Parliament in 1996, when we appealed for recognition of animal sentience. Joanna has also campaigned fervently for battery hens, in 1991 memorably joining a nun and three other celebrities crammed into a cage in Covent Garden (London) and speaking out on the cruelty of cages on many occasions since. Hailed by many as the single biggest victory for animal welfare in recent history, in 1999 the EU agreed to ban barren battery cages for laying hens from Most recently Joanna has taken a prominent role on behalf of better conditions for Europe s factory farmed pigs, joining with UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in his TV expose Jamie Saves Our Bacon. She also urged consumers to shop more compassionately, buying only higher welfare products. Check out what Aussie celebrities have to say about factory farming at SaveBabe.com! Sow stalls are like battery cages intolerable cruelty to produce our food, she said, going on to describe the docking of piglets tails without anaesthetic as barbaric. In Joanna Lumley, farm animals, have a true champion. Without doubt, the well-placed public compassion of Joanna Lumley has helped inestimably to raise awareness of the suffering of factory-farmed animals in the UK and Europe and to achieve the welfare reforms to date. With thanks to Carole de Fraga, CIWF Regional Representative 37 O Connell St, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051 ph: (03) fax: (03) Mar 09

2 The Battle for The Battle for Bobby Calves Next month Agriculture Ministers may rubber stamp new standards which will allow totally unacceptable treatment of bobby calves the tragic waste-product of the dairy industry. Few people realise that each year in Australia dairy farmers dispose of almost one million calves. Why? Because dairy cows do not automatically produce milk like females of any species, they produce milk to feed their young. To maintain high milk production, dairy cows must be impregnated and give birth to a new calf every year. On day one of their lives, the newborn calves are taken from their mother s so that the milk nature intended for the cow s baby can be harvested for human consumption. What Happens to Dairy Calves? At five days of age the calves not considered useful to the dairy industry (virtually all males and some females around 955,000 calves annually) are loaded onto a trailer or ute, sold to a calf buyer and assembled with hundreds of others for transport to a slaughterhouse. These baby calves (called bobby calves) are not easily moved and are therefore prodded, pushed and even thrown by frustrated handlers. Many calves are transported long distances (e.g. from Gippsland Vic to southern NSW) and may go without food for 36 hours. A three year Victorian study found that the rigours of handling and long hours of transportation led to the death of many calves. The study s documented rate of death suggests that around 6,000 vulnerable dairy calves die every year either on transport trucks or whilst waiting at the abattoir prior to slaughter. Advocating for change In 2008, Animals Australia provided much needed input to the national review of Land Transport of Livestock Standards and Guidelines standards which will dictate the handling of Dianna Simpson bobby calves. One major focus was to improve the appalling treatment of dairy calves. It was particularly upsetting that even with support from Government animal welfare officers, scientists, RSPCA, land transport and abattoir representatives who were on the review group no significant changes were passed which would improve the current handling of bobby calves. Dairy Australia and other livestock industry representatives would not agree to any changes that would reduce the suffering of these young vulnerable animals. Animals Australia advocated important reforms including that calves be at least 10 days of age before transport and sale; that a maximum limit on the duration (6 hours) and distance they may be held and transported; and that calves not be deprived of milk. The proposed new Standards drafted by Animal Health Australia do not include any of these reforms, and even fail to require that baby calves be fed at the abattoir if they are held overnight. You Can Help! Only public pressure is going to make our Agriculture Ministers recognise that treating calves as waste products is completely unacceptable. Please write to your state agricultural minister to express your outrage at the proposed Land Transport Standards which fail to address the most basic welfare needs of these sensitive animals. (Find your state minister at AnimalsAustralia.org/ministers or ring us for assistance on ) Cruel Glue Traps Banned in Some States Some good news for mice! The Victorian Government updated its Prevention of Cruelty to Animals regulations in December 2008, and one welcome change has been a ban on individuals using glue traps for rodents. Animals Australia brought this issue to national attention several years ago, leading to a National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare Position opposing glue traps. The Victorian ban follows similar bans in the ACT and Tasmania, and we expect other States will follow. Glue traps consist of a plastic tray filled with non-hardening glue, and are often available in the cheap import stores. Scientific testing (not in Australia) revealed that of 40 mice stuck on glue boards, 35 survived for 24 hours during which they struggled to free themselves, and become coated in the glue. The injuries and distress is extreme, with some mice breaking limbs, pulling out patches of fur and skin, and suffocating as the glue covers their face hence Animals Australia calling for these cruel devices to be banned. If you have a problem with an occasional mouse in the house humane box-style mouse traps are available at hardware stores to enable you to relocate your unwelcome guest!

3 Recreational Fishing New Code Acknowledges Suffering! fact that fish feel pain is another of those inconvenient truths that many The in our society would rather ignore. This is why Animals Australia is pleased that we have achieved major changes to a new national recreational fishing code. One in every five Australians goes fishing they find it enjoyable. But for the fish it is anything but an enjoyable experience. Scientific research has proven that the lips and Shade Achieved for Calves at Saleyards Shepparton is in the midst of Victoria s northern dairying district and its saleyards can overflow with bobby calves. In mid-january investigator Diana Simpson found a group of calves without shelter in the cement yards suffering severe heat stress. Complaints were immediately lodged and video footage dispatched to authorities. Animals Australia took up the case with Shepparton City Council management owners and operators of the saleyards. A senior manager quickly acknowledged a previous commitment to erect shade cloth for all calves on hot days had been breached. New arrangements are now in place, and there will be no more calves held in unroofed yards. The Council has also approved funding for the entire saleyards to be roofed and work will be completed by the end of this year; the protection will therefore be extended to all animals going through that facility. New Animal Law Book A new law book published by Animals Australia reveals for the first time the exemptions, defences and inconsistencies in current laws that permit cruel treatment to millions of animals in Australia particularly in factory farms and the live export industry. Written by Dr Malcolm Caulfield, the Handbook of Australian Animal Cruelty Law uses Animals Australia s attempts to obtain legal justice for animals such as the landmark Western Australian Al Kuwait live export cruelty case to illustrate the dire need for legal reform. The book has been provided to all law libraries, Departments of Agriculture, State Government Animal Welfare managers, and RSPCAs across the country, and will assist legal professionals to decipher state and federal laws, as well as to effectively represent and prosecute animal cruelty cases in Australia. mouths of fish are particularly sensitive, and fish show the physical and behavioural signs of pain and fear when hooked or netted. Little Nemo s reaction to capture and separation from his family is not so far-fetched! More than 15 years ago Animals Australia strongly argued at the National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare for fish to be protected by law, and for the introduction of a strong Code of Practice to educate fishers. Fisher representatives were so concerned that they lobbied to have our representative (Glenys Oogjes) removed as chair of the sub committee drawing up a national position on recreational fishing! Not surprisingly the fishers representatives would not even admit fish felt pain. Reluctantly they merely accepted that fish they caught could be damaged and be less likely to survive (if released) and thus should be treated humanely. Since then the scientific literature and public debate have progressed some fish species Would You Like Your Council to go Cage-Free? Last year Hobart City Council became the first in Australia to go cage-free committing to not using battery hen eggs during council functions. Launceston and Clarence councils in Tasmania quickly followed, and Marrickville Council in Sydney has also gone cage-free. It is terrific that these city Councils are taking an ethical stance against the cruelty of the battery cage system. After being approached by Animals Australia to take a similar stand, we were delighted to be informed by the Melbourne City Council that their caterers were already using freerange eggs for council functions. Sydney City Council has agreed to review its policy after being contacted by Animals Australia. And the ACT Government (which baulked at banning battery cages!), will from May this year ensure its agencies (hospitals, schools and canteens) serve only cage-free produced eggs. While state governments still refuse to ban battery cages, it is tremendous to see individuals and institutions taking a stand against animal cruelty by refusing to purchase battery hen eggs. have been found to have long memories, to recognise individuals, and even to warn others of dangers such as fishing trawlers approaching. Last year the recreational fishing industry leaders (as part of an Australian Animal Welfare Strategy initiative) finally reviewed their deficient 1995 Code of Practice. Yet again they tried to avoid any focus on fish welfare. It took a scathing submission and complaint from Animals Australia, but significant changes have been achieved. There is now a new emphasis on reducing suffering both of fish that are captured and released (a common practice), and on killing fish quickly and effectively if they are to be retained. The next challenge is to have this improved Code enforced! The new Code is available at See for more information on fishing. As residents and ratepayers, you too can approach your local council and request that they go cage free! Animals Australia has prepared a professional pack that you can present to your Council which provides compelling arguments to support your request. If you would like to help battery hens by encouraging your council to go cage-free please contact Sarah on or sarah@animalsaustralia.org. Sarah will be very happy to send you the cage-free council pack and to provide you with any advice or assistance that you may need.

4 New Evidence of Abuse in the Middle East Animals Australia s Appeal to Farmers an open letter published in rural papers to encourage farmers to not export animals to the Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) resulted in significant additional media coverage including the front page of the WA rural paper The Countryman. Whilst it is not possible for us to know how many farmers heeded our appeal, what we do know, is that as a result of this important initiative the media spotlight was firmly placed on the ethics of the live export industry, said Glenys Oogjes, Animals Australia s Executive Director. There are no excuses at any time of the year for exporting animals, but LiveCorp and Meat & Livestock Australia know that the risks of animals being brutalised during the Festival of Sacrifice increases ten-fold. Their failure to alert farmers to the dreadful treatment animals receive during this festival reveals once again that their focus is purely on profits. In December Animals Australia investigator Lyn White travelled to the Middle East for the Eid to bear witness to the treatment that Australian animals were subjected to. As the crucial footage and photographs Lyn obtained reveal even in the most affluent UAE cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi Australian and other sheep, goats and cattle were not spared from abuse. The saleyards at Abu Dhabi abattoir were full of thousands of Australian sheep. Purchased sheep were being roughly dragged from the group and then trussed on the ground. At times there were 30 to 40 Australia sheep with their legs bound and chests heaving in fear lying on the ground waiting to be wheel-barrowed to boots of cars. Animals Australia will once again mount major public initiatives against the live export industry this year based on new evidence obtained by our investigators. If you believe, as we do, that no animal should have to endure the suffering caused by live export from Australia, please support our efforts by donating to our live export campaign. Animals Australia Action Network Animals Australia s Action Network has been hard at work over the summer period with plenty of market stalls and letter campaigns. Crowds at festivals and expos across the country have been greeted by Animals Australia s colourful stalls and compassionate message. From the Mind Body Spirit Festival, to the Big Day Out, to the Sustainable Living Festival, and of course the Melbourne Pet and Animal Expo. A wonderful cast of volunteers have braved some scorching summer days (and a few rather wet ones) to speak up for animals. Meanwhile the Action Network writing teams have had a string of letters published in major newspapers and many more letters have been sent to politicians and industry. These letters call for a ban on duck shooting, an end to live exports and better treatment of farm animals, to name just a few of the topics that keep this great team of writers busy. When speaking of letter writing, we can t go past the amazing efforts of Jenny Moxham, who last year got an astounding 111 letters to the editor published! With each letter being read by hundreds, or even thousands of people, Jenny has singlehandedly reached tens of thousands of people with a message of kindness to animals. Well done Jenny, you re a shining example of what can be achieved with dedication and passion! California Victory for Farm Animals! Californians waking up on November 3rd last year knew that this day brought with it unique opportunities. As a Democrat stronghold they knew that they had the opportunity to throw their voting power behind Barack Obama. Californians were also being asked to vote on Proposition 2 an initiative to ban the worst abuses of factory farming. Proposition 2 was jointly supported by animal protection groups, veterinary associations, political parties, religious groups, local businesses, healthcare professionals and many influential journalists. It was opposed strongly by agribusiness who spent US$9 million in their campaign to have it defeated. Oprah Winfrey dedicated a whole show to the debate allowing millions of Americans to view the living conditions endured by factory-farmed animals. Whilst Californians voted in their droves for Barack Obama, incredibly even more voted to pass the new Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. Proposition 2 passed by a 27-point margin (63.3 YES to 36.7 NO) with Californians overwhelmingly rejecting the cruel treatment of farm animals which occurs on factory farms. The new law will forbid the confinement of farm animals in a manner that inhibits their ability to turn around easily, fully extend their limbs, lie down and stand up which effectively bans battery caging of egg laying hens, gestation crates (stalls) for sows and veal crates. Proposition 2 will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals, said Jennifer Fearing, campaign manager for the YES! on Prop 2 campaign. The people of California acted with compassion and decency and will help propel our fight here and across the country to protect farm animals from unacceptable cruelty. Californian farming operations have until January 1st 2015 to implement the new space requirements for their animals.

5 Merchandise Symbolic Adoptions All proceeds from the sale of these products go directly to Animals Australia s campaigns to expose and fight animal cruelty. Natural Soy Candles Adopt a pig or lamb and help to end the suffering of real animals. Your symbolic adoption package includes an adorably soft toy with a My future is in your hands neck tie, plus a symbolic adoption certificate. (No, we won t send you an actual pig or lamb!) These luscious soy candle are handmade by Ecoya s master candlemakers with non-petroleum wax for a longer burn that s better for you, and the environment. These exclusive Animals Australia designs feature the quote All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Save Babe Symbolic Adoption Size: 30cm tall Price: $35 Code: SBPLUSH Lamb Symbolic Adoption Size: 30cm tall Price: $35 Code: LAPLUSH Wild Frangipani Natural Soy Candle Price: $22 Code: WFCAN Sandalwood & Amber Natural Soy Candle Price: $22 Code: SACAN T-shirts Animals Australia Unisex & Ladies Tee Sizes: Ladies XS (6) Ladies S (8), Ladies M (10), Ladies L (12), Ladies XL (14), Unisex XS, Unisex S, Unisex M, Unisex L, Unisex XL Code for Ladies: AALSHIRT Code for Unisex: AAUSHIRT Live Animal Export Unisex & Ladies Tee Sizes: Ladies S (8), Ladies M (10), Ladies L (12), Ladies XL (14), Unisex S, Unisex M, Unisex L, Unisex XL Code for Ladies: LELSHIRT Code for Unisex: LEUSHIRT SaveBabe.com Ladies Tee Sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 Code: SBSHIRT FreeBetty.com Ladies Tee Sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 Code: FBSHIRT Stickers SaveBabe.com Stickers Size: 200 x 55 mm Price: $10 Code: SBSTIC Cage Eggs are a life sentence Stickers Size: 200 x 55 mm Price: $10 Code: CESTIC Shopper Bags Show off your compassion for animals whenever you go shopping with these stylish reusable green shopping bags! Live Animal Export - Indefensible Stickers Size: 255 x 65 mm Price: $10 Code: LESTIC Compassionate Shopper Bag Price: $6 Code: CSBAG SaveBabe.com Shopping Bag Price: $6 Code: SBBAG

6 sb-front.pdf 18/06/ :14:51 AM whyveg_front_print_may08.pdf 5/29/ :39:54 PM DVDs and CD-ROMs Causebands Show the world you care with a compassionate causeband! Available in three vibrant colours with animal-friendly messages. SaveBabe.com CD-Rom This CD-Rom features a video that will take you down the halls of an Australian pig factory farm, where most of the pigs raised in Australia come from. Please share this with friends and family to help shed light on the suffering endured by these intelligent animals. Price: $5 Code: SBCD Live Export: Indefensible DVD Video Documentary film about live animal export and Animals Australia s Middle East investigations in Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Oman. Narrated by Animals Australia investigator Lyn White. Price: $5 Code: LECD 100% Cruelty-Free (green) Stop Animal Tests (red) Meat-Free Zone (blue) Price: $5 Code for Green: GRBAN Code for Red: REBAN Code for Blue: BLBAN Flyers Speak up for animals with our glossy double-sided A5 campaign flyers! Leave them on shop counters, in waiting rooms, at market stalls; hand them out in public or simply share with your friends. Each available in packs of 50 for $4. For the animals. For our own health. And for the planet. Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein Live Exports Save Babe Free Betty Factory Farming Why Veg? See the full catalogue in our secure online shop! Visit AnimalsAustralia.org Order Form all merchandise prices include shipping within Australia or NZ Code Description Size Quantity Unit Price Total I would like to add a donation to my order: $ Total: $ Please complete the order form then post or fax it to: Animals Australia, 37 O Connell Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 fax: (03) ph: (03) Name: Day Time Phone: Postal Address: State: Post Code I enclose my cheque or money order (payable to Animals Australia ) OR Please debit my VISA Mastercard Diners AMEX Card Number: / / / Name on card: We will send campaign updates to your address if supplied. Expiry Date: / Signature:

7 You are their hope for a kinder world. It is hard to imagine not being able to nurture one s young, not being able to walk, breathe fresh air, or to interact with one s own kind. It is hard to imagine the agony of having your tail, teeth or beak cut off without pain relief or to wake up each day, knowing that this day, like all before it, will bring nothing but fear and suffering. Yet this is the reality for some 500 million animals in Australian factory farms each year. With no laws to protect them, you and Animals Australia are these animals hope of a kinder world. With your support we can remain on the frontline investigating, exposing, campaigning and providing a voice for these animals. This year we need your help more than ever. Australians have opened their hearts for the human and animal victims of Victoria s tragic bushfires but the many millions of animals suffering each and every day in this country at human hands need people to care about their plight as well. We know that our supporters are unique. You care, as we do, about all animals, and about ensuring that not a single one is forgotten. This is why we are inviting you today to join us on the frontline by becoming a Frontliner for Animals. Making a monthly donation is the most effective way to assist us to end cruel animal industries in Australia. They need you, and we need you. Please, join us on the frontline today. CU09-1-FFA Please sign me up as a Frontliner for Animals! I wish to make a monthly pledge of: $15 $25 $50 $100 Other: $ Name: Address: Please debit my: VISA Mastercard AMEX Diner s Club Post Code: Telephone: We will send campaign e-updates to your if supplied Card Number: Name on Card: Expiry: / Signature: For other payment options, including direct debit from your bank account, please call Please return to: 37 O Connell St, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 Fax: (03) Or sign up online at AnimalsAustralia.org