AR-News: PRESS RELEASE: TRANSPORTED ALIVE, TO THEIR DEATHS

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Van: Rights for Animals [mailto:info at rightsforanimals.org] 
Verzonden: zaterdag 15 mei 2004 19:35
Aan: Rights for Animals
Onderwerp: PRESS RELEASE: TRANSPORTED ALIVE, TO THEIR DEATHS

 

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:
Barbro Nordling
Rights for Animals
P.O. Box 39084
London E9 5WD
info at RightsforAnimals.org 

Transported alive, to their deaths  

EU Agriculture Ministers recently failed to reach an agreement over new rules on animal transport. This means continued long journeys for the 30 million animals transported across Europe every year.

The cause of the horrendous live transports that can be witnessed all over Europe is not, however, due to this lack of agreement, but  springs from much deeper motives. The reason why they take place at all is that nonhuman animals are considered resources which humans use for a variety of purposes, including food. That their interests are ignored in favour of human interests is a clear example of speciesist bias. Speciesism means discrimination  against a being based on the species to which he or she belongs, similar to racism and sexism, which means discriminating against individuals based on the race or sex to which they belong.  None of these  characteristics - species, race  or sex - is however  of any importance                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             in our decision  to respect somebody or not. Animals,  like humans, have the capacity to experience suffering and joy and therefore their lives matter to them. The interests of any individual is the factor which determines the consideration and respect he or she is due.

However, while we fully  recognise and condemn the suffering animals are caused during live transport, we recognise that any sustainable solution to this problem must take into account not only the interest animals have in not suffering, but also their interest in living their lives. This is an often neglected aspect of the journeys; their  final destination is, in fact, the slaughterhouse. It is futile to protest only against the ways in which a wrong is committed; the wrong itself has to be addressed. To condemn transport which exceeds a certain amount of hours, while tacitly accepting other harm caused, such as the breeding and the transport itself, and the  subsequent slaughter of the animals, is comparable to condemning the use of whips by slave owners, while accepting as desirable the institution of slavery itself.

Righs for Animals condemns all suffering caused to nonhuman animals for human benefit as arbitrary and unjustifiable discrimination. The solution we call for is the one that involves full and just recognition of the interests of animals - the abolition of the use of animals as resources and the instituition of legal rights to protect their lives and their welfare.

For information, contact info at RightsforAnimals.org
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