AR-News: Viva! URGENT UK Horse Exports Letter

[סמדר]

FW: Viva! Campaigns Update
From: email at Viva.org.uk
Subject: Viva! Campaigns Update
Viva! 
8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH, UK 
Tel: +44 (0)117 944 1000 Email: info at viva.org.uk 

Web: www.viva.org.uk  http://www.savethekangaroo.com 

 
Please do not reply to this email. Contact us at: info at viva.org.uk 

URGENT CAMPAIGNS UPDATE: APRIL 2004 

Live Horse Exports from the UK: 

Vital EU Meeting Within Days 



Because of the appalling conditions exposed by campaigners many years ago, Britain introduced measures to end the export of live horses to Europe for meat. These protections are now under threat, largely because our own government, for reasons which are inexplicable, refuses to act to keep Britain out of the meat horse export trade. 



At a meeting in Luxembourg next Monday and Tuesday, it is likely that the new provisions contained in the EU Regulations on the Welfare of Animals During Transport will be adopted. Because they contain a few improved welfare conditions, such as training for staff handling horses and individual partitioning of animals, they are being presented as a major advancement. In fact, these regulations will sanction journey times lasting several days and so-called rest periods that don¹t require the horses to be off loaded. Proper watering and feeding under these conditions is impossible and the overall impact will be a disaster for the animals. 



The European Commission has indicated that it is willing to seriously consider any provision our Government wishes to put forward that would maintain the exclusion on UK horses and ponies being exported live for slaughter. Last year, the Government department responsible, Defra, seemed willing to act and wrote that it was looking for ³the best way to protect British equines². It now says that ³a ban or other attempt to restrict live trade from the UK would be illegal² and appears to have no willingness to exploit the opportunity to negotiate that the Commission has given them. 



All animals forced to undergo long-distance transportation suffer from stress and many also endure physical and mental deprivation and injury. Viva! is extremely concerned about the effect the proposals will have on all animals and welcomes the vote by MEPs to limit all journey times to 9 hours. This vote is, however, not binding on the Commission and although we hope that the Regulations will not be formally adopted, we also believe that Britain must take any opportunity to prevent this potentially disastrous step backwards in welfare for horses. 



Horses suffer particularly badly when exported as they do not travel well and become highly stressed when forced to mix with others, as they do on transport. Italy is the main importer of horses for meat, which holds out the prospect of British animals undertaking extremely long journeys to the south of Europe. Our successful campaign to curb the export of Polish horses to Italy has shown that overcrowding, dreadful injuries, inadequate watering, feeding and rest are all commonplace. Enforcement of existing regulations is inadequate and nothing in the new regulations suggests it will get any better. Monitoring is often non-existent and conditions in Italian horse abattoirs are shocking. 

We cannot explain why the Government is so reluctant to act on this issue but time is running out to persuade them to change their minds. The transport proposals are due to be discussed and adopted at the meeting of EU agriculture ministers next week. Please apply pressure to the Government to take a stand on animal welfare: write to the Minister responsible for horse welfare, Alun Michael as soon as possible. More information will be available on our website by the end of today, Wednesday, (click on Urgent Action) but there is no time to lose. Please copy the following letter or, even better, compose your own: 

Dear Mr Michael 


As you know, draft EU legislation on animal transport means that British horses and ponies will shortly be exported to the Continent for meat. The Commission has indicated that it is fully prepared to consider a provision from the UK Government to maintain the exemption for horses and ponies but correspondence from your department indicates that you are unwilling to do so. This is inexplicable. 

All animals forced to undergo long-distance transportation suffer from stress and many also endure physical and mental deprivation and injury. Horses suffer particularly badly as they do not travel well and become highly stressed when forced to mix with others, as they do in the export lorries. Italy is the main importer of horses for meat, which holds out the prospect of British animals undertaking extremely long journeys to the south of Europe. Viva!¹s successful campaign to curb the export of Polish horses to Italy has shown that overcrowding, dreadful injuries, inadequate watering, feeding and rest are all commonplace. Enforcement of existing regulations is inadequate and nothing in the new regulations suggests it will get any better. Monitoring is often non-existent and conditions in Italian horse abattoirs are shocking. The only way to ensure none of this happens is to ensure that horses are not exported in the first place. 

The Government has already alienated those concerned with animal welfare by its stance on fox hunting and it has disappointed many who hoped for stronger action on the question of live exportation of farmed animals. The exportation of horses for meat would be both a welfare disaster for British horses and a public relations disaster for the Government. You have the power to ensure this doesn¹t happen. I look forward to your reply. 

Yours sincerely 

Send to 

Alun Michael MP 

Defra 

Nobel House 

17 Smith Square 

London 

SW1P 3JR 


Government Refuses to Ban Religious Slaughter 


The Government finally issued its statement on slaughter without 

prestunning at the beginning of April. Despite the Farm Animal Welfare Council¹s call last year for the practice to be banned, the Government refused to implement any ban and is only seeking a number of very minor changes on a voluntary basis. Viva! condemns the Government¹s decision as a disastrous missed opportunity to end an intolerable practice. The Government has now embarked upon a consultation period lasting twelve weeks, at the end of which they may alter their policy in some respects. Viva! is currently studying their position in detail and we will be providing a detailed response soon. You can find out more about the campaign by clicking here http://www.viva.org.uk/Viva!%20Campaigns/ritual_slaughter/index.htm
Marks & Spencer Under Pressure 


Our Day of the Ducks against Marks & Spencer at the beginning of this month was another great success. Leafleting took place at around 180 stores and hundreds of thousands of members of the public were informed about the shocking conditions that ducks are reared in for M&S. You can find out more about our investigation and the day itself by clicking here <http://www.viva.org.uk/Viva!%20Campaigns/Ducks/dotd.html> . Marks & Spencer are clearly incredibly sensitive about this issue and we firmly believe that they will change policy if we can sustain the pressure. Please send our e-postcard to M&S Chief Executive Roger Holmes by clicking on the button on the left of the screen. 


As ever, if you would like any more information about any of our campaigns, check out our website www.viva.org.uk
http://www.viva.org.uk
or get in touch with us directly ­ contact details at the top of this email. 
 Thanks again for all your support.
 





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