Re: Grassland options for smallholding
Derek Moody
<farmin...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>On Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:19:30 +0000, Old Codger
><oldc...@anyoldwhere.net> wrote:
>
>>grey...@gmaildo.tcom wrote:
>>
>>> Nettles are incredibly hard to kill.
>>
>>SBK? Seems to keep nettles under control here.
>
>Nettles are good for you and the environment
>
>Nettles As with dandelions, most gardeners aren’t too pleased to find
>nettles in their flowerbeds. However, as well as being handy for
>cooking and making tea, nettles have been shown to relieve the pain of
>arthritis. In a study carried out at the University of Plymouth,
>stinging nettle leaves were applied to the hands of 27 arthritis
>sufferers each day for a week. The results were compared to the effect
>of using the white deadnettle leaf, which doesn’t sting. The stinging
>nettles were found to significantly reduce pain. It’s thought that
>this is because of the serotonin and histamine they contain.
>
>Also called "devil?s plaything" or "stinging nettle," this plant is
>best known for the extremely irritating substances injected by its
>hairs into the Skin upon contact. Nettle leaves, however, can be used
>nutritionally and medicinally for many beneficial purposes. It helps
>in digestion, kidney function, and blood circulation. Although used in
>Europe to stimulate the secretion of mother?s milk, this property has
>not been clinically proven.
>
>The Health Benefits of Dandelion & Nettles in Horse Diet
>The Dandelion ~ Taraxacum officinalis
>This common weed will come into flower in Spring, bringing forth
>flowers from April to November. The dandelion is a storehouse of
>minerals especially iron, copper and potash. Copper being especially
>important as an activator of zinc in the body. Zinc being necessary
>for wound healing, fertility and white blood cell production.
>Dandelion also contains more vitamin A & C than most other vegetables
>and fruit.
>
>Traditionally in Spring, the young leaves have been used in salads to
>stimulate and cleanse the digestive system, the blood and the kidneys.
>The leaves have a proven reputation in relieving fluid retention
>whether due to heart oedema or an excess of sodium and therefore can
>help to relieve high blood pressure. The high iron content of both
>leaves and root helps to combat anaemia. The root is used as a liver
>remedy especially useful in relieving bilious disorders.
>
>Encourage the dandelion to flourish in your pastures; it is
>non-poisonous and entirely beneficial. A few leaves shredded into a
>mash feed can only improve your horse’s health.
>
>One of the ingredients used in the De-tox tonic remedy available from
>the Equine Herbalist
>
>The Stinging Nettle ~ Urtica dioica
>A plant so common that it is found on nearly every piece of waste
>ground. Despite their sting (easily relieved with the juice of a dock
>leaf crushed in the hand, or a drop or two of pure Lavender essential
>oil) they are one of our most valuable mineral herbs. Nettles
>accumulate large quantities of nitrogen, calcium, silica, iron,
>phosphates and vitamins B, C & K. Nettles are primarily diuretic and
>blood cleansing eliminating uric acid from the body. This explains
>their reputation in reducing painful inflammation as seen in
>oseto-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in humans. The presence of
>vitamin K gives nettles anti-haemorrhagic qualities. Nettle root
>contains sitosterols useful in controlling benign prostrate
>hyperplasia.
>
>Nettles compared weight for weight with spinach are far richer in
>iron. The cottager’s ‘nettle soup’ being an excellent source of
>minerals and vitamins, in early Spring. An excellent alternative to
>liver as a source of iron for vegetarians and toxin conscious meat
>eaters.
>
>The sting in the leaves is due to histamine that can be easily
>destroyed with drying. Nettles can be cut, spread out on a baking tray
>and dried in the oven at 70 0 C for an hour or so. Keep the dried
>nettles in an airtight tin and add to your horse’s mash feed.
>
>Good for us and wildlife.
>
>even more at
>
>http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/today.asp
That is a great site Pete, hope you dont mind if I spread the word?
Derek Moody
The Nettle - Urtica dioica
The nettle is a highly successful plant found all over the temperate
areas of the world. It spreads by means of seeds and underground
rhizomes that creep around just under the surface of the soil.
The jagged leaves held in pairs along the square stems are easily
recognisable particularly after having experienced the sting. The
plant itself is variable growing from 0.6 to 2 metres plus in height
and can be found in a variety of habitats and soil types. It prefers
rich soils and therefore does well around human settlements benefiting
from the waste we produce - often indicating where old settlements
have long since disappeared from the countryside.
How did the nettle get its name?
The latin name of the plant dioica means 'two houses' - this refers to
the fact that the male and female flowers are normally carried on
separate plants.
It is possible that the 'nettle' is derived from Noedl meaning a
needle - referring to the stinging mechanism in the nettle leaves.
Others suggest that it comes from the Latin nere and other similar old
European verbs meaning to sew.
What's in the sting?
The stinging structure of the nettle is very similar to the hypodermic
needle although it predates that man-made invention by millions of
years! Each sting is actually a hollow hair stiffened by silica with a
swollen base that contains the venom. The tip of this hair is very
brittle and when brushed against, no matter how lightly, it breaks off
exposing a sharp point that penetrates the skin and delivers its
stinging payload.
It used to be thought that the main constituent of the sting was
formic acid - the same chemical used by ants, giving that never
forgotten burning sensation that demands to be scratched. Although
formic acid is present in the sting, recent research has shown that
the main chemicals are histamine, acetylcholine and
5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). A fourth ingredient has yet to be
identified.
Remember when stung a natural remedy will often be found close at
hand. The leaves of the dock contain chemicals that neutralise the
sting and also cool the skin.
A real sting in the tail
The sting of our native nettle is nothing compared to some of its
tropical cousins! One species in Timor causes a burning sensation and
symptoms like lockjaw which can last for days or weeks.
The effects of another species from Java last for months and have
frequently caused the death of some of its unfortunate victims.
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/wildlife.asp
The stinging nettle is one of the most important native plants for
wildlife in the UK.
The nettle supports over 40 species of insect including some of our
most colourful butterflies.
This may seem strange given the stinging power of the nettle but it is
the presence of the stings that has allowed the relationship with
numerous insect species to develop. The stinging hairs of the nettle
developed as a defence against grazing animals. So effective are they
that few grazers , with the exception of goats and hungry sheep, will
touch nettles when the stings are active. This makes the ideal habitat
for insects as there is little danger of the adult insects or larvae
ending up in the stomach of a cow! Insects can also move between the
spines without activating the sting.
The most notable nettle patch inhabitants are the small tortoiseshell
and peacock butterfly larvae which feed in large groups hidden in
silken tents at the top of the nettle stems.
Many nettle patches hold overwintering aphids which swarm around the
fresh spring growth and provide an early food source for ladybirds.
These same aphids are eaten in large numbers by blue tits and other
woodland birds agile enough to dart around the stems.
In late summer the huge quantity of seed produced provide a food
source for many of our seed eating birds.
It can be seen that the nettle plays a very important role for both
rural and urban wildlife - indeed some of the insect species such as
the nettle weevil live only in the nettle patch. Hopefully we can
start to look at the nettle patch in a different light and pause a
while to admire its effective survival strategy.
Butterflies of the nettle patch
Take a look at some the nymphalid butterflies that depend on nettles.
Moths of the nettle patch
Not forgetting their cousins the moths!
Derek Moody
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/wildlife/butterflies.asp
Many of our most colourful and well known butterflies depend on
nettles for the growth of their larvae. They are all members of the
Nymphalidae ( pronounced Nim-fa-lid-eye ) or Brush-footed butterflies.
This is due the front pair of legs ( which are much smaller than the
other two pairs and so not used for walking ) being covered in tufts
of hair like scales.
Let's take a look at those you may see in a sunny nettle patch.
Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta
Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta
The distinctive red and white pattern on the upper side of the wings
will be familiar to most people.
The Red Admiral, although a common feature of the British countryside,
is in fact a seasonal migrant. The adult butterflies have a tendency
to hibernate in exposed places and so very few manage to overwinter in
Britain. In Spain and North Africa there are resident populations that
breed early in the year. Those adults and their offspring continue to
move northwards with the improving conditions, breeding as they go,
sometimes reaching Britain in small numbers as early as March. In good
years this influx of mainland European adults, combined with their
British progeny can lead to large numbers of butterflies in the
Autumn.
© Butterfly Conservation
The eggs are laid singly on the upper leaves of nettles - usually in
the middle of large patches. After about seven days the larva emerges
and immediately folds a leaf together to make 'tent' securing the
edges with silk. Within this structure the young caterpillar can feed
in relative safety. Several leaf tents are made as the caterpillar
grows, each progressively larger. With experience these become quite
easy to spot in the nettle patch. The spiny caterpillars come in two
colour forms - black and a yellow green, both with yellow markings
down each flank.
When fully grown the caterpillar chews part way through a nettle stem
causing it to fall over. It then spins together several of these, now
downward pointing, leaves to create a shelter in which to pupate. The
adults emerge from the chrysalis, which is patterned with metallic
gold spots, in approximately 12 days to continue the cycle.
A common sight in gardens in the autumn where it will feed on Buddleja
flowers and fallen fruit. Migrates from Africa each spring.
Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae
Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae
© Butterfly Conservation Perhaps the most well known of the nettle
dependent butterflies - a frequent visitor to gardens in late summer.
The Small Tortoiseshell is one of our most common butterflies with an
easily recognisable pattern of orange, yellow and black markings on
the upper surface of the wings. A resident species it can be found
across the whole of the British Isles including the more remote
Scottish Islands.
The adults emerge from hibernation as soon as the days warm in spring
and immediately set about feeding and breeding. The males will secure
territories in a suitable sunny nettle patch each day. From here they
chase any other butterfly that wanders past - the spiralling flight of
rival males is a common sight over large nettle beds. Should a female
fly past she is chased incessantly until the pair eventually land to
mate within the nettle patch.
The female then concentrates on egg laying. Choosing the tender shoot
tips of nettle at the edge of a large sunny bed she will lay a batch
of about 80 eggs. These hatch about twelve days later. The army of
tiny, black and yellow caterpillars immediately spin a silk tent
around the nettle tips in which they can feed in relative safety. This
continues with successively bigger, and very noticeable, tents until
the caterpillars moult for the last time. At this point they become
more less solitary and can exhibit leaf rolling tendencies like their
relative the Red Admiral.
© Butterfly Conservation
Those that survive parasitism may then wander many metres away from
the nettle bed to pupate on tree trunks, walls and in hedgerows. The
chrysalises vary from gold to brown in response to the pupation site.
This camouflage attempt is not without reason for it is at this stage
that a great many pupae are lost to hungry blue tits and other insect
eating birds. Adults emerge from the pupae that remain in around
twelve days.
The behaviour of these adults varies with the timing of their
emergence. Those that emerge late in the year start to feed on nectar
to build up fat reserves to see them through hibernation. Those that
hatch early in the year set about breeding immediately and thus it is
common to have two broods per year in the south of England or after a
particularly warm spring. The adults from this second brood will then
feed up for the winter - it is these adults we frequently see as they
gorge themselves on our garden flowers.
Strangely enough the adults have come to exploit human endeavours in
choosing their hibernation sites, frequently finding shelter in garden
sheds and garages which are similar to their more natural tree hollow
sites. If you do happen to be blessed with some winter visitors don't
be tempted to move them as this will deplete their energy reserves and
put them at risk.
The adults are frequent visitors to garden flowers.
Peacock - Inachis io
Peacock - Inachis io
Unmistakeable eyespots on the wings render the beautiful Peacock
easily identifiable.
The Peacock has a most admirable set of defenses against predation
from birds and rodents. The eyespots, which resemble an owl when
viewed upside down, are flashed at any inquisitive bird. Any would be
attacker is giving even greater cause for concern from the loud
grating noise produced by the rasping of the forewings. Although the
upper wing surface is distinctive the underside, like many of its
cousins, is cryptically marked and serves as excellent camouflage when
at rest.
Emerging from hibernation in the spring the males follow a similar
pattern to the Small Tortoiseshell securing a good vantage point near
a sunny nettle patch at around midday. Their territorial instinct is
so strong that they will even chase birds that dare to invade their
patch. This behaviour can be used to identify the sex of the adults -
throw a twig or stone above a male and it will invariably investigate.
Like the Small Tortoiseshell any unmated females that pass are hounded
for some hours until mating takes place.
The female is particularly careful about the location for her eggs -
the tip of a vigorous nettle in full sun is invariably chosen. The
eggs are laid in large batches of over 200 which hatch about ten days
later.
The black, spiny caterpillars then feed en masse in silken tents atop
the nettles. As they get larger they emerge from the tent to feed, the
writhing mass of spines no doubt frightening off any would be
predators. The caterpillars do not have it all their own way, however,
as many are eaten by spiders or, perhaps worse, parasitised by wasps.
Those that survive parasitism leave the nettle bed to pupate. Two
colour variations can be found - those that pupate on dark substrates,
such as trees, are a dusky grey while those formed under foliage are a
yellow green. Each is remarkably well camouflaged in its situation.
The adults emerge after 12 days or so and concentrate on feeding,
joining the Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals and Commas in the
garden in late summer. With the onset of the colder, shorter days they
seek out hollow trees in woodlands where they sit out the winter
waiting for the spring to return.
Unmistakeable resident butterfly with large distinctive 'eye-spots' on
the wings.
Comma - Polygonia c-album
Comma - Polygonia c-album
© Butterfly Conservation The ragged outline to the wings is like no
other butterfly found in the UK.
The comma is a prime example of changing fortunes in the world of
wildlife. From the 1820s until the 1930s this butterfly was extremely
scarce and could only be reliably found on the Welsh Border. Then
possibly as a result of global warming and an increase in the area of
nettles available the comma began a remarkable recovery. The southern
half of the country was re-colonised over the next twenty years and a
steady northward spread has been taking place since then. Both the
adults and larvae have been found in Cramlington since 2000.
Primarily a woodland butterfly the male emerges from hibernation in
March and takes a vantage point in sunny glades from which to swoop on
passing females. Following a heated chase mating usually takes place
in a high shrub or tree after which the female sets about finding
suitable egg laying sites.
In the past the main food plant was the hop but a decline in village
breweries has seen the change to nettle as the main larval food plant.
The female is generally not as choosy as her cousins and will lay on
nettles that are somewhat shaded - the primary requisite being a
sheltered site. The eggs are laid singly on the top most leaves and
the caterpillars hatch after about 15 days.
© Butterfly Conservation
The caterpillar itself is perhaps one of the more interesting of the
Nymphalid family in that it mimics a bird dropping to prevent it from
becoming a bird's meal. When sitting curled up and motionless on a
nettle leaf the skin patterns of dark brown, tan and a big white
splash on the rear would fool most casual glances.
Another interesting feature of the comma is the ability to breed two
generations in one year like its cousin the Small Tortoiseshell.
Taking advantage of warm springs some of the adults will emerge
quickly being destined to reproduce rather than hibernating. What is
unusual is that these adults are a bright golden colour rather than
the normal orange hue and are most attractive. The adults emerging
from this second brood join the other single-brood adults to feed up
before hibernating in leaf litter or trees in sheltered woodlands.
The comma was struggling in the early 1900's but has made a remarkable
comeback and is moving steadily northwards.
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk//nettles/wildlife/moths.asp
Moths of the nettle patch
Although sometimes not as showy as their cousins, the butterflies,
moths are often just as beautiful and often more fascinating. In
general moths are more cosmopolitan in their choice of larval
foodplant, the caterpillars of some moth species will eat a wide range
of foodplants and are said to be omniphagous.
Let's take a look at those moths you may come across in your local
nettle patch
Burnished Brass - Diachrysia chrysitis
Burnished Brass - Diachrysia chrysitis
© David G Green The metallic patches on the upper wing make the
Burnished Brass easily identifiable.
A common moth throughout the British Isles, the Burnished Brass can be
found in a variety of habitats from woodland to wasteland and gardens.
It can sometimes be seen feeding from Buddleia around dusk.
The larvae hatch from their eggs in late summer, feed for a while and
then hibernate when quite small in the leaf litter at the base of the
foodplant. The caterpillars resume feeding in April and completes its
growth by the end of May. The caterpillar then forms a cocoon on the
underside of a leaf folding the edges of the leaf around it as it
progresses. The adults then emerge about four weeks later.
Distinctive metallic patches are a key identification feature of this
moth.
The Spectacle - Abrostola triplasia
Spectacle - Abrostola triplasia
© Roy Leverton In its typical resting position with wings clasping a
twig the Spectacle is well camouflaged resembling a broken branch.
The Spectacle is common and widespread throughout the UK being found
in woodlands, commons and gardens where it frequently visits Buddleia
and Valerian flowers.
The adults emerge in May from pupae that have overwintered and can be
found until about mid July. Sometimes there is a second brood in the
southern part of the UK that can be found on the wing between July and
September.
Is it a moth or a broken twig?
Beautiful Golden Y - Autographa pulchrina
Beautiful Golden Y - Autographa pulchrina
© Roy Leverton The crytic markings and tufts of hair break up the
outline of the Beautiful Golden Y giving effective camouflage.
The caterpillars of the Beautiful Golden Y hatch in August and will
feed on Dead Nettle (Lamium spp.) and a range of other plants as well
as the Stinging Nettle. The larva hibernates when still quite small
and starts feeding again in the following spring. The caterpillar is
green with a broad white stripe along the back and a pale yellow
stripe down each flank.
After completing its growth in the spring the larva pupates in a large
loose silken cocoon among the leaves of the host plant to emerge in
June. The adult mainly flies at dusk and can be seen vistiing a wide
range of woodland and garden flowers.
Found throughout the British Isles in June and July.
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/people.asp
Until the latter half of the 20th Century the nettle was regarded as a
most useful plant. And just as the nettle has exploited mankind by
colonising their waste areas, mankind has exploited the nettle using
it for food, clothing and remedies.
Even today there is much research into the medicinal use of the
nettle.
Food from nettles
People have eaten the nettle for many centuries and at one point would
have been relished as springtime treat! Pepys wrote in his diary of
having eaten ‘...some nettle porridge, which was very good’.
Nutritionally the nettle is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium,
iron and numerous trace elements as well as a range of vitamins. The
young shoots can be used in soups and stews and in place of spinach.
The Northumberland Cheese Company even produces a nettle cheese!
Why not treat yourself to Lady Ridley's Nettle Soup?
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities/nettlesoup.asp
Not only humans have benefited from the consumption of the nettle.
When dried and turned into a hay the nettle loses its sting and
becomes palatable to livestock. In Sweden the nettle is sometimes
cultivated for this purpose and fed to milk cattle because of the
increased milk production that results.
Horse breeders have often added nettle seeds to horse feeds to give
the animals a sleek coat.
Treatments from nettles
As well as the nutritional value people have exploited the medicinal
properties of the stinging nettle.
Culpeper recommended the use of nettles to ’...consume the phlegmatic
superfluities in the body of man, that the coldness and moisture of
winter has left behind“. He also prescribed the juice of the leaves as
a treatment for gangrenes and scabies.
Native Americans used the fresh leaves to treat aches and pains.
European herbalists used the leaves in a similar fashion to treat gout
and arthritis.
Surprisingly, although the nettle sting is highly irritant, once dried
to neutralise the acid the leaves are a natural anti-histamine and
also have anti-asthmatic properties.
The dried powdered leaves can also be used to staunch the flow of
blood from small cuts.
In recent times the nettle has also been found to be effective in the
treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy.
Clothing from nettles
Ouch! you may be thinking but the nettle has been used to produce a
fine fibre that can be spun and woven into cloth.
Cloth has been woven from the fibres in mature nettle stems for many
centuries - frequently used for tablecloths and sheets in Scotland. It
is, however, difficult to ascertain the extent to which it was used as
the term nettlecloth came to be used for all manner of fine material
whether made from nettle or not.
Being similar in texture to those materials produced by flax and hemp
fibres the cloth also became widely used by the German army during the
First World War when there was a shortage of cotton for the soldiers'
uniforms. Some of the reports may have been propaganda but is clear
that nettle fibre was used alongside that of the nettles' Asian
cousin, Ramie ( Boehmeria nivea ).
The juice of the stems and leaves has been used to produce a permanent
green dye, while a yellow dye can be obtained from boiling the roots.
Both colours have been used extensively in Russia.
Nettles in the garden
Although just a weed to many gardeners, the nettle has a lot to offer
the resourceful gardener.
In the organic garden the nettle is responsible for rearing an army of
ladybirds in the early part of the year ready to march on the aphids
attacking the crop plants later in the summer.
The leaves when used to pack fruit can help prevent moulds forming and
the whole plant is reputed to prevent fungal attacks of other nearby
plants.
Perhaps the best use of nettles in the garden is as a nutritious plant
food that can be easily brewed. As well as providing a rich supply of
minerals to your garden plants if sprayed over the foliage it deters
pest species and prevents fungal diseases.
Nettles leaves are also a great addition to the compost heap being
rich in nitrogen they provide the fuel for the bacteria to break down
the more woody material in the heap.
All in all no garden should be without a patch or two!
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/today.asp
When we look at the range of things that nettles are being used for
today, it is difficult to imagine how we would manage to live in a
world without them. Many good restaurants and well known chefs use
nettles as an ingredient in their dishes. Nettle teas and cordial can
be bought from the supermarket and in some parts of the country it is
possible to buy nettle wine or beer.
Nettles are added to speciality foods, such as cheese and spaghetti,
as a flavouring and colour. One cheesemaking company (Cornish Yarg)
wraps the cheese in nettles leaves, which appears to encourage the
cheese to ripen. Animals also benefit from a dried nettle supplement
that can be added to their food. It is said that their coats will
become glossier. What is certain is that they benefit from the added
vitamins and minerals.
The nettle has a long history as a medicinal herb. Some of the claims
made in the past are now being scientifically tested and nettles are
being prescribed to treat disorders such as diseases of the prostate,
allergies and arthritic conditions. They are a valuable ingredient of
herbal tonics, tinctures and homeopathic preparations.
Health and wholefood shops sell nettle hair shampoos and conditioners.
The historic claims as to what nettles can do for your hair, or lack
of it, are very extreme, but for sure you might also acquire a glossy
coat...
Last, but not least, the is the potential use of nettle fibre.
Research projects in Europe are trying to find ways of cultivating
nettles and processing them in an economical way so that the nettle
fibre might be produced commercially, either for textiles or composite
materials.
Our grateful thanks to Gillian Edom for this page and numerous
contributions throughout the site
Derek Moody
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities.asp
Want to do something during Be Nice to Nettles Week? Take a look at
some of the suggestions below
Create your own nettle patch
Want to watch caterpillars in your own garden, or have a supply for
spring greens? Here's some tips to create the perfect nettle patch.
Create your own nettle patch
A nettle patch can be a valuable asset to any garden. Nettle aphids
provide an early food source for woodland birds, such as the Great Tit
and Blue Tit, which have learnt to exploit the garden habitat.
Ladybirds are also attracted to the nettle in early spring to lay
their eggs - the voracious larvae hatching to a juicy meal of nettle
aphids. The ladybirds breed quickly on the nettles and by midsummer
the organic gardener can have of army of red and black allies keeping
aphids in check.
The young shoots can be cut and added to soups and stews or cooked as
a vegetable - somewhat spinach like in texture.
Later in the year the nettle patch can provide food for the
caterpillars of the Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock butterflies
as well as the beautiful Red Admiral. The vast quantities of seed
produced provides a late summer feast for our seed eating birds
At any time the nettle foliage can be cut down and submerged in water
to make a free and totally organic liquid plant food.
The first step to creating the perfect nettle patch is the choice of
site. If butterflies are the main aim then it is essential that the
patch be in a sunny, sheltered location - shady nettle patches are
unlikely to attract butterflies.
The next question is one of size. Again if butterflies are the aim the
patch should be of a decent size - a single brood of Peacock
caterpillars could easily devour a square metre of dense nettles
stems!
Nettles are hungry plants so the ground should be enriched with
well-rotted manure and garden compost before planting. The only thing
left to do is to get your plants - but do remember that the nettle is
a wildflower and should not be dug up from the countryside. I'm sure
you can find a gardening neighbour or allotment holder who would be
only too happy to give you some of theirs!
Plant the nettles at about 30 cms apart and keep well watered until
established.
One final thing to remember is that the nettle can spread rapidly. A
path around the plot can help contain it or confine it to a corner bed
in a lawn where any wayward shoots are soon dealt with by the
lawnmower!
Lady Ridley's Nettle Soup
Why not try this tasty springtime recipe. Just remember to take the
gloves!
Lady Ridley's Nettle Soup
Why not try Lady Ridley's nettle soup recipe? Let us know what you
think or tell us your own favourite nettle recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes
½ lb young nettles
2 oz butter
1½ pts chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt & black pepper
4 tablespoons sour cream
Method:
Cook the peeled, chopped potatoes for 10 mins in salted water. Drain.
Wash & chop coarsely the nettles (Only pick the new, young tops,using
gloves!)
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nettles and stew gently for a
few minutes. Add the potatoes and heated stock, bring to the boil and
simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
When all is soft, cool slightly & purée in a blender, adding seasoning
and the sour cream.
I hope you enjoy the nettle soup. The hardest work is picking the
nettles. Half a pound is a lot of small leaves, but it is fun to do,
in season, once a year.
THE VISCOUNTESS RIDLEY
Making nettle manure
Do you love gardening? Are your houseplants precious? Why not make
them a nutritious nettle leaf tonic. Best of all it's free!
Nettle Leaf Plant Food
Nettle leaves can be used to make an easy to use, if somewhat smelly,
plant food. Best of all it's free!
To make your nettle fertiliser you will need only four things:
Nettles! - obviously.
A watertight container - a large bucket is adequate.
Water, and
A wait, sorry a weight. Not essential but makes the process easier as
I will explain.
First take your nettles. These are best as young stems but can be
taken at any time. Quicker results are obtained if the nettle stems
and leaves are bruised.
Then crush them. This can be done by scrunching the stems in gloved
hands or by placing the stems on a freshly mown lawn and using your
mower to chop and collect the nettles at the same time. The addition
of a few grass clippings that results from using this method does not
affect the quality of the finished product.
Immerse in water Stuff the crushed stems into your bucket. Place your
weight on top of the stems. You may have to use a little ingenuity
here - I have used a broken paving slab in the past. A brick and a
piece of wire mesh cut to suit the cointainer serves equally well.
Fill the container with water sufficient to cover the nettles and...
Leave to brew. This is where the original wait comes in. You may also
consider placing the bucket away from the areas in the garden that you
use most as the soup tends to get rather smelly.
Dilute to taste. After around three or four weeks the liquid should be
ready for use. The mixture should be diluted until it is tea coloured
- usually around 1 part liquid to 10 parts water. Water liberally
around or on the plants and see the benefits.
Repeat until winter. Continue to top up your container with more
leaves and water through the year. As autumn sets in put the remainder
of the feed and the sludge in your compost heap. Give your container a
rinse and store for next year!
Happy gardening.
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
It's a fabulous site, and well worth bookmarking. As with most things
in life, you can remain ignorant and just want to get rid of nature,
or you can join in and have fun enjoying it.
Life is for living, not moaning about!
Feel free to spread the word derek.
--
Disclaimer
Pete has taken all reasonable care to ensure that pages published by him
were accurate on the date of publication or last modification.
Other pages which may be linked or which Pete may have published are in
a personal capacity. Pete takes no responsibility for the consequences
of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information
published on any of these pages, and such information does not form any
basis of a contract with readers or users of it.
It is in the nature of Usenet & Web sites, that much of the information is
experimental or constantly changing, that information published may
be for test purposes only, may be out of date, or may be the personal
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Readers should verify information gained from the Web/Usenet with the appropriate
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Derek Moody
on the end of their hook, to catch a bigger fish. Usually the hook
will be forced through the fishes stomach, or somewhere that will make
it wriggle hard, making it tempting for bigger fish to take a bite,
usually resulting in the head or face being ripped off the bait, and
the bait left to die an agonising death.
In principle, far, far worse than huntiung with hounds!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/nangle07.xml
Anglers fear ban on 'cruel' live bait will spread
By Jasper Copping, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:30am GMT 08/01/2007
Anglers are to be banned from using live fish as bait after
politicians decided it was cruel.
The ban, which will apply in Scotland, has angered fishermen south of
the border who believe it has handed a major victory to animal rights
campaigners calling for similar legislation in the rest of Britain.
Steve Greenway, a leading angler from Staffordshire who has been on
105 fishing trips to Scotland, said: "If I thought live bait was
cruel, I wouldn't use it. Where will it all end? Do you stop using
maggots and worms as well?"
advertisement
Mark Barrett, the general secretary of the Pike Anglers' Club of Great
Britain, said: "To have the law change like this on your doorstep is
going to be a concern for people in the rest of the UK."
The blanket ban was a last-minute amendment to the Aquaculture and
Fisheries Bill, which has just passed through the Scottish Parliament
without any objections.
It has already been strongly endorsed by Scotland's deputy environment
minister Rhona Brankin and will pass through the legislature for a
final time in the next three months before becoming law.
Green Party MSP Eleanor Scott, who is deputy convenor of the
environment and rural affairs development committee and an architect
of the Bill, said: "Anglers won't like me saying it, but fish do feel
pain and we felt there was a cruelty issue here."
The politicians also believe live bait threatens fish stocks by
introducing alien species into their habitats which may bring diseases
and parasites.
Putting live small fish such as roach on a hook is a common tactic for
catching larger, predatory fish like trout, perch and pike, which are
drawn to the movement.
The coarse fishing industry contributes up to £7 million a year to the
Scottish economy. Ron Woods, a policy officer from the Scottish
Federation for Coarse Angling, said: "This will hurt fishing tourism."
But Yvonne Taylor, from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
said the ban was a "massive first step" in the group's fight for one
in the rest of Britain.
Angling is the nation's most popular participation sport, with an
estimated four million devotees. In recent years their hobby has been
increasingly targeted by animal rights activists. Last summer saw a
spate of attacks on fishermen.
Scientists are divided on the issue of whether fish can feel pain.
Derek Moody
the local clubs are starting to panic, that their highly cruel and
abusive to wildlife, activity of sticking a live fish on a hook so
that it wriggles in agony, is about to come to an end.
Here we have the anglers desperate to allow this cruelty to contnue.
================================
NO ISSUES for Live-Baiting in England or Wales!There has been some
discussion recently about the right to live-bait in England and Wales,
given the potential ban in Scotland that comes before their Assembly
for consideration on the 24th of January 2007. SAA have raised our
concerns with the Environment Agency that Scotland's potential move
could lead to restrictions in the rest of the UK.
We have discussed this in depth with Adrian Taylor, Fisheries Policy &
Process Manager at the Environment Agency, and are pleased to advise
that they have given us an unequivocal assurance that they have NO
restrictions either planned or considered to restrict the use of
live-bait in England and Wales.
Furthermore, to answer the concerns of our predator group members we
would like to elaborate on the individual points that have been raised
with the EA, with their replies below;
1. "Could the proposed Secondary Legislation that is being used to
enable sections of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review, be used
to restrict live-baiting?"
"The EA already has the powers to bring in such bans if they were
justified, but there are NO plans or thoughts to ban live-baiting. As
far as EA head office is aware there are also no plans to look at any
other local bans similar to the NW situation. In theory new secondary
legislation could be used but the Animal Welfare Bill would have been
the logical route for this-see point 3 below."
2. "If Scotland moves to a ban, surely England and Wales will follow?"
"Regarding the potential Scottish ban, geography and game fish
heritage create an issue for the whole of Scotland, under the fish
conservation ticket. The proposal has been driven by the translocation
of unwanted species. The proposed ban is NOT based on taking a moral
stance on live-baiting. It does not therefore set a precedent for the
UK, and the EA have NO plans OR intention to ban or restrict
live-baiting."
3. "Surely a ban is being considered "behind the scenes", it would be
a logical extension of the NW ban?"
"If a ban on live-baiting had been sought on fish welfare grounds then
the Animal Welfare Bill was the perfect opportunity. However fishing
overall, and by definition that includes the use of live-bait, is
specifically excluded from the Bill. The Act is now current
legislation."
To sum up, the EA have no plans to either extend the existing local
ban, or to introduce a national ban on live-baiting.
SAA would urge all predator anglers to act in a responsible manner in
future and abide by the PAC/SAA Codes of Practice with regard the
movement of fish for live-baits. These must not in future be moved
without Section 30's, which would ensure the EA do not have any reason
to reconsider the matter. Individual anglers who flout the rules will
place the right to live-bait at risk for all of us!
Chris Burt, SAA.
Derek Moody
mentality, in wanting to harm wildlife for fun!
quotes
Well done Jeremy Paxman the BBC Newsnight presenter on his feature in
the Mail on Sunday August 5th titled 'Fish are stupid they have no
rights'.
On the subject of chemicals, let's not forget all the salt and other
rubbish that is put on our roads during winter which then leaks back
into our rivers causing lots of damage to the insects and the
invertebrate life, also no doubt killing off a lot of fish fry. Still
on the subject of chemicals, what about all the disinfectant being
used in England and Wales? I was told that all vehicles attending this
years C.L.A. Game Fair were sprayed from top to bottom with this
obnoxious stuff. Why didn't the C.L.A. cancel this years event? Rather
than wash vehicles with all this poison which will soon run off the
land and roads, leaching into our rivers and streams.
Could the reason why it wasn't cancelled, be because some people were
making money? We have far too many people these days only paying lip
service to the pollution problems they cause.
Another problem affecting the aquatic environment on the Kennet in
Berkshire and also the Ouse in Buckinghamshire are the Signal
crayfish. These crustaceans might help the barbel, perch and chub to
grow to specimen size fish but at what cost to the insect and
invertebrate life in our waterways?
Both the Signal and Turkish crayfish have caused the slow demise of
our own crayfish which is known as the white-footed crayfish and is a
protected species. It lives in clean shallow fast rivers and streams
but can sometimes be found in lakes. Over the years we have had many
foreign imports which have caused big problems in this country. The
Grey squirrel, Mink, Canada goose, and others.
Another thing that has disturbed me and other fly fishers is the
stocking of rainbow trout in some syndicate waters on the river Kennet
and other chalk streams. This is so the wealthy patrons can take a big
fish home and say "What a great angler I am". Kennet fly fishing isn't
about catching big fish. It's all about catching naturally bred brown
trout and grayling. Sadly the practice of stocking with big fish has
moved to the north of England. Back in July an angling club with fly
fishing water on the river Wharfe stocked with three brown trout in
excess of 6lbs. I personally feel this is a bad mistake. Let's stop
this obnoxious practice, Spend the money on habitat improvement which
will then allow trout to breed naturally. Not big horrid and obese
trout. What is wrong if our trout only grow to about fourteen inches?
We shouldn't worry about the size of trout we catch when river
fishing. There are plenty of still waters where you can go and catch
plenty of big fish.
These big stocked fish are not natural in northern rivers, or any
rivers come to that. They will lose weight, eat lots of small trout
parr and other small fish in the process. Why make the fishing so
artificial? We've done this on too many still waters. River trouting
is not about catching obscene over-weight fish or big bags of fish.
What a crazy situation we have in sports fishing where the
International Game Fish Association encourage the death of a sporting
fish. The IGFA would do a lot better fighting the pollution problems
in both the ocean and freshwater. They should also be working to get
those commercial 'fin' fisherman banned from catching sharks. Then
after cutting off of the dorsal fin, the poor fish is dumped overboard
to die a slow death. Think of the time and money IGFA spends in
organising the line class record list. Money which could be better
spent on improving the ocean and freshwater habitat or one of the many
other battles we anglers are fighting world wide.
The RSPCA commissioned the Medway Report back in the 1970s. This
report proved fish felt pain. I will continue to fish with a clear
conscience truly believing that fish don't feel pain when I stick that
hook in the fishes mouth. A fish's mouth can best be described as a
bit of gristle, which is a hard, tough, flexible animal tissue. It's
something like the hard skin we get on our hands which we cut off
without the fear of pain. I might cause some slight distress but the
good I do for the fish and the aquatic environment far outweighs any
slight problem I cause to the fish. If the fish had a choice. They
would rather have me around to look after them than PETA who do
nothing to help the aquatic environment.
Derek Moody
http://www.peta.org.uk/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=188
Like the animals many people share their homes with, fish are
individuals with their own unique personalities. Dive guides have been
known to name friendly fish who follow divers around and enjoy being
petted, just like dogs or cats. Yet billions of fish die every year in
nets and on hooks – some are destined for human consumption, many are
tortured just for “sport” and others are non-target victims who are
maimed or killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the
wrong time.
Fish Can Communicate, Make Tools, Think and Feel Pain
According to Dr Culum Brown, a researcher at the University of
Edinburgh, fish have cognitive abilities that equal and sometimes even
surpass those of non-human primates; they can recognise individuals,
use tools and maintain complex social relationships. In Fish and
Fisheries, biologists wrote that fish are “steeped in social
intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation,
punishment and reconciliation … exhibiting stable cultural traditions
and cooperating to inspect predators and catch food”. Many species of
fish learn how to avoid predators by watching experienced fish, and
according to Dr Jens Krause of the University of Leeds, while some
fish live in hierarchical societies and others have smaller family
units, all rely on these “social aggregations”, which “act as an
information centre where fish can exchange information with each
other”.
Fish communicate through a range of low-frequency sounds – from buzzes
and clicks to yelps and sobs. These sounds, most of which are only
audible to humans with the help of special instruments, communicate
emotional states such as alarm or delight or the desire to mate.
Atlantic croakers, for example, are so named because they croak when
they are frightened. Scientists have only recently discovered the alto
croaking sounds made by a rare fish believed to be similar to the
deep-sea blue grenadier, a tiny fish who lives beyond continental
shelves and is in danger of being fished to extinction. The fish’s
call is believed to be necessary for mating because there is no light
where they live.
Although fish do not always express pain and suffering in ways that
humans can easily recognise, scientific reports from around the world
substantiate the fact that fish feel pain. Researchers from Glasgow
and Edinburgh universities studied the pain receptors in fish and
found that they were strikingly similar to those of mammals and
concluded that “fish do have the capacity for pain perception and
suffering”. A study conducted by the Roslin Institute examined rainbow
trouts’ reaction to “noxious stimulation” and concluded that fish
“experience suffering”. Anglers often claim that fish do not feel
pain, yet they go to great lengths to hide their hooks with bait and
lures, knowing that even fish who have already been hooked will
continue to seek out food, and those who do get hooked will fight to
stay alive.
Hooked fish struggle out of fear and physical pain. Once fish are
brought out of their environment and into ours, they begin to
suffocate. Their gills often collapse, and their swim bladders can
rupture because of the sudden change in pressure. Some deepwater
species, such as red snapper, are particularly affected by the
dramatic changes in pressure that occur when they are pulled to the
surface. One scientist says, “The physiological stress is enormous.
Even if they swim off, a lot of those fish will be easy prey because
they’re in a stunned condition when they’re released”.
‘Sport’ Fishing
Stress is described as “a condition in which an animal is unable to
maintain a normal physiologic state because of various factors
adversely affecting [his or her] well-being”. One factor that
increases stress levels for fish is being handled, and even those who
are released back to the water can suffer such severe stress from
being “played” that they may die later. According to Ruth
Francis-Floyd of the University of Florida, handling the fish removes
mucus from the fish’s skin, resulting in “decreased chemical
protection, decreased osmoregulatory function (at a time when it is
most needed), decreased lubrication thereby causing the fish to use
more energy to swim (at a time when [his or her] energy reserves are
already being used up metabolically), and disruption of the physical
barrier against invading organisms”.
Any break in the skin or loss of scales during handling allows
pathogens to invade, exposing the fish to serious illness and disease.
Prolonged stress of any kind severely limits the effectiveness of the
fish’s immune system to fight off disease.
Many trout streams are so intensively fished that they are subject to
“catch and release” regulations requiring that all fish must be let
go, which may result in the same fish being repeatedly traumatised and
injured. Of 1,900 trout caught in one river, 30 per cent had “at least
one distinctive mutilation most likely due to previous hooking”. In a
separate study, 10 per cent of trout caught had been hooked through
the eye or eye and jaw, and novice anglers injured 70 per cent of fish
they caught, while experienced anglers injured 56 per cent.
Fish aren’t the only victims of “sport” fishing. Water birds can
become entangled in fishing lines, causing them to die slowly from
dehydration or starvation. In 2002, a family of swans in Hertfordshire
was found entangled in fishing line. Of the three cygnets, one had to
have a hook and line that was embedded in the beak removed, and a
second had to be euthanised. The third cygnet and her mother were
taken to a swan sanctuary for treatment. All water birds are at risk
from entanglement in fishing line, and according to the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds, losing all or part of a foot is a “common
disability” for birds in the countryside. According to the Environment
Agency, 3,000 swans a year require treatment after fishing tackle
injuries.
Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture
Commercial fishers use vast factory-style trawlers the size of
football fields to catch fish. Miles-long nets stretch across the
ocean, capturing everyone in their path. These boats haul up tens of
thousands of fish in one load, keeping the most profitable and dumping
the rest (such as rays, dolphins and crabs) back into the ocean. Fish
are scraped raw from rubbing against the rocks and debris caught in
the nets with them. Then they bleed or suffocate to death on the decks
of the ships, gasping for oxygen and suffering for as long as 24
hours. In 2003, 631 thousand tonnes of sea fish were landed by the
British fleet, which is one of the largest in Europe. Millions of
tonnes of fish who are considered to be “undersized” are left to die
on the decks or are tossed back into the ocean, where they usually die
soon afterward.
Some fishing boats use gill nets, which are believed to be responsible
for the majority of incidents involving the accidental netting of
marine mammals. These nets ensnare every animal in their path, and
fish are further mutilated when they are extracted from the tangled
nets. Longline fishing – in which 40 miles of monofilament fishing
line dangles thousands of individually baited hooks to catch tuna and
swordfish – is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 250,000
loggerhead and 60,000 leatherback turtles every year.
Because of the industry’s indiscriminate practices, the population of
the world’s large predatory fish, such as swordfish and marlin, has
declined 90 per cent since the advent of industrialised fishing.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, 70
per cent of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited, overfished,
depleted or rebuilding from previous overfishing.
Several species of sturgeon are endangered, but some commercial
fishers still capture them for the caviar industry because, according
to a fisheries management specialist, “they don’t care if they’re
endangered. They want the money”. In the Mediterranean, one big tuna
“can be worth as much as the most expensive Mercedes Benz”, according
to a United Nations official, so – despite the dwindling number of
bluefins – little can be done to prevent private fleets of commercial
fishers from killing the few fish who remain. Cod stocks are expected
to be wiped out by 2020.
There are more than 1,000 fish-farming businesses in the UK producing
tens of thousands of tonnes of fish. These animals are raised in tubs
and tanks, often at remarkably high densities. Trout on British farms
are kept in a density equivalent to 27 1-foot-long fish in one
bathtub. Farmed fish consume 12 per cent of all commercially caught
fish, as well as a steady diet of pesticides, antibiotics and
herbicides. Despite these chemicals and drugs, diseases in farmed fish
continue to spread to their wild counterparts as fish escape the farm
and take their diseases and parasites, such as sea lice, with them.
Aquaculture does nothing to help the numbers of fish in the wild. In
order to produce 1 kilogram of the most commonly farmed fish, 2
kilograms of wild fish feed are used.
Eating Fish Is Hazardous to Your Health
Like the flesh of other animals, fish contains excessive amounts of
protein, fat and cholesterol, and for those with allergies, eating
fish can prove fatal. The flesh of fish can accumulate extremely high
levels of carcinogenic chemical residues, such as polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), thousands of times higher than the water in which
they live. The flesh of farmed salmon has seven times more PCBs than
the flesh of wild-caught salmon. Eating fish is regarded as the main
source of exposure to mercury, which has been linked to cardiovascular
disease, foetal brain damage, blindness, deafness and problems with
motor skills, language and attention span.
What You Can Do
Never buy or eat fish. Grain, legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds
provide all the essential amino acids that you need for good health.
Vegetarian products such as Redwood’s smoked salmon-style pâté,
vegetarian-style tuna, scampi style pieces and fishless steaks have
all the flavour of the “real thing”, but none of the cruelty or
contaminants. Omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease,
can be found in flaxseeds, hempseeds and walnuts.
Before you support a “wildlife” or “conservation” group, ask about its
position on fishing. The National Trust, for example, allows fishing
in its lakes.
To combat fishing in your area, post “no fishing” signs on your land
if you have a pond or lake, join or form an anti-fishing organisation
and protest fishing tournaments. If there is a tournament coming up in
your area, write to your local newspaper about the cruelty of the
event. The RSPCA has the authority to check and prosecute fish farms
and “sport” fishers for cruelty, so be sure to report any incidents
you witness.
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:q73js2lmmrkmu3q6v...@4ax.com...
Derek Moody
http://www.peta.org.uk/newsnew/NewsItem.asp?id=3197
Contact :
Karen Chisholm +44 20 7357 9229, ext. 229
PETA Offers Free Emergency Vegetarian Starter Kits in Response to
Deadly Strain of Bird Flu Found on Bernard Matthews Farm
London – In response to the discovery of the deadly H5N1 strain of
bird flu on a farm linked to Europe’s biggest turkey killer, Bernard
Matthews, members of PETA Europe, carrying signs reading, “Bird Flu
Kills – Go Vegetarian”, and kitted out in biohazard suits, will
distribute emergency vegetarian starter kits to shoppers at
Sainsbury's.
The activists will use barrier tape to emphasise the potentially
deadly dangers of bird flu and tout the health benefits of a
vegetarian diet, which excludes poultry and other meat. According to
the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, bird flu can be caught by eating undercooked
meat or eggs which are contaminated with the disease, by eating food
prepared on the same cutting board as infected meat or eggs or even by
touching eggshells contaminated with the disease:
Date: 6 February 2007
Time: 12 noon
Place: Sainsbury's Central Aviation House, 129 Kingsway, London
This isn’t the first time Bernard Matthews has come under fire.
Investigators have found dead turkeys in one of the giant Bernard
Matthews sheds and other birds with festering wounds. Hundreds of
turkeys were seen milling about rotten carcasses. Live birds
occasionally pecked at the bodies of the dead ones. Just last year,
Bernard Matthews workers were filmed kicking birds, throwing them up
into the air and using pipes as baseball bats to hit them.
Bernard Matthews and other poultry farms are breeding grounds for
disease. A single factory-farm chicken or turkey shed can house tens
of thousands of birds, who are forced to live in their own waste,
allowing disease to spread quickly among them. Laying hens are kept in
batteries of small stacked cages until slaughter.
“Mad cow, SARS and now avian flu – these are all predictable
consequences of sickening and cruel industries that use and exploit
animals for food”, says PETA Europe’s Anita Singh. “With diseases
running rampant in crowded, filthy factory farms – and the known link
between meat-eating and heart disease – the safest thing to do with
any meat in your freezer is to throw it in the trash.”
Avian influenza threatens to be one of the greatest public health
crises in recorded history. Outbreaks of various strains of bird flu
are regularly detected around the world. PETA’s free vegetarian
starter kit can be viewed online or ordered at PETA.org.uk.
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:gn3js2d15uama2lqe...@4ax.com...
> Fishing: Aquatic Agony
>
.
.
.
.
snip all the drivel
Derek Moody
http://www.fishinghurts.com/Angling.asp
Imagine reaching for an apple on a tree and having your hand suddenly
impaled by a metal hook that drags you—the whole weight of your body
pulling on that one hand—out of the air and into an atmosphere in
which you cannot breathe. This is what fish experience when they are
hooked for “sport.”
Many people grow up fishing without ever considering the terror and
suffering that fish endure when they’re impaled by a hook and pulled
out of the water. Recreational anglers rarely stop to contemplate that
fish are complex and intelligent individuals.
http://www.fisharesmart.com/
In fact, if anglers treated cats, dogs, cows, or pigs the way they
treat fish, they would be thrown in prison on charges of cruelty to
animals. Even when anglers put fish back in the water after torturing
them, many of the fish die from their stress and injuries. A 2006
study conducted during and after a Wisconsin fishing tournament found
that hundreds of fish who were caught and released had died within a
few days.
Why not let fish enjoy the beautiful day, too, by leaving your fishing
gear at home? Click here for more ways to help fish.
http://www.fishinghurts.com/getActive.asp
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:et3js2d7bl0gra44f...@4ax.com...
> Angling
>
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:8q3js299pvilgdnt3...@4ax.com...
> BIOHAZARD-SUITED PROTESTERS WARN: AVOID POULTRY FLESH LIKE THE PLAGUE
.
.
.
Derek Moody
Frequently Asked Questions
Isn’t eating fish good for your health?
Fish absorb all the contamination from the water they live in, so fish
flesh is laced with toxins such as mercury, lead, arsenic, PCBs,
pesticides, and even industrial strength fire-retardant. Just two
servings of fish per week can elevate your blood mercury levels by 700
percent, and study after study has linked fish consumption to fatigue,
memory loss, and decreased mental function. Click here for the facts
about fish flesh and your health.
http://www.fishinghurts.com/healthconcerns.asp
So what does the fish industry have to say for itself? It ignores the
fact that fish flesh is toxic (the breast milk of some Inuit tribes is
so concentrated with poisons from their fish diet that it meets the
Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for toxic waste) and
points to small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in fish. But you can
get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in nuts and leafy green vegetables …
without losing your mind.
What’s wrong with catch-and-release fishing?
Have you ever seen an injured dog who has been hit by a car or a cat
who’s been seriously hurt in a fight? Unless they are treated by a
veterinarian, these animals are likely to die from their injuries.
Fish are no different: A hook through the mouth causes a serious and
extremely painful injury that is often fatal without treatment. But
anglers just toss injured fish back into the water—often without
realizing what they’ve done.
In addition to the wounds that are caused by the hook, fish released
after being caught can suffer from loss of their protective scale
coating, dangerous build-up of lactic acid in their muscles, oxygen
depletion, and damage to their delicate fins and mouths. Upon being
returned to the water, these fish are easy targets for predators and
other fishers. Researchers at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation found that as many as 43 percent of fish released after
being caught died within six days. Catching fish is cruel and
unnecessary, whether they are killed on the spot or thrown back into
the water, injured and exhausted.
Didn’t Jesus eat fish?
It’s an interesting question, but Biblical scholars agree that the
appropriate question for Christians is, “What should we be eating?”
The Bible clearly says that our bodies are temples and that we should
take care of them. Yet it’s a fact that all fish flesh today is
contaminated with heavy metals
http://www.fishinghurts.com/HealthConcerns.asp
and other toxins. In fact, fish flesh is just about the most polluted
thing
http://www.fishinghurts.com/EnvironmentalConcerns.asp
that humans put into their bodies. On that basis alone, Christians
should not be eating it.
Today’s fishing practices are also horribly cruel to God’s creatures.
http://www.fishinghurts.com/fishing101.asp
God cares for all His creatures, and the Bible counsels compassion
for all beings. We all understand that it is immoral and contrary to
Christian mercy to torture dogs and cats. It is equally unchristian to
torture and kill (or pay others to torture and kill) fish and other
animals. Although they may not be able to scream out in pain, fish
have the same capacity for suffering and the same right to compassion
as all living beings.
For more frequently asked questions about vegetarianism, click here.
http://www.peta.org/about/faq-veg.asp
For more frequently asked questions about other issues, click here.
http://www.peta.org/about/faq.asp
Ask Carla, PETA’s kindness consultant.
http://www.askcarla.com/
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
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Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
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"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:804js2lnjqk3oo8bn...@4ax.com...
Derek Moody
Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world's leading marine biologists, said,
"I never eat anyone I know personally. I wouldn't deliberately eat a
grouper any more than I'd eat a cocker spaniel. They're so
good-natured, so curious. You know, fish are sensitive, they have
personalities, they hurt when they're wounded." A recent issue of Fish
and Fisheries, devoted to learning, cited more than 500 research
papers on fish intelligence, proving that fish are smart, that they
can use tools, and that they have impressive long-term memories and
sophisticated social structures.
Many people have never stopped to think about it, but fish are smart,
interesting animals with their own unique personalities—just like the
dogs and cats we share our homes with. Did you know that fish can
learn to avoid nets by watching other fish in their group and that
they can recognize individual "shoal mates"? Some fish gather
information by eavesdropping on others, and some—such as the South
African fish who lay eggs on leaves so that they can carry them to a
safe place—even use tools.
Scientists are starting to learn more and more about our finned
friends, and their discoveries are fascinating:
• A recent issue of Fish and Fisheries, devoted to learning, cited
more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence, proving that fish
are smart, that they can use tools, and that they have impressive
long-term memories and sophisticated social structures. The
introductory chapter said that fish are "steeped in social
intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation,
punishment and reconciliation … exhibiting stable cultural traditions
and cooperating to inspect predators and catch food."
• Culum Brown, a University of Edinburgh biologist who is studying the
evolution of cognition in fish, says, "Fish are more intelligent than
they appear. In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers
match or exceed those of 'higher' vertebrates, including non-human
primates." Their long-term memories help fish keep track of complex
social relationships. Their spatial memory—"equal in all respects to
any other vertebrate"—allows them to create cognitive maps that guide
them through their watery homes, using cues such as polarized light,
sounds, smells, and visual landmarks.
• Dr. Phil Gee, a psychologist from the University of Plymouth, says
that fish can tell what time of day it is, and he trained fish to
collect food by pressing a lever at specific times. He says "fish have
a memory span of at least three months," and they "are probably able
to adapt to changes in their circumstances, like any other small
animals and birds."
• "We're now finding that [fish] are very capable of learning and
remembering, and possess a range of cognitive skills that would
surprise many people."
—Dr. Theresa Burt de Perera, Oxford University
• A scientific review presented to the Australian Veterinary
Association completely disproved the old myth that goldfish have
three-second memories; instead, the veterinarians found that goldfish
have impressive memories and problem-solving abilities. One of the
researchers said that after conducting the review, they wanted “to get
the message out to vets to start looking more closely at fish and
considering their welfare like they do other animals.”
—The Sunday Times, May 28, 2006
• "Australian crimson spotted rainbowfish, which learnt to escape from
a net in their tank, remembered how they did it 11 months later. This
is equivalent to a human recalling a lesson learnt 40 years ago."
—Sunday Telegraph, Oct. 3, 2004
DID YOU KNOW?
• Fish talk to each other with squeaks, squeals, and other
low-frequency sounds that humans can hear only with special
instruments.
• Fish like to be touched and often gently rub against one
another—like a cat weaving in and out of your legs.
• Some fish tend well-kept gardens, encouraging the growth of tasty
algae and weeding out the types they don't like.
• Like birds, many fish build nests where they raise their babies;
others collect little rocks off the seafloor to make hiding places
where they can rest.
• Some fish woo potential partners by singing to them, but male sand
gobies, tiny fish who live along the European coast, play "Mr. Mom,"
building and guarding nests and fanning the eggs with their fins to
create a current of fresh, oxygenated water.
Being Hooked Hurts!
A two-year study conducted by scientists at Edinburgh University and
the Roslin Institute in the United Kingdom proved what many marine
biologists have been saying for years: Fish feel pain, just as all
animals do. Anglers may not like to think about it, but fish suffer
when they are impaled in the mouth and pulled into an environment in
which they cannot breathe. Said Dr. Lynne Sneddon, who headed the
recent study, "Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is your angling
more important than the pain to the fish?" If you fish or know someone
who does, click here to learn more.
http://www.fishinghurts.com/fishFeelPain.asp
Some Fish Are Too Clever to Catch!
“According to the researchers, close encounters with nets in early
life can educate the fish to swim away from an approaching trawler. .
. . Emma Jones, a fish behaviorist at the Marine Laboratory, said:
‘And if you have one fish that is a particularly fast learner, the
others will follow.’”
—The Times (London), October 28, 2004
Fish Faux Fish or No Fish
http://www.fishinghurts.com/fishing101.asp
Fish suffer horribly on the journey from sea to supermarket.
Commercial fishing boats use huge nets, some stretching for miles,
which swallow up everything—and everyone—in their paths. Fish come out
of the nets with their skin scraped completely raw from being forced
to rub up against rocks, debris—and other fish—trapped with them.
Fish flesh is frequently contaminated with mercury (which can cause
brain damage) and toxic chemicals like DDT, PCBs, and dioxin (which
have been linked to cancer, nervous system disorders, and fetal
damage),
http://www.fishinghurts.com/HealthConcerns.asp
as well as disease—causing bacteria. Why not try faux fish instead?
Vegetarian products like Worthington's Tuno (available in health food
stores) and mock lobster, shrimp, and crab (available online) have all
the taste of the "real thing"—but none of the cruelty or contaminants.
Derek Moody
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1165939.stm
Anglers say their sport is harmless
Animal rights activists are broadening their campaign to include
anglers because they believe fishing is cruel.
The pressure group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
(Peta) thinks fishing should be outlawed, describing it as "hunting on
water".
But unlike the direct action associated with hunt saboteurs, Peta,
which advocates peaceful protest, will use a different approach.
Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Andrew Butler revealed
his organisation was planning a nationwide advertising campaign.
It's unlikely that fish feel pain in the same way humans do"
Chris Pourpard
National Angling Association
"We have been involved in the fox hunting debate and I think angling
is part of the same debate," he said.
"It is still a blood sport. Angling is torturing animals for
pleasure."
But this claim is challenged by the National Angling Alliance (NAA).
Chris Pourpard from the NAA said: "I have got 3.5 million colleagues
who all go fishing and I'm sure if we thought fishing was cruel then
we wouldn't do it.
"We have done our own research from independent scientists and that
has come to a conclusion that it's unlikely that fish feel pain in the
same way humans do."
He added that angling contributed £3.4bn to the economy, including rod
licences and tackle expenditure.
But Peta is not convinced, saying that as it is a blood sport it
deserves to be at the forefront of public debate, like fox hunting.
The group has already achieved success in previous campaigns, after
persuading two major sponsors of angling events - Mitsubishi and John
Smiths - to withdraw support for the sport.
It also points out that the Hampshire Wildlife Trust has chosen to ban
all fishing on its land.
Peta's latest advertising campaign will begin in the spring, with a
hard-hitting series of adverts appearing in magazines and on
billboards.
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
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www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:g74js2pt3cunjchh6...@4ax.com...
> http://www.fishinghurts.com/feat-hiddenfish.asp
>
> Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world's leading marine biologists, said,
> "I never eat anyone I know personally. I wouldn't deliberately eat a
> grouper any more than I'd eat a cocker spaniel. They're so
.
.
snip more rubbish
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
--
..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:dd4js2p95gn7vufvo...@4ax.com...
Derek Moody
http://www.peta.org.uk/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=162
This is a US factsheet. It will be replaced by a UK version when
available.
Fragile tropical fish, who were born to dwell in the majestic seas and
forage among brilliantly colored coral reefs, suffer miserably when
forced to spend their lives in glass aquariums. The same is true of
river fish. Robbed of their natural habitats and denied the ability to
travel freely, they must swim around in the same few cubic inches of
water over and over.
Where Fish Really Come From
The popularity of keeping tropical fish has created a virtually
unregulated industry that catches and breeds as many fish as possible
with little regard for the animals themselves. While many species of
coral are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in
Endangered Species, most of the fish who end up in aquariums are
not.(1)
An estimated 95 percent of saltwater fish sold in pet shops came from
the wild, mostly from the waters around Indonesia, the Philippines,
Fiji, and other Pacific islands.(2) Collectors douse the coral reefs
with cyanide, which is ingested by the fish who live there, and as
reported in Scientific American, “[t]he resulting asphyxiation stuns
some fish and sends others into spasms, making them easy to grab by
hand or net.”(3) Half the affected fish die on the reef, and 40
percent of those who survive the initial poisoning die before they
reach an aquarium.(4) Cyanide also kills the coral reefs themselves,
and marine biologists rank it as one of the biggest dangers in
Southeast Asian waters.(5)
Goldfish are usually raised in giant tubs on fish farms that raise as
many as 250 million fish per year.(6) These animals are sold to zoos,
pet stores, and bait shops, and many are doomed to live in plastic
bags or bowls, neither of which provide the space or oxygen that
goldfish need. In 2004, the city of Monza, Italy, banned the keeping
of goldfish in bowls because the containers do not meet the needs of
the animals and because, as one sponsor of the law pointed out, bowls
give fish “a distorted view of reality.”(7)
Some fish farms are seeking new market niches by creating fish breeds
that would never occur in nature, treating fish as ornaments instead
of living animals. Some breeders even “paint” fish by injecting
fluorescent dyes into the animals’ bodies or altering their genetic
makeup to make them more attractive to buyers.(8)
Fish Can Speak, Make Tools, and Think
Fish have cognitive abilities that equal and sometimes surpass those
of nonhuman primates. They can recognize individuals, use tools, and
maintain complex social relationships.(9) Biologists wrote in Fish and
Fisheries that fish are “steeped in social intelligence, pursuing
Machiavellian strategies of manipulation, punishment and
reconciliation, exhibiting stable cultural traditions, and
co-operating to inspect predators and catch food.”(10)
Fish communicate with one another through a range of low-frequency
sounds—from buzzes and clicks to yelps and sobs. These sounds, which
are audible to humans only with the use of special instruments,
communicate emotional states such as alarm or delight and help with
courtship.(11) The pumps and filters necessary in many home aquariums
can interfere with this communication. “[A]t the least, we’re
disrupting their communication; at worst, we’re driving them bonkers,”
says ichthyologist Phillip Lobel.(12)
What You Can Do
Please don’t support the tropical fish trade by purchasing fish. If
you enjoy watching fish, consider downloading one of the many colorful
and realistic fish computer screensavers available on the Web. Don’t
support businesses or fairs that give fish away in contests or
promotions. In 2004, legislation was introduced in the U.K. that, if
passed, will make it illegal to give fish as “prizes” or sell animals
to children under the age of 16 and will also ensure that guardians
provide a “suitable environment” for animals.(13) A similar law is in
effect in Reggio Emilia, Italy.(14)
Siamese fighting fish, who are often sold as “decorations” or party
favors, are fighting for their lives as their popularity grows. Pet
shops, discount superstores, florists, and even online catalogs sell
Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) in tiny cups or flower vases
to consumers who are often uneducated about proper betta care. Many
people mistakenly believe that betta fish must be confined alone and
that they can survive without being fed in a so-called “complete
ecosystem” that consists of nothing more than a vase and a plant. As a
result, fish are being sentenced to dull, lonely lives and slow deaths
by starvation. These tiny containers are not suitable for any fish.
While betta males do not get along well with each other, they are able
to live with other types of fish in a “community” aquarium.
Biologists say that there is no safe way to return captive fish to
their natural environments—which are often located in a completely
different region of the world—because of the difficulty in locating
such a habitat and the possibility of introducing disease to the other
fish there. Researchers have found many species of non-native fish,
including predatory species, living off the coast of Florida, and they
attribute these populations to careless aquarium owners.(15) These
fish pose a real threat to native species. Never flush fish down the
toilet in the hopes of “freeing” them, as seen in the popular movie
Finding Nemo. Even if a fish survived the shock of being put into the
swirling fresh water, he or she would die a painful death in the
plumbing system or at the water treatment plant.(16)
If you already have fish, you can make their lives easier by providing
them with an environment that is as much like their natural habitat as
possible. While captive fish can never live natural lives, the
following tips will help ensure that they are as happy as possible:
• The more space that fish have, the happier and healthier they will
be. Their needs can vary, so check with an expert or consult a good
fish book or expert to determine their requirements. One general
guideline is that you should provide 3 gallons for every 1 inch of
fish.(17)
• Treat tap water properly before putting it in the aquarium, as most
municipal water has chlorine in it, which can kill fish. The type of
chemicals that you should use depends on your area’s water. Consult
with a local tropical fish supply store to determine the proper
treatment.
• Different types of fish require different pH levels. Check the pH
level daily for the first month and weekly thereafter.
• A filter to remove waste particles and noxious chemicals from the
water is essential. Live plants help with this task and provide
oxygen, shelter, hiding places, and the occasional snack.
• A properly working air pump is necessary to provide oxygen.
• Fish need a constant temperature, generally between 68°F and 76°F,
but you should check with a fish supply store for information that is
specific to the type of fish that you are keeping.(18) Automatic
aquarium heaters monitor the water temperature and turn the heater on
and off as needed. Attaching a small thermometer to the tank will help
you ensure that the heater is functioning properly.
• The natural waste of fish emits ammonia, which can accumulate to
toxic levels, so clean the tank regularly, but never empty the tank
completely. Be sure to clean the glass well with a pad or a brush to
prevent algae growth.
• Create places for the fish to hide in and explore. Ceramic objects,
natural rocks, and plants work well. Make sure that all objects are
thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before they are put into the tank.
Do not use metal objects, as they will rust.
• Be aware of the environment outside the aquarium. Suddenly switching
on a bright light in a dark room can startle fish, and vibrations from
a television or a stereo can alarm and stress them.
• Keep all harmful chemicals away from the aquarium. Cigarette smoke,
paint fumes, and aerosol sprays can be toxic if they are absorbed into
the water.
• The aquarium should be in a spot where temperature and light are
constant and controllable. Tropical fish supply stores may be able to
advise you on the best amount of light for the fish you are keeping.
Remember that direct sunlight and drafts from nearby doors or windows
can change the water temperature, and fumes from a nearby kitchen or
workshop can injure the fish.
• Don’t overfeed! Uneaten food and waste material are broken down into
ammonia and nitrites, which are toxic. One expert recommends providing
only as much food as your fish can eat in 30 seconds.(19)
• If a fish seems sick or lethargic, take him or her to a vet. Fish
can be medicated, anesthetized, given shots, and operated on, just
like other animals. Take along a separate sample of the tank water.
• Most fish enjoy companionship. If you have a single fish, check with
friends and neighbors to find another loner to adopt—but don’t support
the fish trade by going to a dealer.
References
(1) Sarah Simpson, “Fishy Business,” Scientific American, 285 (2001):
82-90.
(2) Jill Barton, “Fish Farms Create Thousands of ‘Nemos,’” Associated
Press, 19 Jun. 2003.
(3) Simpson.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
(6) Caryn Rousseau, “Goldfish Galore Spawn at Arkansas Farms. Just
Don’t Overfeed Them,” Associated Press, 2 Aug. 2004.
(7) Michelle Hainer, “Goldfish Bowl Do’s and Don’ts,” The Washington
Post, 8 Aug. 2004.
(8) Andrew Pollack, “So the Fish Glow. But Will They Sell?” The New
York Times, 25 Jan. 2004.
(9) Culum Brown, “Not Just a Pretty Face,” New Scientist, 12 Jun.
2004.
(10) “Scientists Highlight Fish ‘Intelligence,’” BBC News, 31 Aug.
2003.
(11) Stephen Budiansky, “What Animals Say to Each Other,” U.S. News &
World Report, 5 Jun. 1995.
(12) Ibid.
(13) “Overhaul for Animal Welfare Laws,” BBC News, 14 Jul. 2004.
(14) Bruce Johnston, “Italian Animal Rights Law Puts Lobster off the
Menu,” <News.telegraph.co.uk>, 3 Jul. 2004.
(15) Amitabh Avasthi, “Releasing Pet Fish Into the Wrong Ocean Proves
a Disaster,” New Scientist, 3 Jul. 2004.
(16) “Fish Flushers Learn Life Does Not Imitate ‘Nemo,’” Los Angeles
Times, 26 Jun. 2003.
(17) “Goldfish Bowl Do’s and Don’ts,” The Washington Post, 8 Aug.
2004.
(18) Marianne Kyriakos, “Getting Hooked on Fish,” The Washington Post,
23 Jun. 1989.
(19) Ibid.
Mike
Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
Mike
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..........................................................
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
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www.nsrafa.com
"Derek Moody" <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote in message
news:po4js2d4usm674b7m...@4ax.com...
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
>Just curious, does anyone actually read all of this good stuff being posted?
>
>Seems to be in all the newsgroups
>
>Mike
Yeah. We do. Interesting stuff.
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
I think if anyone still eats factory farmed produce these days, they
are risking the lives of their families.
Derek Moody
A cyclist who accidently rode over an angler's £500 pole on a canal
towpath was chased by two fishermen and thrown into the water.
After snapping the pole in three places. The two anglers pursued the
airline pilot in a van until the next bridge where they confronted
him, hurling him fully clothed into the canal.
The incident happened during a fishing match on the Calder and Hebble
canal in Sowerby Bridge where the anglers had set their rods across
the footpath blocking access and Perkins could not get past on his
mountain bike. He was asked to wait two minutes but became agitated at
the delaying tactics used, the court heard.
Derek Moody
Director Andrew Tyler's piece in the Daily SportBritain looks the
other way while birds are brutally destroyed
Britain prides itself on being a nation of animal lovers and yet
barely a word has been uttered about the suffering endured by the
160,000 birds who have been shoved into crates and gassed to death
during the Bernard Matthews bird flu outbreak. Under normal
circumstances, intensively reared poultry become traumatised and a
great many suffocate and die from shock when 'catching gangs' move in
to crate them for the trip to the killing factory. The Bernard
Matthews birds - with no commercial value - would inevitably have been
treated more roughly than normal.
More than 2,000 of the company's birds died in one week inside the
giant sheds from the terrible disease itself. One Hong Kong chicken
farmer described the H5N1 symptoms: 'Their bodies began shaking as if
they were suffocating and thick saliva started coming out of their
mouths ... Their faces went dark green and black.' (1) Pathologists
described the birds' organs as being reduced to a 'bloody pulp'.
Despite the birds' severe suffering, the first Bernard Matthews
victims went unnoticed because the attrition rate in intensive turkey
and chicken sheds is always so high. In the UK, more than one in 20
birds die before they can be slaughtered, with 130 million broiler
chickens perishing every year from heart disease alone. (2)
The industry acknowledges that some 100 viral, bacterial and
musculo-skeletal conditions commonly affect commercial poultry.
Bird flu: a disease of factory farming
It is little wonder that the best evidence points to the new deadly
strains of bird flu having begun inside the huge, windowless units of
the sort operated by Bernard Matthews. Intensive turkey sheds pack in
15,000 or more birds. The equivalent chicken units may confine 100,000
birds, crowded together shoulder to shoulder. With the litter becoming
increasingly saturated with urine and faeces during the birds' growing
cycle (6 weeks for chickens; around 12 weeks for turkeys), viruses and
other pathogens have the perfect environment in which to flourish and
mutate into more virulent strains.
Until the current outbreak, the industry - aided by its government
allies - had insisted that wild birds are to blame but with the
migratory season over, industry apologists are devoid of excuses.
In its natural state, the avian influenza virus has existed for
millions of years as a harmless, intestinal infection of aquatic birds
such as ducks. In commercially reared poultry, bird flu has gone from
a comparatively mild disease to a lethal condition that is striking
major producers around the world more and more frequently.
Bernard Matthews: a company with form
That a Bernard Matthews production unit should be hit by bird flu
comes as no surprise to those who have monitored the company's
activities over the years. Undercover investigations in 2000, 2002,
2005 and 2006 produced evidence of crowded, dirty conditions with
severely injured, diseased and dead birds.
In 2000, turkeys at Beck Farm, Haveringland, Norfolk were found lying
dead by undercover investigators, while others had festering wounds.
Live turkeys were seen milling around carcasses and pecking at them.
In September last year, two of the company's workers at the same
Norfolk farm were convicted of battering turkeys with a broom handle,
used like a baseball bat. The solicitor defending the men described
the conditions in the unit as 'appalling' and said: 'You can see why
people move to an organic, more open type of farming.'
The Hungarian connection
The H5N1 strain that has killed the turkeys in Matthews' Suffolk
operation is reported to be the same type as that which resulted in
the destruction of thousands of geese on a farm in Hungary last month.
Bernard Matthews owns Saga Foods, one of Hungary's leading processors
of poultry and other meats.
Despite poultry sheds being nominally sealed off from the outside
world, diseased material can easily enter them. An expert in the
field, Dr Mohammad Yousaf, (3) has indicated that H5N1 and other such
strains can find their way in through faecal traces or moisture in the
air - or through the medium of feed, water, supplies, cages, clothes,
delivery vehicles, mammals and even insects. Equally, diseased
material can just as easily leave such 'biosecure' units.
Links
GRAIN: 'Fowl play: The poultry industry's central role in the bird flu
crisis'
http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=194
Hillside Animal Sanctuary
http://www.hillside.org.uk/
References
Michael Greger MD, Bird Flu: A virus of our own hatching (Green press,
2006), pp. 34-35.
Compassion in World Farming Trust, 'The welfare of broiler chickens in
the European Union', 2005, p. 2.
Avian influenza outbreak hits the industry again, Dr Mohammad Yousaf,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, World Poultry, Vol 20
No 3 2004.
Notes to Editor
For full background and interviews, contact Andrew Tyler on 01732
364546
ISDN line available for broadcast-quality interviews.
Animal Aid campaigns peacefully against all animal abuse, and promotes
a cruelty-free lifestyle. You can support our work by joining, making
a donation, or using our online shop.
Contact Animal Aid at The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge,
Kent, TN9 1AW, UK, tel +44 (0)1732 364546, fax +44 (0)1732 366533,
email in...@animalaid.org.uk.
chico
> Isn’t eating fish good for your health?
Yes.
<...>
> Didn’t Jesus eat fish?
Yes.
> It’s an interesting question, but Biblical scholars agree that the
No, they don't.
> appropriate question for Christians is, “What should we be eating?”
They don't ask that. Dieticians and nutritionists do, but not Biblical
scholars. Talk about a weasel of a spin: ask yourself a question and then
dodge it!
> The Bible clearly says that our bodies are temples and that we should
> take care of them. Yet it’s a fact that all fish flesh today is
> contaminated with heavy metals
That's not the case at all. Some fish are more contaminated than others. And
what will you replace fish with? Polluted organic produce?!
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
wrote:
>
>Why quote a 5 year old story?
Why not? are we not allowed to learn from history!
pearl
> Just curious, does anyone actually read all of this
Save and forward to other interested parties too.
> rubbish being posted?
"Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge the
wing whereby we fly to Heaven."
- Shakespeare, Henry VI., iv. 7.
Your choice.
> Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
**You** have just joined AH in my KF. :)
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing at all. Pete is forging again.
> That is a great site Pete, hope you dont mind if I spread the word?
Which word? Ah yes: 'Troll'.
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
When DEFRA came to attempt to tag Harriet for slaughter, the vet who
accompanied the DEFRA Officer was challenged by a protestor who asked
her how she could equate the oath she had taken when she became a vet,
with her proposed action in the case of Harriet. Astonishingly she
said that the "Vet's Oath" was not relevant in a case like this.
We, Harriet's supporters, believe that the final part of this oath, as
published below, is very relevant.
I promise above all
that I will pursue the work of my profession
with uprightness of conduct,
and that my constant endeavour
will be to ensure the welfare of animals
committed to my care.
How can any self respecting vet equate this with a willingness to
slaughter a healthy cow?
Harriet the pet Jersey cow under threat of death
Friends and supporters of Harriet found out that a blood test would
be available from Canada at the end of the year which would enable the
testing test live animals for BSE. This has been brought to the
attention of DEFRA.
A clause has also been found in and EU Directive 999/2001 which
clearly states that the rules only apply to animals which go into the
food chain, which is never going to happen to Harriet.
http://www.harriet-thecow.co.uk/
Harriet's supporters staged a protest outside her field on October
9th, when DEFRA were due to value and tag her for slaughter. They
valued but did not tag her. They were asked what had happened to all
the other contacts and alleged cohorts of the BSE infected cow but
either could not, or would not answer satisfactorily.
An Eye Witness Account of the attempt to Kill Harriet
10th January, 2007
Please Read
The call came about 9.20 this morning: “They are going to try and
kill Harriet at 1030.” I was out of the house in 10 minutes, picked
up Bev, another of Harriet’s friends, and shot off to Aston Ingham and
Harriet’s field. Dave Price, her owner, met us outside her old field.
Incredibly calm, he led us towards her new, more secure field.
We were stopped by a police car parked across the lane, blocking it.
They would not allow cars any further, not even Dave’s, and I asked if
the police were trying to prevent us from protesting. There was a
long pause before he replied, “no”, and we pursued Dave who was
hot-footing it up the lane. We reached Harriet’s new field, where the
police and press were standing in the lane with the family. We were
asked by a cameraman what we thought about the fact that Defra hadn’t
told the family about this. I’d wondered about the short notice, but
surely even Defra wouldn’t sink this low? I asked a member of the
family: no, there had been no word from Defra - they had just had a
tip-off from a reliable source, and they had phoned round Harriet’s
friends immediately
Groups of yellow-coated officials stood about the field using mobile
phones. Time ticked on. I thought we were waiting for Defra, but the
vet was already there, standing in the field clutching his clipboard.,
a nervous-looking Welshman, he must have gone into the field with the
first group of officials. So why no action? There were so many of
them and so few of us that they could have done what they liked at
that stage.
Bill Osborne was on the phone to our MP, Mark Harper, who has been
extremely supportive. Then he rang Barbara Jordan, the solicitor who
is acting for the family, and who was so effective during
foot-and-mouth. Rev.Patricia Pinkerton arrived, having persuaded
someone else to take her service, saying an injunction was imminent.
She staggered through the mud to the group of officials, desperate to
tell them.
There were two police cars blocking the other end of the lane, with
police cars and vans arriving and departing over the next four hours.
A 4 by 4 arrived with a cattle trailer attached, and with military
speed and efficiency, a team of trading standards people leapt out and
passed steel hurdles over the gate, securing them together to make a
funnel towards the gate. One of them cut through the chain on the
gate without a word to the family. Several police and trading
standards people then crossed the field towards Harriet, pursued by
distraught members of the family. Harriet was standing with her
daughter, Bambi, in a corner of the field. She looked wary, head
down, watchful. The cattle in the neighbouring field were lined up
along the fence, bellowing.
Bill spoke to the inspector who was in charge. He said he was just
there to make sure Defra was able to carry out their legal duty, and
refused to be drawn into the rights and wrongs. I spoke to one of the
trading standards men, who said he was just doing his job, that this
was the decision that had been taken by his department who obeyed the
laws of the government, that the government had been elected
democratically and that this was what democracy was all about. It
wasn’t his job to question it. The trading standards man in charge,
was stony-faced and refused to say anything. Either they were all
convinced they were right, or simply didn’t care.
Bill pointed out the cut chain from the gate as criminal damage.
Under the Animal “Health” Bill, they are entitled to break in like
this. But no-one had had the courtesy to ask for the gate to be
unlocked. They had just steam-rollered ahead. They said they would
replace the chain, apparently thinking that made it all alright.
There was more standing about in the field, with the big group of
people broken into several smaller groups, still on their mobile
phones. The police inspector said he needed to “sight” the injunction
to halt the proceedings. It was even then being put before a judge.
In Bristol.
I found I was shaking, and it wasn’t just from the cold. It was fear
and anger as well. They had learned nothing from 2001 except how to
intimidate better. Someone nudged me and pointed out the number plate
on the trailer. It had tape over it, obscuring the number. I walked
round the vehicle. Both number plates had been blanked out. Someone
ripped off the tape, revealing the number plate Trading standards
panicked when they realised this, with two people standing in front of
the number plate, shouting for someone else to come and replace the
tape. Too late!! we’d got it. This vehicle and trailer had been and
would be on public roads; obviously one rule for them and another one
for us.
They decided that there were too many people there to slaughter
Harriet on the spot - bad publicity. They now wanted to take her away
alive, and kill her somewhere out of the spotlight. Couldn’t have the
television people filming the grisly deed. Liz was extremely
distressed at this. She envisaged Harriet being chased around the
field by uncaring strangers, terrified, with her last few hours spent
alone, abandoned, frightened. If it came down to it, she wanted her
own vet to do it in familiar surroundings, with familiar and loving
people with her.
Mark Harper had sent someone from the Council to stop the slaughter
until the proper legal channels had been gone through. Barbara Jordan
had agreed to drop everything and bring the legal papers up from
Cheltenham. The inspector agreed to wait until she arrived. Harriet
moved up towards her shelter. The neighbouring cattle bellowed. We
crossed our fingers.
Barbara Jordan walked up the muddy lane in her smart suit and
high-heeled shoes. She said the injunction was before the judge, and
handed over the papers to the police inspector. Her authoritative
voice commanded attention, and she said the situation was
“unfortunate”. She said legal proceedings were underway. The yellow
jackets started trickling out of the field, the vet mumbled something
about consulting his superiors, the cameras rolled.
Harriet’s friends heaved a collective sigh of relief, and assembled in
the kitchen. The family confirmed that they’d had no notice of this,
that if they hadn’t had a tip-off they may well have been out, leaving
Defra to break in and kill Harriet. They were distraught and angry at
how they had been treated. Defra would have received Barbara’s letter
that morning, and new rules to change culling of cohorts to
monitoring, comes in at the end of the month. Perhaps that’s why they
were in such a hurry to kill. Once again, it reminds me of the
experiments done by Stanley Milgram, the psychologist, in 1963 on
obedience to authority.
In any case, with about 20 public servants standing about in a muddy
field for 4 hours, bent on killing a healthy cow , what a waste of
public money.
Article
Contrary to what you may have heard or read in the media Harriet is
not yet safe. Please read the new item on "News and Views" for the
explanation of why the fight must go on.
========================
From the Western Daily Press.
Tory stalwart Ann Widdecombe has joined the battle to prevent the
slaughter of a West pet cow suspected of being contaminated with BSE.
The Conservative MP for Maidstone has become the second MP to join the
campaign to save Jersey cow Harriet from slaughter. Harriet, whose
cause is also backed by Tory MP for the Forest of Dean Mark Harper,
allegedly shared feed with an animal that went on to contract Mad Cow
Disease. But straight-talking Miss Widdecombe said that was not a good
enough reason to cull her. She said: "I am not silly and sentimental -
if an animal is contaminated then it should be prevented from entering
the food chain. But it seems to me that there has been quite a lot of
conflict of interest. If she will never enter the food chain then it
seems reasonable to keep her alive.”
10th January 2007
Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, has this morning called on the
Minister for animal welfare, Ben Bradshaw, MP, to halt action to seize
Harriet the cow.
Mark has also contacted Gloucestershire County Council,
Gloucestershire Constabulary, Herefordshire Council, West Mercia
Police and the State Veterinary Services to urge them to await
instructions from the Minister.
Mark Harper said:
"The family's solicitor is in correspondence with DEFRA. It is
unacceptable that this action is being taken when the legal process
has not been concluded. From the way this action was undertaken it is
quite clear they were trying to deal with Harriet before we or the
Prices had a chance to react. This is exactly the kind of heavy
handed behaviour we saw six years ago with the foot and mouth crisis,
sadly typical of this government."
In his letter to the Minister faxed to his private office this
morning, Mark Harper said:
Dear Minister
Re: Harriet the Cow
It has just come to my attention that your department is planning to
seize Harriet the Cow this morning. I am extremely disappointed that
you are taking this action while correspondence between the Price's
solicitor and your department is ongoing. During our debate on 7th
November you said "it is always open to legal representatives of the
family in question to challenge any final decision if they think that
we are interpreting provisions more strictly than other EU countries,
or if they think that we have got it wrong" (Official Report Column
247WH). Your department's action this morning appears to be an
attempt to pre-empt due legal process.
You confirmed in your answer to my Parliamentary Question which I
received late yesterday that "an amendment to Commission Decision
999/2001, enabling Member States to apply for a derogation to allow
the culling of cohorts to be deferred until the end of their
productive lives will come into force later this month [113070]. I
hope that the timing of the action to seize Harriet this morning is
not related to this change in the law.
I would like your assurance that no action will be taken to seize or
slaughter Harriet until legal proceedings are concluded. That was
certainly the implication of your remarks to Parliament in November.
Harriet the Cow lives to fight another day
Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, has secured a commitment from
Ben Bradshaw MP, Animal Welfare Minister, that DEFRA will not attempt
to seize or cull Harriet again until the legal process is concluded.
The Minister made his commitment in answer to the letter sent by the
Forest MP this morning when the news broke that DEFRA was planning and
tried to carry a raid today.
Commenting today's developments, Mark Harper said:
"First, I would like to thank all those who helped to ensure that
David and Liz, Harriet's owners, would be able to pursue due legal
process despite the heavy handed attempt by DEFRA and the minister to
seize and cull Harriet today.
I am pleased to have secured the Minister's personal commitment that
DEFRA will not attempt to seize or cull Harriet again until the legal
process has concluded.
Barbara Jordan has set the forces moving, There is hope for Harriet,
which will only bring a good result if we are careful not to
jeapordise the brief. Although we have names and license plate
numbers, I am asking on behalf of Harriets parents and family that
anything we write does not contain the names of any "Government
Agents" Harriet comes first, and we need to protect the information
for use at appropriate times. With Harriet going to Court, let us
send her on with cheer.
I have all of the application and evidence necessary for the European
Court of Human Rights Appeal.On the way out to post it I received a
phone call on behalf of Barbara Jordan...to hold up until Harriets
Court case here.If we run into a problem then...we immediately send
our evidence to the Eurocourt which with give us longer grace of up
to a year.Hold on for Harriet...
Patricia
Harriet is going to court
Many of you may have heard the news items yesterday stating that
Harriet's life is no longer in danger, as a result in changes to the
EU Law concerning the treatment of BSE "Cohorts"
Unfortunatley this news does not mean that Harriet is safe, there is
a parculiarity in the uk where if an EU law is made that is
detrimental to the UK citizen the UK government will state that it has
to come into force immediatly as they cannot go against EU law/rules
BUT if the EU make a ruling that is in favour of UK citizens then the
UK government states that it cannot enforce it until it has been
agreed to by both houses of parliament. this could take several months
at least, so it will probably be about october before it becomes the
rule in UK ( if at all!)
Meanwhile the fight must go on.
Harriet is not yet out of danger
Harriet is not yet out of danger
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Not me. Pete the Troll again...
> Given the recent ban on the vicioulsy cruel livebait used by anglers,
...who doesn't read what he posts.
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Not one of my posts.
> Animal activists target anglers
With the surgical precision and ethical probity of a Pete the troll
crossposted forgery campaign.
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Oh no I didn't. Pete the troll's haveing delusions of identity again.
> Isn’t eating fish good for your health?
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. It's another of Pete the troll's forgeries.
> Angling
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Yet another Pete the troll forgery.
> Rod Rage. Anglers throw cyclist into canal.
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
No I didn't. Anothe forgery by you know who.
> Fishing: Aquatic Agony
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
None of this. Pete the troll stole it from somewhere.
> BIOHAZARD-SUITED PROTESTERS WARN: AVOID POULTRY FLESH LIKE THE PLAGUE
Someone in the suermarket panicked and slashed poultry prices this week. Two
nice chickens for two pounds fifty. I wish I had more freezer space.
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
No, that was a Pete the troll transparent forgery that was.
> Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world's leading marine biologists, said,
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
None of this. Pete the Troll is trying to be someone real but only manages
a poor forgery.
> Choice words from the angling fraternity, an insight into their cruel
> mentality, in wanting to harm wildlife for fun!
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Nor, to be fair, did Pete the troll. He merely forged the headers
and cut and pasted from someone's website without asking.
> Fish in Tanks: No Thanks!
Cheerio,
--
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll forges headers once more.
> Livebait is where the nuts who go fishing will stick anything alive,
> on the end of their hook,
Hold still a second Pete....
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Not me. I wasn't there - Pete the troll forged this so presumable he -was-
there... no that would involve him actully doing something.
> When DEFRA came to attempt to tag Harriet for slaughter, the vet who
Cheerio,
--
Alan Holmes
"pearl" <t...@signguestbook.ie> wrote in message
news:eqckvp$u72$1...@reader01.news.esat.net...
I wonder if someone could ask this idiot what the relationship to
birdwatching is?
Old Codger
> Just curious, does anyone actually read all of this rubbish being posted?
>
> Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
I don't read Pete's stuff usually, nor the other ARs who follow him. I
do often read at least the start of PGs, but rarely beyond if it is more
than a few lines.
--
Old Codger
e-mail use reply to field
What matters in politics is not what happens, but what you can make
people believe has happened. [Janet Daley 27/8/2003]
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
<oldc...@anyoldwhere.net> wrote:
>'Mike' wrote:
>> Just curious, does anyone actually read all of this rubbish being posted?
>>
>> Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
>
>I don't read Pete's stuff usually, nor the other ARs who follow him. I
>do often read at least the start of PGs, but rarely beyond if it is more
>than a few lines.
You're an obsessive stalker, of course you read everything Todger.
Ptarmigan
> news:koSdnd3WM6A...@bt.com...
>> Just curious, does anyone actually read all of this
"pearl" <t...@signguestbook.ie> wrote in message
news:eqckvp$u72$1...@reader01.news.esat.net...
> Save and forward to other interested parties too.
> "'Mike'" <3d&6...@woolies.com> wrote in message
> news:koSdnd3WM6A...@bt.com...
>> Seems to be flooding all the newsgroups :-((
"pearl" <t...@signguestbook.ie> wrote in message
news:eqckvp$u72$1...@reader01.news.esat.net...
> **You** have just joined AH in my KF. :)
And you've just joined all the Petes in mine - or maybe you ARE
Pete again, by another name.
Ptarmigan
"Alan Holmes" <alan....@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:YQoyh.53$fa...@newsfe1-win.ntli.net...
> I wonder if someone could ask this idiot what the relationship
> to birdwatching is?
I doubt it knows. Just KF it.
Alan Holmes
"Ptarmigan" <ptar...@cairngorm.com> wrote in message
news:NY2dnYsa-pD...@bt.com...
And the connection with birdwatching is?
Derek Moody
http://www.shetlandmarine.com/2007/04%20Aquaculture/row_breaks_out_over_salmon_escapes.htm
THE WAR of words is continuing over the number of salmon which have
escaped from Scottish fish farms and their impact on the environment.
The Salmon Farm Protest Group yesterday (Sunday) claimed that Shetland
and parts of the Scottish Highlands no longer had a productive or
healthy sea trout fishery due to infection by sea lice from farmed
salmon.
The claim came as the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation's chief
executive Sid Patten planned to announce today (Monday) that the
number of escaped salmon has almost halved from 310,000 in 2002 to
157,000 in 2006.
"Effective containment is a priority," he will tell a meeting of the
Ministerial Working Group on Aquaculture.
"With the exception of the severe storms in January 2005 when a
handful of the 278 active sites suffered badly, there has been a
significant declining trend since reporting began."
Mr Patten will question claims that escaped farmed fish outnumbered
wild fish. Quoting from the Scottish Salmon and Sea Trout Catches
statistics, he will say that 2005 was to be the fifth highest on
record for rod catches with 80,000 fish caught, with only 230 coming
from fish farms.
He is to say: "The reasons for the decline in both wild salmon and sea
trout are much debated, as it is an enormously complex issue with a
wide-ranging number of potential influences, such as climate change,
predation from seals, over-fishing, agricultural run-off and
re-stocking."
But SFPG chairman Bruce Sandison said Mr Patten was using catch
statistics selectively and to his organisation's own benefit.
"As far as I am aware, figures for salmon farm escapes during 2006
have yet to be published. The 2005 figures were only published last
November. Until the Scottish Executive publish the 2006 figures I will
view Mr Patten's claims with scepticism.
"For years now, the catch statistics that Mr Patten so selectively
quotes show nil sea trout catches for Shetland.
"There is nothing complex about the cause of the decline in wild
salmon numbers in the West Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Since
the expansion of factory fish farming, fish farm sea lice have
constantly attacked and killed our wild fish as they passed by fish
farm cages."
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll faked the headers.
> 12 February, 2007
Derek Moody
An open letter to animal advocates & activists
(especially those in New York City & surrounding
areas)
Friends/Fellow Activists,
On February 13, 2007, New York City will join other
cities around the world in a coordinated day of action
and opposition to the cruel and inhumane Chinese fur
trade. The purpose in forming the International
Anti-Fur Coalition was to find a way to amplify our
voices and to give added power and urgency to our
message, by having simultaneous protests take place
around the world and focused on one issue.
Earlier today, you may have seen the incredible news
about the action that took place in China. For those
of you who have not seen the newspaper article about
the rescue of 400 cats from certain death and use for
their flesh and their fur, here is a link to the article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2011569,00.html
The picture above is of some of the rescued cats and
is a cogent reminder of why we do what we do.
In China, organized protests are forbidden. There is
no pretense at freedom of speech and there is very
little government sensitivity to the concept of animal
rights and the people who believe in and fight for
those rights. Yet, 100 people took a stand today.
One of them ended up in the hospital after a
confrontation with the police. The result? ....some
400 cats were saved from a brutal and senseless
ending. Direct action in its purest form.
While this drama was unfolding in China, the valiant
and courageous crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation
Society faced off against the Japanese whaling fleet
to defend a pod of whales. As I read the journal of
one of the crew members, it was clear that they are
making great sacrifices to stand between the whales
and those that would spill their blood. They are
prepared to put their lives on the line to save a whale.
In New York City, there are predictions of bitterly
cold weather on Tuesday and there is the potential for
snow. Not the ideal conditions for a protest on 12th
Avenue just off the river. The wind is going to be
frigid. I wish all demos could be held in 85 degree
weather in full sunshine. Then again, I wish there
wasn't a need to do the demos at all.
Let us take inspiration from those 100 activists that
stood up to the police and the Sea Shepherds who are
defending the whales at great personal risk in the most
challenging conditions.
Bundle up, dress in layers, dot forget hats, gloves and
scarves and warm footwear. If you dress appropriately
there is no reason that the weather should keep you
from speaking out for the animals. If you need any
more inspiration, click on the link above or look at the
picture and take a look at the rescued cats. Look at
them as individuals. I am sure you will see one that
reminds you of a cat you know. Take heart from those
that were rescued. Don't forget about all those that
are left behind. If you live in the area, please do
whatever you can to join the protest. If you cannot
attend, make a pledge to contact those listed below
to voice your concern and your protest.
Global Day of Action against Chinese Fur
Location:
Chinese Consulate Office
520 12th Avenue, NY
(between 42nd & 43rd Streets)
New York, NY
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
New Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Police/Sound Permit Approved Event
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
BOYCOTT CHINESE PRODUCTS & TOURISM
INCLUDING THE BEIJING OLYMPICS IN 2008
Chinese Embassies and Consulates in the U.S.
Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C.
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 338-6688 or (202)5889760
Fax: (202) 588-9760
Chinese Consulate General in New York, N.Y.
520 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 244-9392
Fax: (212) 465-1708
Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, Ill.
100 West Erie Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Tel: (312) 803-0095
Fax: (312) 803-0110
Chinese Consulate General in Houston, Texas
3417 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, TX 77006
Tel: (713) 520-1462
Fax: (713) 521-3064
Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, Calif.
443 Shatto Place
Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: (213) 807-8088
Fax: (213) 807-8091
Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, Calif.
1450 Laguna Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Tel: (415) 674-2900
Fax: (415) 563-049
If you live outside of the USA, just do a "google"
search for the Embassy or Consulate Office closest to
you.
For more info contact Win Animal Rights at:
centcom @ war-online.org (close spaces to email)
or visit our website at: http://war-online.org
Derek Moody
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2011569,00.html#article_continue
Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Monday February 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Some of the 400 cats that were rescued from a market in Tianjin.
China's nascent animal rights movement claimed a rare and bloody
victory today after rescuing more than 400 cats that were about to be
slaughtered for their fur and meat.
The felines were saved from a market in Tianjin after a standoff last
week between 100 pet lovers and police that left one protester
hospitalised.
Until recent years, respect for animal rights was almost non-existent
in China, where dogs, cats, birds, lizards and turtles are often
displayed in cramped market cages, before being slaughtered -
sometimes by being beaten to death.
But the country's rising affluence has brought with it a pet-pampering
middle class, many of whom think of dogs as man's best friend rather
than a popular item on a restaurant menu.
Activists are becoming bolder, posting video footage of cruel
treatment on Youtube and staging protests.
Last November, 500 pet lovers in Beijing staged a noisy demonstration
against a police cull of dogs and new limits on pet ownership - both
introduced to halt the spread of rabies.
In the latest confrontation, 100 supporters of the "Love Kitty" group
in Tianjin surrounded a market, where cats and dogs were being
slaughtered. Many of the protesters were local people who had lost
their pets and suspected the animals had been abducted by furriers.
The police refused to support the animal protection group because
there is no law in China against killing cats and dogs, and all the
animal traders were licensed.
Lu Di, director of the Small Animal Protection Association, described
the confrontation that followed: "The demonstrators were afraid that
the killings were continuing behind the closed doors so they made
their way inside. They found cats crammed inside tiny wire cages about
10 cm high. About 80 police officers arrived and there were scuffles.
One man suffered a head injury and is still in hospital."
To avoid further clashes, the Hebei provincial government allowed the
cats to be taken to Lu's shelter in Beijing. But it has been difficult
for her small, non-profit organisation to cope with so many maltreated
animals. Of the 444 cats that were initially saved, 19 have died.
"We don't have enough money, food or medical care so we are calling
for help," said Lu.
Her fellow volunteers want the government to take steps to prevent a
recurrence. "In China, there is no law to protect animals," said the
association's vice-director Zhang Dan.
"This is unacceptable. Even poor countries in Africa have such laws.
We are petitioning the National People's Congress to make new
legislation."
Attitudes to other animals may also need to change. Less than a week
before the start of the Chinese Year of the Pig, the local media
reported the maltreatment of hundreds of swine that were not allowed
to be tended because of a lease dispute.
"Most pigs were so hungry and thirsty that they were not even able to
stand and only huddled together, with some piglets lying lifeless,"
the Yangcheng Evening News said.
Derek Moody
http://www.indiaenews.com/asia/20070212/39226.htm
From correspondents in Beijing, China, 11:03 PM IST
More than 400 caged cats that were to be sold in south China for their
fur and meat were rescued by a group of cat lovers who broke into a
pet shop Sunday.
About 30 members of the Tianjin-based club that goes by the English
name 'I Cat Home' broke into a shop in the pet market in Tianjin.
'We knew in January that the store owner has bought a lot of cats for
15 yuan (about $2) each. The cats were packed into the small shop, and
were to be sold in Guangzhou for fur and meat,' said 23-year-old Wang
Yue, founder of 'I Cat Home', who accused the shop owner of animal
cruelty.
The group, which included people who had recently lost their pet cats,
saved 415 felines that were crammed into small cages, reported
Monday's Beijing News.
The shop owner was not present during the raid and could not be
reached for comment. The Beijing News said the owner had agreed to
hand over the cats to the cat lovers Saturday night.
After their rescue the cats were taken to the headquarters of the
Beijing-based China Small Animal Protection Association, where they
were fed and vaccinated.
A volunteer at the association told Xinhua, 'We are already
advertising for kind-hearted people to adopt a cat.'
Meanwhile Wang Yue and friends, of 'I Cat Home' may face charges from
local police as they pulled down the store's two-metre-high gate, and
had 'physical conflicts' with police reportedly called by nearby shop
owners.
Port Said Fred
<0in3t2thkr931hph8...@4ax.com>:
> ****Cross Post Widely****
>
****Killfile Without Reading****
--
eric
www.ericjarvis.co.uk
"live fast, die only if strictly necessary"
Derek Moody
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=231332007
PRESSURE is mounting on Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to scrap a
controversial hedgehog cull in the Western Isles.
The policy is due for review next week, and the Scottish Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) yesterday announced that
it had done a U-turn and now backed a halt to the cull.
It follows research which suggests moving the animals to the mainland
can be successful if precautions are taken.
The Uist Wader Project, led by SNH, was set up in 2000 to help protect
internationally important wading birds, and a hedgehog cull was
started in 2003 to protect species whose numbers had dropped
significantly after their eggs were eaten.
Since then, 690 hedgehogs in North Uist and Benbecula have been
trapped and given a lethal injection. SNH will review the cull at its
meeting in Inverness on 20 February.
Initially, the SSPCA supported a cull, but the research by Professor
Stephen Harris, of Bristol University, and Hugh Warwick, an ecologist
and journalist, has led to a change of mind.
Kay Driver, the SSPCA's chief executive, said:
"This study now offers proof that translocation can be successful when
the animal spends a number of weeks stabilising at a wildlife unit."
Ross Minett, a spokesman for the Uist Hedgehog Rescue coalition, said:
"We welcome the Scottish SPCA's change of policy, which now opposes
the killing of hedgehogs on the Uists."
Susan Davies, SNH's director of strategy and operations said the
agency wanted to discuss the SSPCA's change of mind further with the
association.
Derek Moody
HOGS: Under threat.CALLS were made today for an end to the
controversial culling of hedgehogs on a remote island.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/235/235892_stop_hedgehog_cull_pleads_charity.html
The programme began almost four years ago because of the threat the
animals posed to rare wading birds and their eggs on Uist in the Outer
Hebrides. Thousands were killed in the first cull.
However, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society have now found that
island hedgehogs can survive if relocated to the mainland despite
previous fears many would die.
Advertisement your story continues below
Bristol University scientists have also disputed claims that culling
island hedgehogs is more humane than moving them.
Today, the Scottish SPCA charity called for the end of the cull which
could resume in the spring.
Kay Driver, chief executive of the Scottish SPCA, said: "When the Uist
Wader Project was announced in 2000, the Scottish SPCA's Board
considered the welfare aspects of relocating hedgehogs to the mainland
as against culling on site.
'Welfare'
"The view at that time was that too many hedgehogs would suffer from
the journey or die of malnutrition and that culling was an
undesirable, but better welfare option.
"This new study now offers proof that translocation can be successful
when the animal spends a number of weeks stabilising at a wildlife
unit.
"The Scottish SPCA's Board of Directors wishes to see an end to the
culling of hedgehogs by lethal injection, and instead would recommend
that a pilot scheme of translocation be carried out in 2007."
Susan Davies, director of Strategy and Operations North for Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH), one of the bodies behind the cull, said: "We
thank the Scottish SPCA for advising us of their change in view on the
animal welfare implications of the translocation of hedgehogs, based
on the research carried out by the University of Bristol.
"We would like to discuss this further with them. We will be taking a
paper to our main board on February 20 for a decision on how we go
forward with the Uist Wader Project."
Derek Moody
JEREMY WATSON
(jwa...@scotlandonsunday.com)
RUN, rabbit, run. A mass cull of the prodigiously fertile animal is
being planned to protect one of Scotland's rarest and most fragile
habitats.
The machair is an internationally famous system of low-lying sand
pastures that run down the Atlantic coast of the Outer Hebrides.
But an explosion in rabbit numbers caused by a succession of mild
winters is now causing serious erosion to the eco-system. Giant burrow
networks are loosening the ground, making the dunes more vulnerable to
the increasing number of violent storms.
Councillors are urging Scottish Natural Heritage to consider gassing
thousands of the animals to save the machair from destruction. The
government agency has recently targeted both mink and hedgehogs on the
islands as part of a conservation programme.
But animal rights campaigners say non-lethal methods, such as fencing,
should be tried first before a cull is ordered.
The Western Isles machair - the only other similar systems are in
Shetland and Ireland - has been traditionally farmed by crofters who
have been responsible for controlling rabbit numbers on their own
land.
The deliberate introduction of the myxomatosis virus in the 1960s
almost wiped out populations from Ness at the north of Lewis to Barra
in the south of the island chain. But its use ceased on animal cruelty
grounds and numbers have been escalating ever since.
John MacKay, the councillor for Dell ward in Ness, said: "The rabbit
infestation is bad and getting worse in many places.
"If you walk down into some areas you will see hundreds of them at any
one time. They are burrowing into the sand dunes and causing serious
damage."
MacKay said it was now time for a cull. "We need to do this before the
numbers get too great. They are nice-looking beasts but they are very
destructive."
Archie Campbell, a councillor on North Uist, one of the worst-affected
islands, said: "We are getting an increasing number of violent storms
affecting the dunes and the rabbit burrows are an added problem on top
of that. Anyone who has walked the machair in the summer knows how
much they are worth preserving.
"But it is probably beyond the ability of individual crofters now to
cope with the problem, so we need the help of bodies like SNH.
Shooting is too labour intensive, so the only solution is probably
gassing."
About 80% of the machair land has been declared an official Site of
Special Scientific Interest because of its unique characteristics and
abundant native wildlife. The European rabbit, which originated in the
south of the continent, is believed to have been introduced to Britain
by the Romans for meat and the species gradually spread northwards.
Although crofters are able to shoot rabbits, the numbers have become
overwhelming.
A similar population explosion in Shetland two years ago also brought
calls for widespread gassing to be introduced. Lethal gases are
released into sealed burrows and the animals die underground.
Both SNH and the Scottish Executive's agriculture department said no
figures existed on the growth of rabbit population in the Western
Isles.
SNH said crofters could apply for government grants for rabbit control
and it was now being recognised as a growing problem. Future
agreements covering SSSI's and National Nature Reserves would require
tougher rabbit control measures to protect the machair habitat.
The agency has been involved in two culling operations on the Western
Isles in the past decade. Trappers have been employed to hunt down
American mink, which escaped from fur farms, and hedgehogs, an alien
species that was devastating bird colonies by eating their eggs.
The hedgehog cull - hundreds were collected in cages and then poisoned
- brought a nationwide outcry from animal lovers. Ross Minett,
director of Advocates for Animals, said there would be similar
protests over mass killing of rabbits. "Instead of spending large
amounts of money killing rabbits on an ongoing basis and causing
suffering there must surely be a more cost-effective and humane
longer-term solution. We would urge the use of non-lethal options such
as using rabbit-proof fencing to protect vulnerable machair habitat,"
he said.
Some farmers, however, believe nature will provide an answer. Some
local rabbit populations on the islands are being decimated by the new
naturally-occurring haemorrhagic virus. "We had an enormous problem
until a couple of years ago," said Peter Murray, who lives on North
Uist.
"They were burrowing into the dunes, threatening the machair, because
if the dunes go there is no protection. But since the virus took hold
they have virtually disappeared around here and it will probably
spread. It may provide a temporary solution but one thing is certain,
at some stage, the rabbits will be back."
The wildlife hit list
THE first cull carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage on the Western
Isles has avoided controversy because the target, the American mink,
is regarded as an alien invader that threatens native wildlife.
Over the past five years, 230 of the animals, the offspring of fur
farm escapees, have been captured in the Uists and Benbecula in a
programme costing £1.65m.
A new £2.5m programme has now been announced to hunt mink on the
island of Lewis and Harris over the next five years.
The animals are aggressive predators of ground-nesting wader birds'
eggs and chicks, and also eat young fish.
SNH's second cull, announced four years ago, was far more
controversial, as it involved the hedgehog, another species alien to
the islands and which preys on birds' eggs. But the cull, in which the
hedgehogs are trapped and dispatched with a lethal injection, brought
nationwide protests from animal rights groups. Almost 700 hedgehogs
have been eradicated, but around 750 have been rescued by campaigners
who offered £20 a head to locals who caught them and handed them over
alive. They were then transferred to mainland sanctuaries.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=222722007
Pete ‹(•¿•)›
Heads should roll. We should make an example of the CONservation
hooligans who are wasting tax payers money in some Nazi vendetta
against wildlife.
Alan Holmes
"Port Said Fred" <use...@ericjarvis.co.uk> wrote in message
news:MPG.203bfc7a7...@www.motzarella.org...
And the relationship to fishing is?
bof
<alan....@nowhere.com> writes
**** Trolling, of coarse[sic] *****
--
bof at bof dot me dot uk
pearl
Photos:
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11245547
Port Said Fred
> In message <yHoAh.12445$z54....@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net>, Alan Holmes
> <alan....@nowhere.com> writes
> >
> >"Port Said Fred" <use...@ericjarvis.co.uk> wrote in message
> >news:MPG.203bfc7a7...@www.motzarella.org...
> >> Derek Moody thisis...@derekmoody.con wrote in
> >> <0in3t2thkr931hph8...@4ax.com>:
> >>> ****Cross Post Widely****
> >>
> >> ****Killfile Without Reading****
> >>
>
> **** Trolling, of coarse[sic] *****
>
****Trawling Off Course****
amacm...@aol.com
Another grant sucking exercise by an outdated and out-of control
quango desperate to keep itself in business.
Angus Macmillan
www.roots-of-blood.org.uk
www.killhunting.org
www.con-servation.org.uk
All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed;
Second, it is violently opposed; and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.
-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
amacm...@aol.com
Exactly! Every head in SNH from top to bottom.
I hear the hedgehogs have been breeding faster that SNH could kill
them - something that the sloppy scientists of SNH don't seem to
understand.
It's the same with deer. Kill some and the habitat is better for
those left and more breed. It's hardly rocket science but obviously
too complex for Dr Thick and his colleges to understand.
Plus there's no grant sucking for leaving wildlife alone :-(
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll is playing wannabe master forger again.
> Dead cute: rabbits face gas cull
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
safest to assume that anything he espouses is at least unsafe and probably
malicious.
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Not a word of it. Nor did Pete the troll, he just forged the headers then
cut and pasted someone else's work without permission.
> Stop hedgehog cull, pleads charity
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Not a word of it. It's another Pete the troll forged post.
> Animal lovers win extra life for 400 Chinese cats
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll is forging headers again.
> Cat lovers save 400 felines in China
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Yet another Pete the troll forgery pollutes usenet.
> Charity in U-turn to fight hedgehog cull
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. That was a genuine Pete the troll forgery.
> ****Cross Post Widely****
pearl
James Randerson, science correspondent
Tuesday February 20, 2007
The Guardian
Scientists have called for subsidies paid out to a handful of national
deep sea fishing fleets to be stopped immediately to prevent permanent
ecological damage and the extinction of some of the longest living
creatures on the planet.
Without the $152m (£78m) of subsidies paid out annually, deep-sea
fisheries would operate at a loss of $50m. But the technologically
advanced fleets are moving from place to place, fishing areas to
extinction before moving on. The researchers said deep-sea species are
particularly vulnerable because they reproduce slowly and so are not able
to recover.
Elliott Norse, of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue,
Washington, said: "Industrial fisheries are now going thousands of miles,
thousands of feet deep and catching things that live hundreds of years in
the process - in the least protected place on earth."
Daniel Pauly, at the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre,
said: "There is surely a better way for governments to spend money than by
paying subsidies to a fleet that burns 1.1bn litres of fuel annually to
maintain paltry catches of old growth fish from highly vulnerable stocks."
Most of the subsidies paid to the fleets buy cheap fuel, but governments
also offer help with building boats, buying back old boats and tax breaks.
Japan is the worst culprit, handing out nearly $35m to deep sea fishermen
annually, followed by Russia, South Korea, the Faroe Islands, Spain,
Australia and Ukraine.
Fishermen use powerful ships to drag nets hundreds of metres below the
surface. They employ GPS and shoal-finding radar to find the best places
to trawl and by "flash-freezing" the catch they can stay out at sea for
weeks.
Deep-sea ecosystems are vulnerable because in the colder, darker waters
they are much less productive than shallower seas.
"We actually know very little about these species," said Selina Heppell, a
fisheries biologist at Oregon State University. "The adaptation to living
in a place like this is to slow down. They slow way down."
Biologists are concerned about orange roughy, grenadier, deep-sea
rockfish, oreo and Patagonian toothfish among others. The orange roughy
is so slow growing that it is not sexually mature until 34 years old. It can
live to 150.
Trawling also destroys ancient habitats such as deep-sea cold water coral
reefs. The coral Lophelia can live for 2,000 years. "But they can be
removed from the deep sea in one trawl sweep," said Murray Roberts at
the Scottish Association for Marine Science.
The corals also contain valuable data about past climate and ocean
conditions - information that is lost when they are destroyed by bottom
trawling.
Part of the problem is that much of the trawling takes place on the high
seas where there are few regulations on fishing activity and virtually no
enforcement. However, in December, the UN general assembly agreed
measures to restrict deep-sea fishing. The list includes mandating fisheries
to conduct an impact assessment before beginning to fish a new area.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2016930,00.html
pearl
Call to Halt Deep Sea 'Plunder'
by Jonathan Fildes
Fuel subsidies that allow fishing fleets to "plunder" the deep seas
should be scrapped, claim a group of leading international scientists.
Slow-growing coral species are at risk from trawling. (Photo BBC)
They said more than $150m (£80m) was paid to trawler fleets,
promoting overfishing of unviable resources.
In particular danger were slow-growing deep-sea fish and coral species
caught by bottom trawling, they argued.
2006 UN talks failed to implement a ban on the method, which uses
heavy nets and crushing rollers on the sea floor.
"Eliminating global subsidies would render these fleets economically
unviable and would relieve tremendous pressure on overfishing and
vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems," said Dr Rashid Sumaila, of the
University of British Columbia.
Travel money
Eleven nations have bottom-trawling fleets, with Spain's being the biggest.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia estimate that without
subsidies, these fleets would operate at a loss of $50m (£27m) annually.
Most of the subsidies were for fuel, the marine researchers said, which
allows the trawlers to travel far out to sea and drag the heavy nets
needed for bottom-trawling.
"There is surely a better way for governments to spend money than by
paying subsidies to a fleet that burns 1.1 billion litres of fuel annually
to maintain paltry catches of old-growth fish," said Dr Daniel Pauly, one
of the researchers who has looked at the issue.
Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia and France are amongst the other
countries that subside their trawlers.
Continuing payments to these fleets would inevitably lead to depleted
fisheries, said Dr Pauly.
"You get a signal from the stock - I am old, I am rare and I am depleted,"
he said.
"Subsidies allow you to overlook that signal and keep fishing to the end."
Slow reproduction
Deep-sea species that are currently caught by deep-sea trawling methods
include orange roughy, previously known as slimeheads, and Patagonian
toothfish, better known as Chilean sea bass.
The fish were renamed to be more palatable to consumers.
Cold-water species like the orange roughy are particularly at risk because
they lead such long lives.
"This is a species that grows so slowly that it might not reach sexual
maturity until it is 34 years old and they live to be 150 years old," said
Dr Selina Heppell, from Oregon State University.
"There is a strong correlation between living a long time and not
reproducing very quickly so they are very easy to over exploit."
The fish also tend to cluster around seamounts and cold-water coral reefs.
Because deep-sea fishing methods are so indiscriminate these ecosystems
can easily be destroyed.
Ancient species
"The corals like the fishes are extremely slow growing; they're also
extremely long lived," said Dr Murray Roberts of the Scottish Association
for Marine Science.
Species can live for up to 2,000 years, making them the longest-lived
organisms in the sea.
"These animals can live for hundreds of years but they can be removed in
one sweep," he said.
They are also important he said because the corals were an archive of past
climates, locking in the chemical signatures of past sea water.
"We not only run the risk of losing a structure that supports fish but
also a climate archive that we have only just begun to unravel," said Dr
Roberts.
Slow movement
Last year, conservation groups and governments from countries such as the
Netherlands and Norway argued for a ban on bottom-trawling at the United
Nations.
But the talks ended with only an agreement for some precautionary measures
to ensure that trawlers do not cause significant damage to marine
ecosystems.
The compromise declared areas where deep-sea corals and other vulnerable
species occur closed to bottom-trawling, unless fishing nations can prove
their activities will do no harm.
And on 2 February this year, Japan, Korea, Russia and the US agreed to
phase in a management plan for deep-sea fisheries around seamounts in the
Northwest Pacific.
But even with these agreements, the scientists, assembled in San Francisco
for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
annual meeting, believe subsides need to be scrapped.
"From an ecological perspective, we cannot afford to destroy the deep
sea," said Dr Sumaila.
"From an economic perspective, deep-sea fisheries cannot occur without
government subsidies.
"The bottom line is that current deep fisheries are not sustainable."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0219-07.htm
Derek Moody
CANTERBURY ANIMAL RESPECT NETWORK for A GREEN ENVIRONMENT
WHAT YOU EAT, WHAT YOU DRINK - Part 2
http://www.carn-age.org.uk
Humanity, let us say, is like people packed in an automobile which is
travelling downhill without lights at a terrific speed and driven by a
four-year-old child.
The signposts along the way are all marked 'progress'. (Lord Dunsany)
In his or her lifetime, the average American meat-eater is responsible
for the abuse and deaths of some 2,400 animals - including
approximately 2,287 chickens, 82 turkeys, 31 pigs, and 12 steers and
calves.
What impact does your diet have on the planet's health? According to
Washington's Worldwatch Institute, meat production is responsible for
massive environmental degradation.
An acre of land growing cereal or vegetables feeds 10 times as many
people as an acre used for grazing or to grow animal fodder, yet 90%
of all agricultural land is used for grazing and fodder.
The demand for fodder has become so great that developing countries
are now growing it as a cash crop rather than growing food to feed
their populations. (See also ANIMAL FEED )
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/feed.html
It takes 10 kg of vegetable protein to produce 1 kg of animal protein.
US cattle consume enough vegetable protein to feed 2 billion people.
One-third of the Earth's land is being turned into desert as livestock
destroys the soil structure. The aquifers of America and Europe are
drying out as livestock consume vast amounts of water. It takes 3000
litres (660 gallons) of water to 'grow' 1 kg of beef.
Through decomposing waste and flatulence, livestock are also
responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.
People in southern societies are hooked on the 'northern model' and
turning from vegetarian diets to meat consumption. In China, for
instance, meat-eating has increased 500% since the 1970s. It is seen
as a badge of Western affluence and 'progress'.
If the full environmental price was paid for meat and meat subsidies
were stopped, it would cost two or three times as much as it does now.
The food we eat today in the UK has travelled an average of 123km.
This compares with 80km in 1978 and 100km in 1988.
The growth over the last two decades in 'food miles' is partly a
result of economic concentration. In 1950 there were around 221,000
shops, many buying and selling local products. Today there are 36,000
and the food sector is dominated by retail giants wielding
considerable power over producers and suppliers . . . there's little
doubt that centralised warehousing and distribution systems, combined
with 'just in time' deliveries, means our food is setting records for
long-distance travel. And the further it travels, the more
refrigeration and preservative it requires . . . It may be hard to
imagine life without kiwi fruit but there's little doubt that
maximising choice for Western consumers carries a range of social and
environmental penalties . . . There's the growing cost in climate
change as lorries, boats and planes carrying our southern hemisphere
beans and kiwi fruit emit increasing amounts of carbon dioxide.
Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions
and world trade is estimated to account for one-eighth of global oil
consumption . . . And there's more than a hint of coals to Newcastle
about some transactions, especially in the food sector. The British
Green Euro-MP Caroline Lucas has pointed out that Britain and the
Netherlands have a thriving business exchanging poultry with each
other . . . And while we worry about pesticide residues on imported
fruit, we tend to forget that there are an estimated 3 million cases
of pesticide poisoning every year, including 20,000 accidental deaths,
most of which are in developing countries . . . Voluntary schemes such
as the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Fairtrade mark have helped
to improve standards and reassure consumers that their choices don't
necessarily mean social and environmental damage . . . there is a
powerful head of steam building up behind the idea 'relocalising' the
food economy . . . One is fast food. Italy has seen the birth of a
'slow food' movement, dedicated to the savouring and celebration of
local and regional specialities . . . Tony Blair has spoken of the
need to re-evaluate the long-term basis for sustainable farming but
he's also shown himself as an enthusiast for globalisation . . . and a
friend of technologies that consumers don't seem to want (like GM
food) . . . If the local food economy does prosper, it may have a lot
to do with people, beliefs, tastes and markets and rather less to do
with the government.
(Excerpts from 'From Soil to Supermarket' by David Nicholson-Lord, The
Independent, 7 July 2001)
Globalisation is set to double the figure of long-distance transport
as Asia and Latin America gain more affluent customers. And more than
ever, our food supply relies on petroleum - for air and road freight
particularly - with all the pollution, noise, accidents and declining
oil reserves that inevitably follow. Transporting food long distances
is energy inefficient . . . the fuel used to fly each bottle of New
Zealand wine to the UK is equal to boiling a kettle 268 times. Every
500g punnet of strawberries flown from the USA uses the same energy as
leaving a 100-watt light burning for 4 days. (Information from 'Eating
Oil' published by Sustain - the alliance for better food and farming,
and Elm Farm Research Centre. March 2002)
Bright pink salmon is seen as the norm in society today. However, the
colour is mainly due to additives that producers feed the fish.
Without these, salmon would appear bland and unappealing to the
consumer. Similarly, many shoppers feel that the waxed apples and
lemons and the fat avocados sitting pompously on the display unit are
of a high quality, merely because they look good and large. Without
these retail tricks, organic foods can resemble the dull cousin to the
enhanced bride. (Excerpt from 'Quality Fights Back Against Quantity'
by Matthew Kopinski, The Independent, 7 July 2001)
THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER
Worldwide, the consumption of water is doubling every 20 years, with
industrial water use alone projected to double by 2025. As demand for
water intensifies across the world, the prospect of conflict between
nations over depleted supplies becomes very real.
See also MARINE LIFE? .
Dehydration may be one of the biggest causes of human illness
worldwide. You need to drink about 8 glasses (it depends on your size,
weight, diet, work environment and exercise) of pure water/fruit or
vegetable juice every day to replace the water you lose from your body
via sweating, breathing, urinating, etc. Our bodies are 67% water
(although this figure seems to fluctuate). Our brain cells are mostly
water. The glands in your mouth use up to 3 pints of water a day.
So why only pure water? Drinks like coffee, tea and alcohol are
dehydrating. Your body needs pure water to flush out poisons and
waste. The best health drink is distilled water. Tap water has been
found to contain over 6,000 chemicals - not surprising when you
realise where it's come from; it may contain nitrates, pesticides,
farm/human antibiotics, bacteria, aluminium, oestrogen-mimicking
molecules, and residues from as many as 60 common pharmaceutical
drugs. A high percentage of medicines taken by man and beast are
eliminated . . . and return through the tap. Bottled water may be more
hazardous than tap water. Same applies to true spa water. 'Spring' or
'Table' water are not even tested for contaminants. Carbonated water
contains carbon dioxide which can make the stomach less acidic and
therefore less able to digest food. And plastic bottles contain
chemicals which can disrupt hormonal balance. According to the Pure
H20 Company, rainwater is the best. After that, water from
purification systems fitted to your sink. November 2001
COKE - No wonder it tastes so good. In many states in the USA the
Highway Patrol carries 2 gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood
from the highway after a car accident. You can put a T-bone steak in a
bowl of Coke and it will be gone in 2 days. To clean a toilet, pour a
can of Coke into it and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then
flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous
china. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers, rub the bumper
with a crumpled up piece of aluminium foil which has been dipped in
Coke. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals, pour a can of
Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. To loosen a
rusted bolt, apply a cloth soaked in Coke to it for several minutes.
To remove grease from clothes, empty a can of Coke into a load of
greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle.
The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a
nail in about 4 days. To carry Coke syrup, the commercial trucks must
use the 'Hazardous Material' cards reserved for highly corrosive
materials. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the
engines of their trucks for about 20 years.
'PROJECT MOTHER' - this is the name given to CocaCola's latest
project: to make milk drinks 'hip' so that more children will drink
them. The awful consequences for environment, farming and animal
health are enormous.
ITEMS FROM FOOD MAGAZINE
Did you know that 'Reduced fat' foods can contain 40% fat? Or that a
product with no fruit can be called 'strawberry flavour'? Or that
sausages can contain as much as one-third water, but it doesn't have
to tell you this on the label?
By the time you are 17, you will have eaten your own weight in
additives. Many, such as colourings, flavourings and sweeteners, are
used to disguise poor quality food. The artificial tastes and colours
fool us into thinking that the food we eat is nutritious and fresh and
encourage us to eat an unhealthy diet. Almost the same principle as
feed for farm animals in factory farming.
Food Magazine is published quarterly by the Food Commission, a
national non-profit organisation campaigning for the right to safe,
wholesome food.
'Express' reporter Lucy Johnston got just one single cell of her body
fat tested for toxins. Although healthy, and eating a healthy diet,
she found that it contained 500 synthetic chemicals, including two
which "are deadly and have been banned in Britain for many years".
This compares to an analysis of a cell from an Egyptian mummy, which
had virtually none. Many of these chemicals are extremely toxic in
themselves, and can cause cancers, infertility or gender change.
Excitotoxins - a chemical which reacts with specialised brain
receptors: The amount of the excitotoxin monosodium glutamate (MSG)
added to our foods has increased 32-fold since 1948; the artificial
sweetener aspartame has also soared. The brains of people with brain
disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimers' disease produce higher
levels of glutame (in MSG) and aspartate (in aspartame) naturally, but
levels with which the brain can cope in many cases. Introducing more
through these excitotoxins in food may make all the difference between
a mild form of the disease, and a full-blown case. From Nexus.
Recent research shows that cooking or heating food in microwave ovens
can cause it severe molecular damage which, when eaten, leads to
abnormal changes in human blood. These changes can cause deterioration
of the immune system.
A survey by the Food Standards Agency of 203 retail bakery products
has found GM soya in one loaf in seven, even in some cases where
products were labelled 'organic'. EC Regulation 49/2000 requires foods
to be labelled as containing GM soya or maize if the soya or maize in
the product is more than 1% GM. (March 2002)
In November 2001 the Food Standards Agency announced that a third of
the UK population, including toddlers and schoolchildren, may have
worrying levels of dioxins in their diets. Dioxins are persistent
man-made chemical contaminants; major sources are from incinerators
buirning chlorinated wastes and paper mills using chlorine bleaching
processes. Dioxins have been linked to low sperm counts and increased
rates of cancer. Contaminated food accounts for up to 95% of all human
exposure to dioxins, with the highest levels in fatty foods such as
liver and oily fish.
In a recent survey 36% of consumers said that they thought Scotland
has the purest natural mineral water out of all European countries . .
. Scottish Border Springs Ltd boasts of its 'Purely Scottish' mineral
water: "Our water is filtered naturally through ancient sandstone
creating crystal clear mineral water". The words 'pure', 'natural',
'purely', 'naturally', appear 10 times on the bottle. This company
then adds to this pure water the following: citric acid, flavouring,
artificial sweetener, acidity regulator, preservative, antioxidant,
niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and folic acid. (March 2002)
SOYA
The editorial by Lynne McTaggart and Bryan Hubbard in Proof! Summer
2000 says:
"For all our complaints about the ravages of modern industry, we in
the alternative community still need to learn a thing or two about
messing with the natural order of things. And also about not being
suckers to the marketing men . . . in our zeal to replace the modern
Western diet with a healthier and more humane substitute, it is
important that we not fall prey to the same marketing interests that
promoted modern food production in the first place . . .
"The big boys now realise that the easiest way to guarantee a
constantly ringing cash register is to label a product 'natural',
'organic' or 'vegetarian' . . . even if it is the same type of
convenience food that lines the shelves of most ordinary supermarkets.
"Be absolutely clear about one thing. Most Western soy products aren't
'natural'. They are every bit as processed, adulterated, refined and
'enriched' as 'cheese' food, 'long-life milk' or even Coca-Cola. The
gloop that is soy milk or soy cheese or even vegeburgers goes through
as many stages of refinement as white bread . . .
"The soy that is laced in everything from vegeburgers to soy-enriched
tortillas and bread represents a complete bastardisation of a
traditional food in a foreign culture . . . Asians' . . . soy is
healthy because it is produced by traditional methods of fermentation
or slow separation (as with tofu). They do not consume it in the vast
amounts we do . . .
" . . . it's vital to realise that food isn't necessarily good for you
just so long as it doesn't contain meat. Refined food is unhealthy in
whatever guise, even if it is sold in a healthfood store, and good
food is any food that is produced traditionally and not messed about
with by modern man. Or marketeer."
Julia Gellatley of Viva! says that the British public are absolutely
right to be concerned about their food because their fears are
supported by scientific research. They are streets ahead of the
government in their thinking and rather than responding to this, the
Labour government has continued where the Tories left off - supporting
industries which are abusing animals, damaging our health,
impoverishing the developing world and destroying the global
environment.
We have recently witnessed the deification of the pig industry, whose
output is almost all factory farmed in cruel conditions. Its
irresponsible use of antibiotics has led to the growth of killer
superbugs. The government's response? A £4.6 million advertising
campaign encouraging people to eat more pork! When did you last see it
spending that kind of money on promoting fruit and veg? This money
would have been better spent on what a large number of people are
crying out for - organic food produced in the UK by struggling organic
farmers who are desperate for start-up money from a stingy biassed
government.
All the world's health bodies are urging a move towards a plant-based
diet; the government is doing the opposite. It has caved in to groups
with the loudest voices - tobacco, hunting, dairy and meat: those are
the people they put first. The government obviously doesn't want
people to know the truth about the food they eat - but we do.
Viva! have produced a range of guides and information on all the areas
of modern food production, including health and nutrition, the global
environment, conditions in which animals are farmed, food poisoning
and superbugs, the rape of the developing world, and genetic
engineering.
The addictive quality of animal flesh: uric acid (pre urine) contains
trioxypurine, more harmful than dioxypurine (caffeine). Both cause
arthritis. Other Ingredients in Animal Flesh:
1) Colon bacteria, E coli
2) Uric acid
3) Female hormones given so animals will gain water weight before
being killed
4) Homocysteine which causes heart disease
5) Cholesterol which clogs arteries causing heart attacks and strokes
6) Worms, tiny in fish, trichinella in pork
7) Waste of other animals called wastelage mixed animal food
8) Adrenalin hormone secreted in massive amounts by animals in transit
and in slaughterhouses, a long protein enzyme not all of whose links
are destroyed by cooking
9) Other chemicals in the environment concentrate at the top of the
food chain such as mercury, chromium, polychlorinated biphenols
10) Insecticides in higher concentration than any other food
11) antibiotics in such concentrations that animals build resistance
to them
12) Disease organisms like salmonella, listeria, toxoplasmosis,
brucellosis, ptomaine
13) Preservatives and food coloring agents
14) Biochemicals such as methylcholanthrene and malanaldehyde created
when meat is heated at high temperatures
15) Excess protein causing kidney damage. (Carnivores have kidneys
five times larger than those of frugivorous humans.)
Find out more on CIVITAS
FLUORIDE (all tested on animals, so it's OK?)
There is no such thing as just 'fluoride'; there are many kinds of
fluorides. Calcium fluoride; lead fluoride; aluminium fluoride, etc.
It's never found alone in nature. They are compounds. Calcium fluoride
is found naturally in water; it is almost insoluble and so can not be
easily absorbed by the body. Sodium fluoride is taken up by the body
much more readily than calcium fluoride - they are two different
'fluorides'.
You may be under the impression that naturally occurring calcium
fluoride is being added to your drinking water, when in fact it may be
toxic pollution scrubber fluid. If you contact your Water company,
they may (eventually) tell you they are adding a product called
silicofluorides to the water. It is a low-grade product because it
would be too expensive to use a good grade. Silicofluorides are known
as hexafluorsilicic acid, and are the toxic waste product from
phosphate fertilizer pollution scrubbers. Hexafluorsilicic acid also
contains other toxic substances such as arsenic, beryllium, mercury,
lead and many more. These can cause health problems. For example,
arsenic causes prostate, bladder, kidney, skin and lung cancers -
there is no safe level for arsenic. You may get prostate cancer, but
your teeth will be perfect. And apart from drinking fluorided water,
much more of the pollutant-laced tap water is absorbed through the
skin from bathing and washing clothes.
O, by the way - when testing rats in the laboratory, workers use a
very pure grade of sodium fluoride and purified water to do their
research.
The government plans to add chemical fluoride to more water supplies.
Yet most of Europe has discontinued fluoridation because of its health
risks. For example, the Medical Research Council in Britain found that
hip fractures increase in artificially fluoridated areas.
Until recently, fluoride was widely used as a rat poison. The fluoride
added in fluoridation schemes is toxic waste from the phosphate
fertiliser industry, and is more poisonous than lead. The fluoride
added to water is 20 times more toxic than calcium fluoride, which
occurs naturally in many waters.
18 organisations in the USA, such as the American Nurses Association,
have withdrawn their endorsement of water fluoridation in the last few
years. Holland has banned fluoridation. Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
Portugal, Greece, Belgium and Austria have ended fluoridation. France,
Italy and Norway rejected it.
Fluoride affects the central nervous system, and hinders the immune
system.
For more information, contact: National Pure Water Association, 12
Dennington Lane, Crigglestone, Wakefield WF4 3ET. NPWA website.
On 12 October 2000 (six days after almost every major world newspaper
announced the results of a scientific review reporting fluoridation of
public water supplies to be a safe public health measure - eg British
Medical Journal 2000;321;855-859, 7 Oct) shocking evidence was
presented during an interview aired on Vancouver radiostation CKST AM
1040. The review, undertaken by the UK National Health Service's
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, is
considered to be the 'final word on fluoridation', but it might well
turn out to be the greatest scientific fraud ever undertaken by a
centre in charge of evaluating scientific information in the interests
of public health.
In an interview with Andreas Schuld, head of a global organisation of
parents of children poisoned by excessive fluoride intake, evidence
was presented showing that the York Review falsified vital information
in its Report and deliberately misinformed the public on fluoride's
adverse health effects. Schuld briefly recounted how the York Centre
had changed the wording in the study protocol to avoid inclusion of
specific information on fluoride and thyroid effects as well as data
concerning the high amounts of fluoride in tea - an issue of obvious
concern for people in the UK. To mention here just one more instance
from the many cited by Schuld, the York Report claimed that no
association was found between thyroid cancer and fluoridated water
supplies in a study conducted in Britain, whereas the actual data of
the study showed an increase of 18% in observed thyroid cancers in
fluoridated areas when compared to non-fluoridated areas. Schuld then
read from newspaper articles from China, where entire villages are
being relocated due to fluoride contamination and where fluoride is
being openly acknowledged as the cause of thyroid cancer, Kaschin-Beck
disease and iodine deficiency . . .
Excerpt from John Robbins' book "The Food Revolution":
The US meat industry has managed to divert attention away from the
fact that the animals raised in modern factory farms are forced to
endure conditions of almost unimaginable cruelty and deprivation. The
USDA is proposing to irradiate increasing numbers of foods to combat
the deadly food-borne diseases such as E. coli 0157:H7 that
increasingly breed in today's factory farms and slaughterhouses.
Rather than clean up the conditions that produce these pathogens in
the first place, the US meat industry has strongly supported food
disparagement laws that make it illegal to criticize perishable food
products, and then has used such legislation to sue those who
challenge their control over your wallet. They even sued Oprah Winfrey
for saying that, based on what she'd learned about meat production in
the United States, she was never going to eat another burger.
Meanwhile, the chemical industry has mounted an aggressive campaign to
discredit organic food. And without the knowledge or consent of most
Americans, two-thirds of the products on our supermarket shelves now
contain genetically engineered ingredients.
Excerpt from John Robbins' article 'Our Food, Our Future':
The food is flavored and enhanced by an array of artificial chemicals,
produced in factories located in those parts of the world where labor
costs are lowest and environmental regulations are most lax. The
foodstuffs involved were grown in assembly line conditions on monocrop
and factory farms in nations where there are no limits whatsoever on
the use of toxic pesticides or hormones, and they have been so heavily
refined and processed that it is impossible to tell from what plant or
animal they might have originated. All seeds and food animals, like
most of the people who work in the fields and animal factories, are
now bio-safe, the term used for seeds, animals, and people that have
been genetically engineered to tolerate huge doses of herbicides,
insecticides, and other toxic chemicals.
Meat lovers may one day worry a little bit less about their fat intake
thanks to Japanese scientists who say they have produced healthier
pork by breeding pigs implanted with spinach genes. February 2002
Crab paste which contains more mackerel than crab, butter puff
biscuits which contain no butter, and 85% fat-free foods with five
times more fat than government guidelines, all came under fire from
the Consumers' Association. The watchdog is challenging food
manufacturers to make product labels 'honest and clear' instead of
'confusing and sometimes misleading'. Phrases such as 'farm fresh',
'fat free' and 'lite' were used in misleading ways, researchers found.
Ingredients sometimes did not tally with the main product being
advertised, such as a pasta by Bestfoods UK Ltd, which featured
chicken prominently on the label, but only contained 1% chicken.
Health claims on many products represented nothing more than a
'marketing gimmick' . . . Ocean Spray - 'pure juice of cranberry with
grape and apple' by Gerber Foods Soft Drinks Ltd - contained 50%
grape, 28% apple and just 22% cranberry, researchers found . . .
(Charles Arthur, The Independent, April 2002)
In 2001 we in Britain spent £6 billion on fast food. In 2002 the
figure will be higher. Fast food (teenage food) has become a plague.
Career women have binned the recipe books. Children, who are not as
quality conscious, are targeted by the fast food corporations.
MacDonalds reckon that if they successfuly sell their food to young
children, they will have them as customers for life. MacDonalds avoid
the facts as to where hamburgers come from - they have to say that
hamburgers come from a 'hamburger patch'. Toys are given to the
children free.
Fast food can spoil quickly, it can harbour food poisoning bugs. E
coli 0157H7 outbreaks throughout the world were associated with
hamburgers. This E coli is excreted in cattle manure and it
contaminates meats in the slaughterhouses. This E coli is a nice way
of saying 'cattle faeces'.
Fast food equals loose waistlines (look at the huge wobbling stomachs
and rears). Why can't people cook and eat proper food? Why don't they
eat more fruit and vegetables? Fast food is nutritionally appalling.
Ten years down the line there will be a huge upsurge of heart disease
and diabetes for the NHS to deal with. (Will our taxes rise yet again
to enable the NHS to cope, or will there be special free hospitals
totally funded by MacDonalds?) Fast food is a recipe for ill health,
cruelty to animals, exploitation of children, and profit at the
expense of the individual and the nation. (Information taken from a
BBC2 'Fast Food' programme, April 2002)
The UK lags so far behind the rest of Europe in organic production
that we have to import 70% of our organic food. For years UK
governments, the NFU and other 'artificial' farmers just haven't
listened or responded to public demand. They've tried to dictate it.
Then they complain when foreign organic producers get the business.
Shame that we haven't seen the likes of the Countryside Alliance
protest marching for more help for would-be organic farmers. Maybe
it's because the CA mostly if not entirely consists of 'artificial'
agriculturalists. You see, the UK is one of only 4 countries in the EU
not to offer on-going 'stewardship payments' to organic farmers after
conversion, yet organic farming saves the taxpayer money, as we don't
have to pay via our water rates something like £120 million removing
pesticides from drinking water. And if the CA is worried about jobs,
why, organic farms employ 10-30% more labour. If the CA is as caring
for the countryside as they say they are, then they should know that
organic farming is better for live wild birds, plants and insects.
For the consumer, only 30 of the 500 food additives permitted in
conventional food are allowed in organic processed foods.
Cruelty-free meat is a myth. 'Free-range' animals still have their
throats slit at the end of their life.
Derek Moody
CANTERBURY ANIMAL RESPECT NETWORK for A GREEN ENVIRONMENT
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/eat1drink.html
WHAT YOU EAT, WHAT YOU DRINK - Part 1
Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the
victims he intends to eat
until he eats them. Samuel Butler
Global, Ethical and Environmental Concerns About Eating Animals
"A reduction in meat consumption is the most potent single act you can
take to halt the destruction of our environment and preserve our
precious natural resources." - John Robbins
"I don't want to give up meat. Couldn't we just treat the animals
better?" The astronomical number of animals being raised and killed
for food makes it virtually impossible to treat the animals humanely.
Reflect: would you consider it acceptable to be eaten even if someone
promised to treat you better before killing you? - N C Buyukmihci, VMD
From a letter to the editor, The Independent, 31 December 1996:
Sir: You say in your editorial . . . that 'killing for food' is
'essential and we shouldn't be squeamish' about it.
Killing for food is an absolutely inessential and clinically
malevolent activity. The consumption of dead animals is a highly
inefficient way of feeding ourselves. Just ask the many millions who
are malnourished and starving, partly due to (predominantly Western)
meat-eating, which ties up land that could otherwise be used for the
production of crops.
But no, perhaps I should take your own advice and stop being squeamish
about a few million destitute (and dead) foreigners. After all,
meat-eaters' bloody appetites simply must be satiated. (Signed) CN,
Stafford
Eating a well-balanced diet makes you look and feel great. The good
news is: finding the right balance isn't as difficult as you might
imagine. A veg*an diet is recognised as having considerable health
benefits: a vegetarian consumes animal products such as milk, cream,
butter, honey, but eats no animal flesh (and remember, that includes
not eating fish flesh). A vegan diet avoids animal products
altogether, and the health gains are greater. The benefits of becoming
a veg*an can be: a reduction in your chance of suffering from heart
disease by over 30%; a reduction in the risk suffering from certain
cancers by 40% (meat eating has been identified as a possible dietary
risk factor in cancers affecting the prostate, pancreas, breast,
colorectum and lung); lowering your blood pressure - less
hypertension; less chance of becoming overweight or obese; reduces
your chance of suffering from impotence. Veg*ans are also less likely
to suffer from gall stones, appendicitis and food poisoning.
A vegetarian diet is not only good for your health, it's good for
ANIMALS too. The average UK meat eater consumes about 1,000 animals
during a lifetime. The majority of these animals live their entire
lives within the confines of a factory farm. Many animals live a
miserable existence, denied basic freedoms, confined in small cages or
pens, and fed on unnatural diets. Nevertheless, for the vegetarian
diet cows will still be artificially forced to give birth to calves
each year, in order to provide the vegetarian with dairy products; the
male calves will be slaughtered or sent abroad to spend 5-6 barbarous
months confined in veal crates.
The scandal of the way food animals are kept is just not going to go
away. Food animals make up the largest number of abused animals. They
are exploited, transported and slaughtered daily in their hundreds of
thousands. Yet not even 10% of our population is vegetarian . . .
The vegan diet does not include animals or animal products at all.
See also INTENSIVE FARMING
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/intfarm1.html
and CONSUMER POWER .
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/con1power.html
What's wrong with eating Fish?
For a start, it's cruel. Anatomically, physiologically and
biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in
birds and mammals. When dragged from the ocean depths, fish undergo
excruciating decompression which often ruptures their swimbladders,
pops out their eyes, and pushes their stomachs through their mouths.
Then they're tossed on board where they suffocate or are crushed to
death. Others are still alive when their throats and bellies are cut
open.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
325,000 people get sick and die every year from eating contaminated
seafood. A Harvard study of 44,895 people, published in 1995, found
that those whose diets were rich in omega-3 fatty acids had more heart
problems than those whose diets contained less.
Plant foods have no cholesterol and are usually low in fat, while
animal products, including fish, always contain cholesterol and are
usually much higher in fat, including saturated fat. Fish oils are
also highly unstable, encouraging the production of free radicals. The
blood-thinning effect of fish oils can increase the risk of
haemorrhagic strokes.
Fish and shellfish are highly contaminated. Larger fish eat smaller
fish, so the contaminants become more concentrated. Among the
contaminants found were the highly toxic PCBs, and mercury. There is
no such thing as an 'organic' fish. Fish are loaded with contaminants:
the flesh of fish can accumulate toxins up to 9 million times as
concentrated as those in the waters that they live in.
Incidentally, the terms "Huss" and "rock salmon" hide what they really
are - shark meat. See MARINE LIFE .
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/marine1.html
For more information on food and health, click the PHYSICIANS
COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE site.
http://www.pcrm.org/
LIFESTYLE PLAYS A BIGGER PART THAN GENES IN CANCER
http://www.pcrm.org/
This finding comes after the world's biggest study of cancer in twins.
The risk of developing cancer depends on how you live, rather than who
your parents are. Genetic factors play a minor role. Environmental
effects accounted for at least 65% of the risk. This finding was
recently published in the 'New England Journal of Medicine'.
What's wrong with drinking Milk?
Cow's milk is for calves, who have 4 stomachs, and weigh 800 lbs
within a year: it contains almost 50% more fat than human milk.
Frequently contaminated with pesticides and drugs, and deficient in
fibre, niacin, Vitamin C and iron, dairy products are linked to
allergies, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Cow's milk for
humans is unnatural. No species naturally drinks milk beyond infancy.
Leading paediatrician Dr Benjamin Spock spoke out against feeding
cow's milk to infant humans, saying it can cause anaemia, allergies
and insulin-dependent diabetes.
Countries like China and Japan where, up to now, dairy products are
rarely consumed have far less osteoporosis than the UK.
It's easy to get the recommended daily amount of calcium (800mg)
solely from plant foods like broccoli, spinach, beans or nuts.
Milk creates allergies, and it may contribute to the increase in
Crohn's disease; it contains IGF-1 which may cause cancer; in 1996
over one-third of British milk was found to be contaminated with
Lindane. New research shows that approximately half our herds carry
the bug E coli 0157. And they say milk is a healthy drink???
Putting cows through milking 'parlours' twice a day, housing them on
concrete floors in winter where they are jammed together, is
unnatural. They are cruelly treated - overworked, emaciated, diseased
and exhausted. Between 1984 and 1997 the number of British dairy farms
fell by 37%, and dairy cow numbers fell by one quarter, yet UK milk
levels were stable. Who gains?
Dairy products (also wheat products) are known to cause allergies in a
very large percentage of people globally. So don't give up consuming
what makes you ill, folks. Science will find a way of getting you to
eat or drink the stuff by possibly making the food even more
dangerous. But it'll taste nice, it'll be cheap, and maybe you won't
notice its effects for a year or two if you're lucky. Then it'll be
medicine's turn to have a go at you. Mmmm. Lots of lolly.
In India, milk is known as liquid meat.
What's wrong with eating cheese?
Apart from the fact that it is a milk product (see above), if a cow's
'byproduct' (male calf) is killed when young, his fourth stomach,
which contains rennin, is used in cheese-making, as is rennet, the
membrane of which rennin is an extract. It is possible to make
rennetless cheese, but the close connection between the dairy, veal,
and leather industries makes it cheaper for cheese producers to use
calf parts than a vegetable-derived enzyme.
What's wrong with eating Chicken and Eggs?
The slaughter machines spatter bacteria-laden faeces onto the
carcasses. Up to 50% of all chicken flesh sold in the UK is swarming
with Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other dangerous bacteria.
Food Poisoning cases have quadrupled over the last 10 years, with
Campylobacter and Salmonella the most common causes. Chicken and eggs
are a leading cause of food-borne illness. Chicken contains as much
cholesterol as beef (100mg in just 4 ounces) and a single egg has
twice as much artery-clogging cholesterol as a hamburger.
British Eggs are advertising that Lion Quality eggs come from hens
vaccinated against salmonella. So rather than dealing with the problem
at point of origin, ie the intensive farm, they are papering over the
cracks with vaccinations. And what will the contents of this
vaccination do to the human gut?
Ian Coghill, Vice-Chairman of the Environmental Health Office's Food
Safety Committee, says that chicken should carry a government health
warning on the packet, like cigarettes. October 2001
In 1991 the US Atlanta Constitution did a special report on the
poultry industry. Of 84 federal poultry inspectors interviewed, 81
said that thousands of birds tainted or stained with feces which a
decade ago would have been condemned, are now rinsed and sold daily.
Seventy-five of the inspectors said that thousands of diseased birds
pass from processing lines to stores every day. Poultry plants often
salvage meat, cutting away visibly diseased or contaminated sections,
and selling the rest as packaged wings, legs or breasts, said 70
inspectors. Richard Simmons, inspector at a ConAgra plant said
"Practically every bird now, no matter how bad, is salvaged. This meat
is not wholesome. I would not want to eat it. I would never, in my
wildest dreams, buy cut-up parts at a store today." And just listen to
USDA Inspector Ronnie Sarratt: "I've had birds that had yellow pus
visibly coming out of their insides, and I was told to save the breast
meat off them and even save the second joint of the wing . . .
A veg*an diet benefits the ENVIRONMENT. A diet free from meat is less
polluting and makes more efficient use of land and natural resources.
Forests will continue to be felled around the world to make way for
cattle ranches, and all of the world's major fisheries have been
damaged from over fishing.
For more information see ARE YOU COSTING THE EARTH?
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/earth.html
What's wrong with eating meat?
Meat is linked with the two biggest killers in the Western world -
cancer and heart disease. Essential nutrients are completely absent
from meat. In 1994 the British Medical Journal published the interim
results of a massive piece of research (the Oxford study). The
findings were that vegetarians stand around a 40% less chance of
developing any kind of cancer, have about 30% less coronary heart
disease, and have a 20% lower premature mortality . . . In this study,
the 40% reduction in cancer mortality in non-meat eaters . . . could
not be explained by differences in smoking habits, obesity and
socio-economic status. There is a mass of other research to support
the recommendation to advise people to change to a vegetarian or vegan
diet - not tomorrow, or next week, but now. See also BSE Politics.
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/bse.html
(Read Juliet Gellatley's book "The Silent Ark" which exposes the meat
culture.)
Producers will continue to use the intensive farm system - and expand
it - until the consumer refuses to buy barbarically produced foods.
Farm animals are pushed to their natural limits to maximise
production; by altering their genetic make-up, animals will be made to
grow even faster, bigger or leaner. Animal eaters can call the shots.
After all, they are probably eating and paying for mostly mad,
drugged, diseased, polluted, animal flesh.
BUGS
A bug which causes a chronic wasting disease in dairy cows could be
passed on to humans through milk. As many as 3 pints in every 100
could be contaminated with the Johne's disease bacteria. 80,000 people
in Britain suffer with Crohn's disease, which is linked to Johne's
disease in cows. Crohn's disease causes chronic inflammation of the
bowel and is incurable. Professor J Herman-Taylor, Head of St George's
Hospital in Tooting, believes the same bacterium (MAP) is responsible
for both diseases.
Cases of Salmonella typhimurium DT104 are rising across the country.
This disease is resistant to antibiotics. One patient has died after
developing septicaemia. The salad in takeaway burgers and sandwiches
is the prime suspect. Cases are most common in people in their
twenties, among the biggest consumers of fast food. Salmonella
typhimurium DT104 started in cattle but spread to pigs, sheep, chicken
and even household pets.
Unwashed fresh fruit and vegetables sprayed with pesticide could be
responsible for passing on food poisoning bacteria, according to
Canadian researchers. Simple rinsing under a tap does little to remove
harmful bacteria - you need to scrub the foods with soap and water.
Bacteria such as salmonella, listeria and E coli 0157 can all thrive
in the presence of some fungicides and insecticides that are
officially approved for use on raw fruit. The Crop Protection
Association in Britain said that the problem would be caused by
contaminated water supplying the bacteria. But if some farmers use
green, uncomposted manure to fertilise fields, that's going to lead to
contamination; E coli 0157 in particular is passed on from animals'
faeces, and can cause kidney failure or even death in people.
Cases of trichinosis, a potentially fatal illness, have been recorded
in France and Italy. The illness is caused by a parasitic worm that
burrows through the human intestine, and can be caught from eating
horsemeat.
An analysis of people presenting at a hospital outpatients with food
poisoning symptoms showed that they were more likely to have recently
eaten food outside the home, eg from restaurants, take-aways and
sandwich bars, compared with controls. The finding raises the question
about appropriate hygiene education . . . (The Lancet, August 2001)
Using antibiotics on animals increases the risk of creating
'superbugs' that are resistant to antibiotic treatment and which may
infect humans. (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 2001)
Russia has banned poultry from the US because America uses too many
antibiotics in chicken rearing, and cases of salmonella have been
found in recent imports. March 2002
WORLD HUNGER
The world already produces enough food for everyone. Europe has grain
mountains (one-third of the grain we grow is fed to farm animals),
butter mountains, beef mountains; our taxes pay for the special
warehouses in which these are maintained; European farmers are only
too ready to throw gallons of surplus milk down the gutters and let
tonnes of fruit and vegetables rot; some European festivals waste
tonnes of overproduced tomatoes,apples, and other fruit by piling it
in streets, jumping and dancing through it, and throwing it around.
Fruit is rotting in England because there is no labour to pick and
pack it. Every year around 45 million chickens in the UK alone are
allowed to die from the appalling conditions in which they are forced
to live in intensive farms. In broiler units they die from stress,
disease, starvation, dehydration and disease; this is the case with
all intensively produced animals such as other birds, and rabbits,
which have a 10% mortality rate. Animal farming represents a
squanderous misuse of scarce natural resources and is a major
contributor to environmental destruction. Farmers are subsidised. Easy
come, easy go.
As, no doubt, with the 1 billion people who go to bed hungry every
night.
"We strongly object that the image of the poor and hungry from our
countries is being used by giant multinational corporations to push a
technology that is neither safe, environmentally friendly, nor
economically beneficial to us." Delegates of 22 African countries (to
the UN FAO) who beg to differ wtih Bush Monsanto et al on the subject
of GM foods. The Ecologist, September 2001
BURGER CULTURE
Burger culture is bad news for human health and bad news for the
intensively reared and ruthlessly slaughtered animals. The good news
this year is that McDonalds are now showing a dramatic loss in
profits. They are worried.
An acre of cereal can produce 5 times more protein than an acre
devoted to meat production; and where legumes are grown (beans,
lentils, peas), the protein yield is 10 times greater than that of
meat. The more we rely on meat in our diet, the fewer people the world
can feed.
The meat industry's devastating impact on the environment is also well
demonstrated. The felling of forests for cattle ranching to supply
certain burger brands and other meats is one of the main causes of
rainforest destruction. The loss of rainforests wipes out species,
destroys ecosystems, radically alters climates, and contributes
towards desertification and soil erosion. July 2001
Where's the Beef? It's in Your French Fries
French fries are nothing more than potatoes fried in vegetable oil.
Perfectly kosher, right?
A full list of ingredients in McDonald's US french fries is: potatoes,
partially hydrogenated soybean oil, dextrose, citric acid, sodium acid
pyrophosphate (to preserve natural colour), cooked in partially
hydrogenated soybean and corn oils, TBHQ (to protect flavour), and
natural flavour. This 'natural flavour' actually contains beef fat,
something McDonald's has been quietly keeping to itself. The admission
has caused outrage. An observing Hindu, Brij Sharma, is involved in a
multi-million dollar legal action with the company, accusing it of
misleading its US customers.
Vegetarian groups have been aware of the existence of the beef in
french fries since 1997. The revelation only reached a wider audience
with the publication earlier this year of Eric Schlosser's 'Fast Food
Nation', a frightening investigation into America's fast food industry
and its huge influence on US life, which says consumers should make
informed decisions based on factors such as how fast food has
influenced conditions in slaughterhouses, a subject he graphically
describes in his book.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' vegan campaign
coordinator Bruce Friedrich said that "people who are attempting to be
vegetarians or lacto-vegetarians should stay away from McDonald's
french fries and Vitamin D-fortified commercial milk, because the
Vitamin D is synthesized from slaughtered animals." August 2001
So what goes into our local chip-shop chips?
Australia's McSchools raise funds: a newspaper's investigation of 90
primary schools has revealed that the McDonald's hamburger chain has
gained a strong foothold in State schools by offering cheap
cheeseburgers, school deliveries and a cut of profits to parents and
citizens' associations that send diners to its outlets. McDonald's is
among a growing number of companies - such as Mars Confectionery,
Golden Circle, Sydney Flight Centre, fireworks companies and others -
exploiting a lack of funding in NSW primary schools by offering cash
or services in exchange for access to the schools. For example,
McDonald's at Padstow organises about 50 events a year with more than
10 local primary schools. The schools take 25 per cent of the profits
at "fun nights", when students and parents go to McDonald's to eat and
socialise. They can have their faces painted on some weeknights.
The Education Minister, Mr Aquilina, said he encouraged schools, in
consultation with their local communities, to develop partnerships
with private companies - as long as they did not breach the Education
Department's guidelines on sponsorship.
"Given the fact that teenagers have no taste and teenagers go to
McDonald's a lot, and the food is designed to go to children, it's a
positive approach of McDonald's to give the money back to schools
where we try to undo bad eating habits," a representative of
Australia's P&Cs said, without a trace of irony. "P&Cs may as well
make a return from the junk." A spokeswoman for McDonald's confirmed
its marketing strategy extended into primary schools through the fun
nights, lunch days, vouchers and Reading with Ronald. "We want to be
involved in supporting the local community," she said sanctimoniously.
August 2001
Still think the UN has people's best interest in mind? That the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) really cares about the health of the world's
children? SchNEWS (in co-operation with our McDonald's corporate
sponsors) begs you to reconsider. Last month UNICEF and McDonald's
announced plans "to team up to raise money on behalf of the world's
children as part of a new McDonald's fundraising initiative called
'World Children's Day'" to be held on November 20th. How sweet - Too
bad McDonald's is a global leader in the marketing of junk food that
creates soaring rates of childhood obesity and diabetes. Too bad that
its type of nutritionless convenience crap is disrupting traditional
ways of food preparation in families and cultures, and its Golden
Arches are branded on urban and rural landscapes from Bangkok to
Mexico City, bright shiny symbols of a country whose children throw
away more food in a year than the children of some other nations eat.
The initiative, which aims to raise money for McDonald's charitable
arm and a dozen UNICEF programmes, includes a pop concert in China
which will be broadcast over the internet - access to which can only
be obtained by buying a Big Mac burger! Handily enough, UNICEF will
receive a cut of the profits from each Big Mac sold. Sensing a slight
inconsistency in the alliance, an international coalition of
public-health professionals and activists has asked UNICEF to withdraw
from the partnership. The charity, which stands to make millions of
pounds by lending both its name and resources to the event, responded
to the coalition by saying that, "The partnership does not mean that
UNICEF endorses McDonald's or its products." But if this "Buy a Big
Mac and Help UNICEF" arrangement isn't an endorsement, we at SchNEWS
wonder what is? Perhaps "Buy a Happy Meal and Support Global
Destruction" would have been a bit more appropriate. From Schnews No
368, August 2002
In conventional farming, there is growing evidence that pesticide
residues are a cause for health concern. Many of the most harmful and
persistent agricultural pesticides are derived from nerve agents
created by the defense industry. Studies have recently linked the
pesticide lindane to breast cancer - three big store chains have
banned foods and other products containing it.
Shark's fin soup, which adds no taste and little nutrition to the
soup, is coming off the menu all over South-East Asia as a result of
moral pressure from conservationists and WildAid. Fishermen slice the
fins off the scores of millions of sharks they catch, before returning
the mutilated animals to the ocean to die thus saving space on their
boats for more fins. The cruel practice endangers sharks which are an
important source of food for many Third World coastal communities.
January 2002
The above wasteful and cruel practice is replicated with edible frogs'
legs being cut from the live frog which is then thrown minus it's hind
legs onto a heap of other mutilated frogs and left to die.January 2002
Veg*ans start yawning when they hear non-veg*ans (sometimes hostile
for some reason known only to themselves) trotting out: Hitler was a
vegetarian, and look what HE did. You then ask these gainsayers how
they 'know' this 'fact': it turns out that they have just heard it
somewhere, and enjoy their thought-processes being replaced by
ready-made sentences. You will of course now suspect the veracity of
any future statements these people make. So here is the bad news:
Adolf Hitler was constitutionally weak in the stomach as well. He did
everything he could to mitigate the obvious signs of his problem. One
soothing solution was to eat fruit and vegetables. From time to time.
To quote from Charles Patterson's new book "Eternal Treblinka": ". . .
Hitler discovered that when he reduced his meat intake, he did not
sweat as much and there were fewer stains on his underwear . . .
Nonetheless, Hitler never gave up his favorite meat dishes, especially
Bavarian sausages, liver dumplings and stuffed and roasted game . . .
When he came to power in 1933, he banned all the vegetarian societies
in Germany, arrested their leaders, and shut down the main vegetarian
magazine . . . Nazi persecution forced German vegetarians, a tiny
minority, either to flee the country or go underground . . ." August
2001
That reminds us: Veg*ans smell sweeter. They don't really need all
those often costly (to pocket and health) chemical cover-ups called
'fragrances'. Stands to reason - they haven't got that tailback of
rotting animal flesh inside them waiting to get out. Eventually.
Animal products have no fibre at all, but vegetarian diets do. Fat
drives up oestrogen levels. Fibre blocks hormone recycling back into
the body.
So you've guests who just don't understand why you're vegan? Your
family is at a loss as to why you refuse to have vaccinations? Your
colleagues think you are strange because you don't go with them on the
office trip to the greyhound races? And every effort to explain why
sends them further away? What can you do to make them understand? How
can you quieten the inquisition? Why can't they see what you see?
Well, the good news is that now they can. Just switch on your computer
and log on to BETRAYED
http://www.betrayed.org.uk/
and let the images speak your arguments for you. So what are you
waiting for? The time is nigh to educate the ignorant masses . . .
(ARCnews)
The Vegan Society is not antivivisection, just pro-vegan. Some
vivisectors are vegans, presumably for health reasons.
Derek Moody
<thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
C A R NA G E
CANTERBURY ANIMAL RESPECT NETWORK for A GREEN ENVIRONMENT
WHAT YOU EAT, WHAT YOU DRINK - Part 3
Let food be your medicine and medicine your food. Hippocrates (460-367
BC)
50 years of industrialised production have made food less safe,
bringing with it a range of dangerous diseases
The UK meat industry is a £16 billion business. No surprise, then,that
besides bad practice and carelessness, there is also fraud. Besides
BSE, salmonella, E coli 0157 etc, criminals are passing off unfit meat
as fit to the public. Fraudsters are passing off mutton as goat meat,
because goat meat prices are higher. Fraudsters are passing off
petfood as fit for human consumption, and this meat can be bought even
in high-class retailer shops. £multi-million conspiracies have been
uncovered in Britain to 'recycle' petfood as human food; filthy
warehouses have been found to contain mountains of dead chickens and
parts of poultry which heaps had been left lying there for days, green
and oozing such malevolent odours that the inspectors were physically
sick. The meat was 'recycled' for human use by washing it in bleach
and rinsing in salty water. While high-risk meat is now stained so
that it cannot be used for human consumption, low-risk meat is not
stained. However, these poultry pieces were originally low-risk . . .
Fresh and frozen poultry parts are mixed together and sold as
completely fresh - a dangerous illhealth practice, but more money can
be charged for fresh poultry. Illegal abattoirs have sprung up: eg in
Essex one was found with no licence, parts of the roof missing so it
was exposed to the elements and to pigeons, which were flying around
and defecating everywhere; the parts of illegally slaughtered sheep
found, including smoked sheep's heads, were for Afro-Caribbean
consumers. (BBC2 March 2002)
EU agriculture ministers are discussing a target of 20% of land to be
farmed organically by 2010. France is already aiming for 5% by 2005.
Austria made just under 10% by 2000. Sweden intends to reduce energy
use in food production by a factor of four by 2021: the big food
barons will attempt to divert us from such a course: they see food as
a market first, our health, animal welfare and the environment come a
poor second. August 2001
Many people who eat fish call themselves 'vegetarians'. They are not,
and as a result of this many restaurants, hospitals, etc, are using
this to justify including dishes containing fish on their menus. This
causes distress to vegetarians, who often eat fish by mistake as a
result. If the non-meat eating fish-eaters want to label themselves,
they are 'piscatarians'. The flesh of any animal is meat. The flesh of
fish is meat. A fish-eater is a carnivore.
ASPARTAME - THE SWEET POISON (Nutrasweet)
"Think of aspartame as the drug equivalent of AIDS."
"You don't know you are a victim until it is almost too late."
IMPORTANT: If you are/have been suffering from ingesting aspartame
(mainly diet drinks, light/sugar-free squashes - even those labelled
'natural' juices, yoghurt and gum, as well as some pharmaceuticals
such as Vitamin C) and your symptoms have been relieved since avoiding
such products, please contact Geoff Brewer, of Additives Survivors'
Network (UK), at 63 Downlands Road, Devizes, Wilts SN10 5EF. Enclose a
£1 cheque to The Green Network Charitable Trust for a basic info pack
and membership details. ASN (UK) is collating details of survivors and
liaising with the FSA on this important work - you do not have to join
in order to register your case history.
Also see MISSION POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL, the magnificent mega campaign
website on aspartame.
http://www.dorway.com/
From Green World, Spring 2001.
Carcinogens are the cause of cancer. Some of the food we eat contains
trace carcinogens. Much of the dairy produce in Britain has trace
levels of dioxin, affecting dairy products. Carcinogens are in the air
we breathe . . . from power stations, radioactive processing, chemical
plants, incinerators, waste tips, coke and steel works, Foot & Mouth
Diseased animals burning on funeral pyres, etc. Industrial pollution
is the main cause of cancer, and by 2005 one in every two people will
die from cancer.
Cancer institutes will not investigate the causes, because they are
multi-million pound businesses dependent on the cancer epidemic not
declining. The causes of cancer are known. So why continue to
experiment on animals? Like the tobacco 'research' on animals that was
exposed as a complete fraud when tobacco companies knew all along -
from epidemiological information - that tobacco=death, the
cancer/chemica£/indu$tria£ mafia would rather we died of cancer than
their bu$ine$$e$ died of closure.
See also CONSUMER POWER Part 2.
From an article by chef Antony Worrall Thompson in the Independent, 11
February 2001:
". . . then there is our high sugar intake. A 100 years ago, 4 lbs of
sugar per person per year were consumed; today that figure has risen
to 160 lbs. No wonder we have seen the incidence of diabetes increase
10-fold in the past 40 years . . .
HEART ATTACK?
For many heart attack victims, the first sign that anything is wrong
is a searing pain, followed by a fatal heart attack . . . others have
advance notice, and may get angina and/or other signals. Arteries have
become dangerously clogged and the flow of blood/nutrition through the
cardiovascular system has become impeded. So maybe the victim has a
coronary bypass, or an angioplasty, to relieve the situation. Costly
for victims and family in money, agony, anxiety, trauma, side effects.
Here are some stats:
risk of dying during bypass surgery - 4.6%-11.9%; risk of permanent
brain damage from same - 15%-44%; recipients of bypass surgery for
whom it prolongs life - 2%;
risk of death during angioplasty - 0.4%-2.8%; risk of major
complications developing during angioplasty - 10%; studies that have
found that angioplasty prolongs life or prevents heart attacks - zero.
Patients undergo bypass and angioplasty operations primarily to
relieve angina and improve blood flow to the heart. Yet there is a 25%
to 50% likelihood that within 6 months their blood vessels will again
become blocked, and their chest pain will recur - assuming they
continue to eat a meat-based diet.
On the other hand, three-quarters of the patients who follow the
renowned programme for reversing heart disease developed by Dean
Ornish, MD, clinical professor of medicine and attending physician at
the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco,
experience marked and long-lasting reduction in angina - without
surgery. The Ornish programme is made of of 5 components: low-fat
whole foods, vegetarian near-vegan diet; half an hour a day of walking
or other exercise; half an hour a day of stretching, meditation,
relaxation; psychological and emotional support groups; no smoking.
There are people who can't be bothered with all that. They want it
easy. They want their old life to continue, with suitable props. So
they may take cholesterol-lowering drugs and follow the American Heart
Association programme. How many patients on the AHA programme achieve
discernible reversal of atherosclerosis? 1 in 6. How many patients on
Dr Ornish's programme achieve discernible reversal of atherosclerosis?
3 out of 4. What kind of change do patients on average see in arterial
blockage in 5 years on the AHA programme? A 28% increase. What kind of
change do patients on average see in arterial blockage in 5 years on
the Ornish programme? An 8% reduction.
There is a reason why more than 40 insurance companies now cover all
or part of the Ornish programme. Nearly 80% of patients with severely
clogged arteries who follow the Ornish programme for a year or more
are able to avoid bypass or angioplasty . . . people who follow the
Ornish programme consistently show dramatic improvements, regardless
of how old or ill they are.
After hearing criticism that his programme was too drastic, Ornish
replied: "I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced
vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it's medically
conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful
cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives." Information
from John Robbins' new book "The Food Revolution". August 2001
Hollywood celebrity paid by Meat Board to tout beef as 'Real food for
real people': James Garner.
Medical event experienced by James Garner in April 1988: Quintuple
coronary artery bypass surgery.
Small print is appearing onto food labels saying "This product has
been electronically pasteurised/treated by cold
pasteurisation/sterilised with E-beam technology". What this means is
that the products have been irradiated. Quite apart from what it can
do to the product, this process could be used to cover up bad food
processing and monitoring standards. Of course, the National Farmers
Union encouraged the Food Standards Agency to consider allowing
irradiation in meat production. Irradiated food has included dried
herbs, spices, fresh herbs and soft fruit - none of these items had
declared the irradiation on the label. The food industry - who never
cease to think up new ways of selling consumers short (BSE, GM food,
denatured produce from agrichem and intensive farming, homogenisation,
hydrogenation, flavoured, coloured, standardised) has continued to
lobby for irradiation to be permitted in the processing of a wide
range of foods. When food goes off, unpleasant colour and smells warn
us that we shouldn't eat the food. Irradiation masks these vital
signs. And good food doesn't need irradiating. Food Magazine,
January/March 2001
To be sold in the UK, irradiated foods must have been irradiated at an
EC-approved facility - only in the EU so far, so food irradiated in
China or the USA is not permitted to be sold in EU member states.
Irradiated foods permitted for sale in the UK: Herbs, spices,
seasonings, condiments, potatoes, yams, onions,garlic, shallots,
vegetables, pulses, fruit, fungi, tomatoes, cereals, poultry, fish and
shellfish. Food irradiation will allow food production to be shifted
increasingly to the developing world, as extended storage times and
delayed ripening and decay will allow foods to be transported further,
from wherever is cheapest, benefitting multinational food production
and shipping companies. Food Magazine, July/September 2001
There's a little red tractor that's appearing on food labels, which is
a National Farmers Union logo for their British Farm Standards scheme
of consumer assurance that the food is of the 'highest standard' etc
etc 'with the interests of livestock and the environment in mind' blah
blah.
Foreign products can carry the sign. Tractor food can be irradiated.
There is no stipulation about excluding GM foods. GM ingredients are
allowed in animal feed. Most hormones, including BST, would no doubt
be allowed if it weren't for the fact that they're banned at present.
As for the environment, it seems that strict environmental rules would
clutter the farm assurance standards unduly, according to the Royal
Agricultural College. (Info from Food Magazine, January/March 2001)
We've since been shown once again an example of the NFU's interest of
livestock and environment - foot & mouth disease. What will the next
disease be once this is over?
Traces of pesticides can be found on more than half of French
vegetables, fruits and cereals, an EU survey reveals. France, which
often claims to be leading 'natural' food production in Europe, comes
close to bottom of the survey on traces of pesticides on food. Only
the Netherlands and Austria do worse. Britain comes off relatively
well.
France is the second largest user of pesticides in the world, behind
the US, consuming 100,000 tonnes a year.
Pesticides can cause cancer, reduce fertility, and damage wildlife.
August 2001
From 2004 in Europe it will be compulsory for eggs to be labelled as
to their farming method. Battery eggs will have to be labelled 'Eggs
from caged hens'. However eggs imported into the EU will be allowed to
label their eggs 'Method of production unknown' - this is because the
EU is frightened of a WTO challenge. Your best move, if you eat eggs
and products containing them, is to ask if they are free-range eggs.
Producers/sellers/users of free-range eggs will be proud to advertise
the fact.
Germany has just passed a law banning the battery cage from 2007 (five
years earlier than required by EU law) and they have prohibited the
use of enriched cages from 2021.
Almost half the British population is cutting back on meat or going
vegetarian in the wake of BSE and other food scares. (Daily Mail,
November 2000) Yeah, but eventually they miss their meat 'fix' and go
back to eating it, until the next food scare comes along. After all,
there's nothing else to eat, is there?
If you cannot tell the difference between a carrot and a cow, then
obviously you have a fabulous future in genetic engineering.
The amount of the excitotoxins monosodium glutamate and the artificial
sweetener aspartame added to our foods has soared. The brains of
people with brain disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimers' disease
produce higher levels of glutame (in MSG) and aspartate (in aspartame)
naturally, but levels with which the brain can cope in many cases.
Introducing more through these excitotoxins in food may make all the
difference between a mild form of the diseases and full-blown cases.
Note that 100% of the studies funded by aspartame manufacturers could
find no evidence of any danger, whereas 92% of the independently
funded studies identified dangers. Environment and Health News
Despite repeated warnings from consumer advocates, the US Department
of Agriculture's meat inspection system remains grossly inadequate,
and consumers are now being told to 'expect' animal products to be
tainted. And this is the stuff they export to Europe, and the
bog-standards they want Europe to stoop to.
In some restaurants fish are actually eaten alive. They are
eviscerated and filleted and delivered to the serving table. They are
still alive, believe it or not. The eye is covered with a serviette so
that the fish will not see and react to diners reaching for parts of
his/her body. "We each reached in with our chopsticks. The fish
buckled . . . now, as it slowly died, would it feel each piece of its
body lifted away and hungrily masticated?"
NOT ORGANIC UNLESS SO LABELLED (And even with labelling, the claim may
not be true - check the source)
Cultivated mushrooms - grown in compost made up from straw and pig and
horse manure. Some with DPM - dried poultry manure and processed waste
such as faeces, feathers, dead birds. Extremely toxic insecticides and
soil sterilants are used.
Tomatoes - green ones are ripened with ethylene gas.
Fruits and vegetables - all citrus fruits are routinely waxed unless
labelled unwaxed. Controlled-atmosphere storage extends shelf life of
foods. Ethylene-gassed to ripen. All this creates a counterfeit
freshness but the products have subtly worsened. Fruits may also be
treated with post-harvest chemical preservatives to delay spoilage
during transport and storing; the chemicals (like thiabenzadole
[banned in the US], diphenyl, orthophenyl phenol and sodium
orthophenyl phenate) are still on the skins when we buy them.
Potatoes - treated with anti-sprouting Tecnazene, a toxic fungicide.
Drinking milk does not prevent osteoporosis. Western nations, highest
consumers of dairy products, have the highest rates of osteoporosis.
Get calcium from the plant world - beans, seeds, nuts, broccoli.
Acne is caused by greasy high-fat meat and iodine found largely in
beef and salty snacks. (PETA)
Sushi doesn't have to contain raw fish. Literally translated, it means
vinegared rice, usually short grain, combined with other ingredients,
rolled in nori or hand formed. Sushi can be made with cooked Japanese
noodles or even leafy greens, creating endless variations. For easy
instructions see Eden Foods.
http://www.edenfoods.com/shop/sushi1.html
The HB&WAR group held a very successful fundraising fair in Herne Bay
in support of Animal Aid's Veggie Month ("Go Veggie") which is
celebrated all over the country each year to inform the public of a
healthy veggie diet. The group produced home-made vegetarian and vegan
food.
Each year the French import 200 MILLION frogs so that they can eat
their legs. A large number of these frogs come from Poland.
America's horses - former companions, unprofitable racehorses and wild
horses - are rounded up and sent to slaughterhouses to provide meat
for European and Asian markets. June 2001
Removing pesticides from our water supplies costs £121 million a year.
CRIME ON A PLATE
More than 350 kilos of Sevruga caviar, which comes from the endangered
Star sturgeon, was seized at Manchester airport's cargo centre.
Illegally poached sturgeon accounts for about 90% of caviar on the
market and is a lucrative source of profit for organised crime gangs.
Star sturgeon, whose numbers have declined by 80% in recent years, are
easy to catch because of their large size and predictable breeding
habits. They spawn in the Caspian Sea and Volga river. October 2001
IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE CARNIVORES. You're a veg*an and, let's say,
you've lived 60 or 70 years without suffering more than odd
discomforts and accidents: a couple of colds and a few gnat bites,
say. Some people apparently believe veg*ans claim everlasting life and
no illness or accidents. You get to age 80 or more and your eyes grow
dim, your hearing is not acute, you suffer a serious problem or two,
and guess what? Out it comes: "Is your illhealth the result of being a
veg*an?" The (say) 40-year-old speaker probably already has a sizeable
history of operations/illnesses/medication . . . So remember - next
time you hear the litany of the unwell from a carnivore, ask them "Is
your illhealth the result of being a carnivore?"
Just as many carnivores suffer from iron deficiency as veg*ans, but
medics make more drama out of it for the latter, for some reason. Some
people just cannot absorb iron as well as others, whether they be
carnivores or veg*ans.
SANTIAGO, Chile - Chilean health authorities said that they found E
coli bacteria in chicken burgers sold by fast-food chain McDonald's
that could produce infectious diarrhea and vomiting. October 2001
The Bristol Cancer Help Centre's primary advice is to incorporate a
wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables into every meal, to eat as
much raw food as possible and 'if food is boiled or steamed, to find a
way of using that water, either by adding it to a juice or a sauce',
says Dr Rosy Daniel . . . this might mean shopping for fruit and veg
twice a week or daily, rather than stocking up for the week and then
storing them in the fridge.
The animals on Britain's filthy factory farms are diseased from head
to toe. It's not just swinefever or foot & mouth - it's a string of
infections in pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, most egg-laying hens . .
. For example, at 3 weeks old piglets are so young that their
digestive and immune systems aren't properly formed, yet they are
forcibly removed from their mums. The piglets have to be given drugs
to keep them alive. . . then more drugs to make them grow faster than
is natural . . . at each stage of their short lives they are given
more drugs and antibiotics to ward off streptococcal meningitis,
enzootic pneumonia, swine dysentry, colitis, pleuropneumonia,
proliferative enterophathy, enteritis, respiratory disease, oedema,
Glassers disease, spirochaetal diarrhoea . . . the list goes on. Many
pigs just don't make it. Those who do are eaten by you and your
children. Enjoy! Viva! January 2002
Excerpts from Food Magazine's review of 'Fast Food Nation', by E
Schlosser, April/June 2001: "One of the book's strongest features is
that it is not just another single-issue diatribe. A perusal of the
index leads to detailed analyses of the corporate infiltration of
state school systems, the buying and selling of politicians, the
emasculation of trade unions, the bankrupting of small farmers and
many other integrally related topics.
"The chapter on the artificial creation of flavour encapsulates the
entire commercial food industry. Nothing that comes out of a modern
food factory has any inherent identity whatsoever; every product's
taste is the result of a complex chemical formula.
"For instance, a typical 'strawberry' flavour may consist of:
amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate,
benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl
isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl,
dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate,
ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate,
ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl
valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10% solution in
alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon
essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate,
methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl
naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli
essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl
alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent."
This 'treatment' of and in our foods is internationally applicable.
Excerpt from letter to The Independent, 26 July 2002:
" . . .The reasons why people eat so badly are easy to see. First and
foremost laziness, secondly stupidity and thirdly defective taste
buds.
LS & BS, Carmarthenshire"
According to latest statistics, 9 out of 10 parents in the UK take
their children to McDonald's. July 2002
Many people like to think that the meat, eggs and dairy products they
buy - mostly from supermarkets - come from animals kept in high
welfare systems, especially if the product carries a 'Farm Assured' or
'British Farm Standard' label. Compassion in World Farming has found
that these schemes can, scandalously, fail badly on animal welfare.
CIWF has found that 78% of the UK's 30 million laying hens are still
kept in battery cages and many of their eggs are sold under farm
assurance labels; 80% of the chickens reared for their meat in the UK
- under the little red tractor label - are packed together in factory
farms even more tightly than is laid down by government guidelines,
and the government lets them get away with it. 'Farm Assured' means
little more for the animals than assured pain, assured filth, assured
confinement and assured overcrowding.CIWF, April 2002
Each year millions of dogs and hundreds of thousands of cats are
tortured, killed and eaten in SOUTH KOREA in the name of mythical
healthy benefits. Despite the disclaimers of scientists, many Koreans
continue to believe that dog-meat stew (boshintang) enhances male
virility and that cat juice (goyangi soju) alleviates rheumatoid
arthritis and neuralgia. There are laws in Korea prohibiting cruelty
to animals, but they are not enforced.
The plight of these animals is horrific. Raised in rural farms or
urban backyards, dogs spend their entire lives in cramped wire cages
where they suffer from dehydration and hunger, exposure to the
elements, unsanitary conditions, and abuse. They are then dragged from
their cages and deliberately tortured to death. Most dogs are hung,
bludgeoned with pipes or hammers, or electrocuted. A blowtorch is then
used to burn the hair off and brown the skin, sometimes while the dog
is still alive. These violent methods of killing are thought to both
tenderize the flesh and improve the aphrodisiacal quality by
stimulating the release of adrenaline in the tissues. The more the dog
suffers, the more flavourful and beneficial the meat is thought to be
- as was once thought, up until the 19th century, of beef in England,
where first the bull was horrifically baited before being killed and
eaten. Some restaurants secretly add steroids, opium and other
substances to dog meat stew in an effort to produce an aphrodisiacal
effect that they can then attribute to the meat itself. Most Koreans
do not eat dog meat. Dog eating is more about the manipulation of the
public for commercial profit than it is about Korean cultural
tradition.
Feral cats are trapped in wire cages and killed by being placed in a
sack and pounded against the ground, while domesticated cats are often
dropped alive into a cauldron of boiling water and liquefied. April
2002
For more information, please see INTERNATIONAL AID FOR KOREAN
ANIMALS/KOREA ANIMAL PROTECTION SOCIETY
http://www.koreananimals.org/
"While passing by a restaurant window in Korea I saw ... a middle-aged
woman walking slowing among rows of hissing and boiling cauldrons. In
her arms she held a cat. Stopping at one of the hot kettles she
dropped the cat into the boiling water. Hideously scalded the cat
screamed and clawed its way out, but the woman pushed it back in with
a stick." August 2002
ANIMALS ASIA
http://www.animalsasia.org/
are working hard to prevent the appalling treatment of beautiful dogs
and cats being caught for food in CHINA and to save as many of them as
they can. In Chinese animal markets you will find these animals
crammed inside crates, one animal on top of the other, unable to move
even their heads. To unload, the crates are thrown from lorries from a
height of 15 ft to the concrete floor. Of COURSE, many of the animals
are horribly injured, many have suffocated to death, many are
diseased, many are dying. One small crate may have 4 or 5 large
terrified dogs squashed inside it, or 15 cats with their faces
squashed to the wires of the crate so tightly their faces are
distorted, their paws sticking out. It is a truly awful sight. And
what further fate awaits them?
The dogs and cats are beaten to death, or boiled alive, or stabbed and
strangled on the spot, or tightly bound with wire and stuffed into
sacks to be slaughtered at restaurants. You want a Chinese? Go to the
Animals Asia site first and see what you can do to help them.
Robert Cohen, aka the NOTMILKMAN, made a strong case for indicting
dairy products as a cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Some
of his references are: "Hypersensitivity to milk is implicated as a
cause of sudden death in infancy. (The Lancet, vol 2, 7160, Nov
1960)"; "Those who consumed cow's milk were fourteen times more likely
to die from diarrhea-related complications and four times more likely
to die of pneumonia than were breast-fed babies. Intolerance and
allergy to cow's milk products is a factor in sudden infant death
syndrome. (The Lancet, vol 344, Nov 5 1994)." "Formula-fed infants
developed symptoms of allergic rejection to cow milk proteins before
one month of age. The majority of infants tested had two or more
symptoms. . . About 50-70% experienced rashes or other skin symptoms,
50-60% gastrointestinal symptoms, and 20-30% respiratory symptoms. The
recommended therapy is to avoid cow's milk.
(Pediatr.-Allergy-Immunol., 1994, 5(5 Suppl)." Also see NOTMILK.
http://www.notmilk.com/
To prevent the dreadful waste of beautiful creatures like whales you
can help by being aware of what you are eating. Many products like
biscuits and chocolates contain "marine fat" which often contains
whale fat. You can enquire directly at the manufacturer or simply read
the ingredients on the packaging.
New evidence that the process of irradiating food can change the
chemicals in food has emerged in tests of eggs by researchers in South
Korea. They have found that compounds called hydrocarbons can be
formed from an egg's natural fats, and that the quantity of
hydrocarbons formed is directly linked to the degree of exposure to
radiation.
Hydrocarbons are a large family of chemicals, some of which can cause
allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, and some of which are
known carcinogens.
Bacteria found in a sample of canned meat that was assumed to be
sterilised have shown a remarkable ability to withstand irradiation.
Widespread use of food irradiation technology could increase the
chance of harmful bacteria developing resistance, leading to potential
health problems.
Each year, billions of animals are slaughtered for food, millions more
for their pelts, countless others are used in experiments, and still
others killed for sport. Anyone who eats meat or animal products needs
to be aware that their dietary choices sustain an industry of
suffering and murder. When you eat at McDonald's, enjoy a breakfast of
bacon, eggs and sausage or when you drink a glass of milk, you are
creating the market. You are financing the pain, terror and torture
that make up the short, miserable life, and inevitable death of an
animal. Words like beef, pork, poultry and ham are used by the meat
industries to convince consumers that they are eating something other
than animals. From 'Free the Animals'
KANGAROOS
Demand for kangaroo meat has jumped in Balkan countries where diners
are experimenting with kangaroo steaks, salami and sausages. The
Balkans imported 2,000 tonnes of kangaroo meat last year and a 20%
growth is is expected in the region for 2002. The demand for kangaroo
meat leapt by 20-30% last year in Western Europe, due to food scares
triggered by mad cow disease, foot and mouth outbreaks and dioxin
contamination. Australia is hoping to gain a foothold in Rumania - a
country of 22 million, the biggest in the region. Animal rights groups
are less active in the Balkans. Don Cairns, chief of Australia's Trade
Commission for the Balkans daid "There are 35 million kangaroos(around
Australia), they become a pest." (Information from Planet Ark, June
2002)
See also FASHION Part 2.
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/fashion2.html
The origin of the term 'vegetarian' has nothing to do with vegetables.
It is taken from the Latin word for 'lively' - vegetus.
Derek Moody
<thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
C A R NA G E
CANTERBURY ANIMAL RESPECT NETWORK for A GREEN ENVIRONMENT
WHAT YOU EAT, WHAT YOU DRINK - Part 4
The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs'
milk, horses' milk or giraffes' milk.
(M Klaper, MD)
ORGANIC FARMING WIPED OUT BY GM?
Concurrent with the rising demand for organic food, organic farming
will be forced out of production in Britain and across Europe if
genetically modified (GM) crops are grown commercially, says a new
European Union report which top European Commission officials tried to
stop being made public. Organic farms will become so contaminated that
they will no longer be able to be licenced. May 2002
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER IS SAFE? Each year in the USA one in four people
(that is one quarter of the population, or 25%) suffers from a
foodborne illness, and thousands die from something they ate. The
"National Geographic" magazine, May 2002, says there are tales of
people sickened by contaminated parsley and scallions, cantaloupes,
leaf lettuce, sprouts, orange juice, almonds, refrigerated potato
salad, eggs, chicken, beans, hot dogs, hamburgers, deli meats . . .
The food was served anywhere and everywhere, from cruise ships to
kitchens, from churches to day-care centres . . . According to the
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the US
76 million people suffer from foodborne disease, 325,000 of them are
hospitalised and 5,000 die. The very young and the very old are most
at risk.
The greatest hazards today in US food are foodborne pathogens -
bacteria, viruses, parasites. Many microbes are present in the animals
raised for food, and when they are slaughtered, their stomach contents
or manure can taint meat during processing. Fruits and vegetables can
be tainted if the water used to clean them is tainted with manure or
human sewage. Food contaminated with these pathogens usually looks,
smells and tastes normal. The new microbes survive traditional heating
and cooling techniques.
Some of the new foodborne infections are:
E coli 0157:H7: this is a powerful toxin which can cause kidney
failure; it can survive gentle heating for undercooked rare ground
beef like hamburgers. Every year about 73,000 Americans become ill and
60 (mostly children) die from this toxin.
Campylobacter jejuni: popular in poultry flocks and the leading cause
of bacterial foodborne disease in the US
Salmonella enteridis: a bacteria that can cause diarrhoea, cramps,
fever and sometimes life-threatening infection; almost any food
tainted by infected animal feces will carry this bacteria; it can get
inside the ovaries of a laying hen and contaminate her eggs before the
shells are formed; it looks like developing high rates of drug
resistance. A news strain of Salmonella, DT104, has evolved resistance
to 5 antibiotics. Sweden insists on organic farming, and has virtually
eliminated Salmonella from their chicken flocks. Other countries who
want CHEAP infected food pay the consequences, as do their innocent
food animals.
Shigella sonei: irrigation water fouled by sewage or manure transfers
this onto food; can cause a highly infectious disease spread by
physical contact
Listeria monocytogenes: can be found in pates, hot dogs, sliced deli
meats, smoked fish, blue cheese or soft cheeses such as Brie and
Camembert; it multiplies at refrigerator temperatures; it can cause eg
encephalitis or meningitis in some people.
Some bacteria are natural to the particular animal and do it no harm
when it lives in natural animal-friendly conditions.
Eating food grown elsewhere in the world means depending on the soil,
water and sanitation conditions in those places, and on the way their
workers farm, harvest, process and transport those products. (The
"National Geographic" gives an instance where last spring, almonds
from a farm in California infected 160 Canadians with Salmonella.) We
like food available all the year, prepackaged and ready to eat. So we
leave it to the processors to do all the prep work like cleaning,
peeling, chopping . . . And we're eating out more so we are relying on
the cleanliness and thoroughness of the restaurant workers. We also
want cheap food, and in the US they spend the least on their food.
Cheap food has led to factory farming - large numbers of animals
raised in tight quarters. In cattle feedlots, animals for fattening
are jammed together in large groups standing on their own feces - by
the time they reach the slaughterhouse they're covered in the stuff
and, still jammed together, passing it on to each other.
As we have changed the way food animals are raised, it has been vastly
to their detriment and certainly to ours. Cattle feces works its way
into streams and groundwater which are used to irrigate and wash
produce; manure is also used as a fertilizer. Washing eg lettuces
thoroughly may not get all the pathogens off. There is also the food
that is given to animals (and we know the BSE story). For more on
'safe' food, see ANIMAL FEED,
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/feed.html
SLAUGHTER - Part 2,
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/slaught2.html
and BSE - Part 2.
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/bse2.html
Processing: Processed meat contaminated by one animal spreads the
pathogen to all the hamburger meat that passes through the machinery
in one day. Treating such meat with chemical baths, rinses, sprays, or
irradiation, reduces contamination problems but contamination would be
lower if farmers reduced infection in their livestock in the first
place. (Information from National Geographic, May 2002)
THE YOKE OF COKE
In the 1980s, Coca-Cola was responsible for an advertising campaign
where children were heard to sing ‘I like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony’. Today, they have abandoned the goal of harmonious
melody and replaced it with anguished cries of tormented primates.
Coca-Cola, through its endowments to Emory University, supports those
who commit daily atrocities against our closest genetic relatives, the
non-human primates.
Yerkes Primate Center, operated by Emory University, is a leader in
primate experiments, but not a leader in medical breakthroughs.
Despite thousands of mutilated monkeys, not a single medical advance
has emerged from the chambers hidden behind Yerkes’ razor-wire fence.
Not one.
Still, those who experiment justify their existence and use scare
tactics - telling the public that modern-day plagues will not be cured
without their ‘work ’. It is time for Emory and Yerkes to open the
cages and it is time for Coca-Cola to get out of the animal abuse
industry.
For more information see Emory Lies
http://www.emorylies.com/
and Primate Freedom Project.
http://www.primatefreedom.com/
CHOKER-COLA as all SchNEWS readers will no doubt know the Coca-Cola
Company "exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches." Which
will come as great news to the villagers in the Kerala State of India
who, thanks to one of Coca-Cola's 'refreshing' factories, are
suffering water contamination and shortages.
The water scarcity has now even hit Coke. Until recently, the company
was drawing 1.5 million litres a day from the common groundwater
resource - now it is only able to extract 800,000 litres. The
remainder is brought in by truck from borewells in neighbouring
villages. According to local estimates, Coke's water mining has now
parched the lands of more than 2,000 people living within 1.2 miles of
the factory.
Dr S Janakarajan, an economist working on groundwater issues, said
"The trouble with Coke [in Plachimada] cannot be seen in isolation. In
this case, a community may have lost its access to water for drinking
or agricultural purposes for the sake of supplying Coca Cola. The same
has happened in other places where industries have privatised common
groundwater resources or polluted them . . . In this race, those who
have the resources are the winners; the poor are the losers." Or as
one famous French woman might once have said 'Let them drink Coke.'
For more on this story see Corpwatch India.
http://www.corpwatchindia.org/action/PAA.jsp?articleid=1703
THE REAL THING
The United Steelworkers of America have filed a law suit against Coca
Cola accusing the company of failing to ensure that workers at the
plants were protected against persecution of trade unionists. "This
case involves the systematic intimidation, kidnapping, detention and
murder of trade unionists in Colombia, South America, at the hands of
paramilitaries working as agents of corporations doing business in
that country," the lawsuit said. Colombia Solidarity Campaign 07950
923448 - colom...@hotmail.com
Farmers are being urged to play their part in stamping out a highly
organized trade in illegal meat that could have a devastating impact
on the meat industry. Lorry loads of illegally slaughtered meat are
being transported out of Wales on a nightly basis. These carcasses are
known as 'Smokies', and are obtained by tying the legs of sheep and
goats together, then cutting their throats so that they bleed to death
as they are slowly lowered over a charcoal fire. This is done so that
the wool/hair will peel off easily before the skin is blow-torched to
give the meat a smoked taste. What happens, of course, is that the
animals are still fully conscious while they are being lowered and are
literally cooked alive.
The Environmental Health Department is very concerned about this
trade, which they describe as 'gruesome and potentially
disease-ridden'. They made a statement expressing their concerns about
the devastating effect this could have on the meat industry if any
danger to human health was found in this meat. The carcasses carry
false health markings and have not been tested according to national
and EU law - 'making a ticking time bomb for the general public' . . .
One carcass can fetch as much as £200. This trade adds to the increase
in illegally imported meats, which has now become larger than drugs
trafficking and is worth out of Africa alone around £1.2 BILLION a
year.
Organised gangsare importing monkeys, bush rats and bats, as well as
meat that has been slaughtered illegally for a specialised market. The
various departments involved in clamping down on such activities say
they haven't the manpower to catch the cheats, so night after night
these loads continue to cross the border into England bound for
London. KALE News, June 2002
The organic sector in Europe has been rocked by claims of attempted
cover-ups in Germany over contamination of livestock feeds with banned
herbicides, and in Spain, where they are battling with the European
Commission over the term 'bio', wishing to use this term for products
other than organic foods.
Consumers in Germany have lost faith in the organic market when it was
revealed that feed given to poultry in organic farms had been
contaminated with the herbicide 'Nitrofen', which has been banned in
Europe for over 20 years due to the risk it imposes on pregnant women.
Germany's media are claiming that the scale of this catastrophe is on
a par with BSE.
The Spanish, in the meantime, could face their government being taken
to court over their failure to prevent non-organic producers using the
term 'bio' in their description of certain foods such as yoghurts
produced by Danone and Nestle. June 2002
" . . . I am sick to death of this so-called National Health Service
taking yet more of my low-waged hard-earned salary to fund what
amounts to many people's lifestyles. Your average Brit now indulges in
a diet that consists of too much value-added, refined, high-calorie,
low-nutritional junk food.
Food is saturated in unhealthy 'more-ish' amounts of sugar, fat, salt
and E numbers. Add to this our huge consumption of alcohol, fizzy
drinks, tobacco and drugs (both licit and illicit), and you see we are
on the way to being an extremely unhealthy nation. In addition, so few
people now exercise - preferring instead to sit staring at the telly
or the computer. They also use their cars for the slightest trip.
Instead of taxing us through our wages to pay for the epidemic of
obesity (and other Western lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart
disease, cancer and constipation), why not put a 10p tax on every
sweet, biscuit, crisp packet, chocolate bar, ice cream, fizzy drink,
hamburger and sausage roll? In other words, let the junk food
manufacturers and those who buy their products, take the strain of
under-funding in the NHS . . . a National Self-Indulgence Service of
ever more medication, procedures and surgery for every self-inflicted
malady, really is not the answer . . ." (From a letter by SS, Kent, in
The Ecologist, June 2002)
Proctor & Gamble's drink, Sunny Delight, contains less than 2% of any
fruit juice. It is junk' food'.
Health charities do more for company profits than they do for public
health when they let their logos appear on certain food products, says
the independent Food Commission's survey. Although charities claim
they are not endorsing a product, consumers inevitably assume
otherwise. Logos are often found on foodstuffs with questionable
nutritional benefits. The charities' endorsement also enables
manufacturers to charge a premium for their products. Organisations
whose logos are put on food products include Cancer Research Campaign,
the British Heart Foundation and the British Dental Association. June
2002
THE GLOBAL FOOD TRADE
For every calorie of carrot flown into the UK from South Africa, we
use 66 calories of fuel.
Of every 100 fruits consumed in the UK, only five will now have been
produced domestically
One shopping basket of organic products could have travelled 241,000
kilometres and released as much CO2 into the atmosphere as an average
4-bedroom house does through cooking meals over 8 months.
In 1998 the UK imported 61,400 tonnes of poultry meat from the
Netherlands. In the same year it exported 33,100 tonnes of poultry
meat back to the Netherlands.
In 1997 126 million litres of milk were imported into the UK, while
270 million litres were exported at the same time.
In 1999 the EU imported 44,000 tonnes of live bovines from Argentina,
11,000 tonnes from Botswana, 40,000 tonnes from Poland and over 70,000
from Brazil. In the same year the EU exported 874,211 tonnes of live
bovines to the rest of the world.
(Extracted from an article by Colin Hines, Caroline Lucas MEP, and
Vandana Shiva in The Ecologist, June 2002)
A nutrionist by profession, Marion Nestle chairs the Department of
Food Studies at New York University. She edited "The Surgeon General's
Report on Nutrition and Health", published by the US's Public Health
Service. On her first day at the government agency Nestle was told
that, no matter what the research indicated, she must not recommend
that people 'eat less meat'. Nor should she suggest restrictions on
any other food group. If she did so, 'the food producers would
complain to their beneficiaries in Congress, and the report would
never be published' . . . Perhaps even more disturbing from an
ecological point of view is the fact that the family farm has been
replaced by a globalised conglomerate of highly integrated food
companies. Each year the food corporations spend more than $33 BILLION
advertising their products. The bulk of the money goes on promoting
junk foods and soft drinks, neither of which has any nutritional value
. . . (Extract from Gard Binney's review of Nestle's "Food Politics:
how the food industry influences nutrition and health", published in
The Ecologist, June 2002)
Read about CIWF's EAT LESS MEAT campaign.
IN THE USA
During the past eleven years of animal rights activism, there has been
a total increase for beef and chicken consumption equal to 15.3%.
This past year, numerous laws have been passed to guarantee
compassionate animal slaughter. Such laws relieve the consciences of
those people who eat dead animals. As farm animals are treated better,
rates of beef and poultry consumption increase.
In just this past year, from 2001-2002, beef and chicken consumption
have increased by an incredible combined 3.3%, demonstrating that the
current misdirection of animal rights advocates is promoting increased
meat consumption. The deception continues, and more animals become
victims to the egos of animal rights leaders and organizations who
spend millions of donated dollars to lobby members of Congress to pass
ineffective laws. (Extract from Robert Cohen's web site NOTmilk - "How
to kill baby cows")
Nearly one-third of your ecological footprint comes from food
consumption. Growing your own food will help you to tread more lightly
- you can always grow some food of your own, even if it's in a window
box. Tips like these come from "Go M.A.D.! 365 Daily Ways to Save the
Planet".
The HB&W AR group did not need to hold their planned demonstration
against Bistro Vietnam, Canterbury, who were selling frogs' legs on
their menu. Once they were apprised of the cruelty, suffering and
environmental disaster that originating countries caused to their own
species and land, Bistro Vietnam said they would no longer put frogs'
legs on their menu. July 2002
People who are eating more chickens because they deem their flesh less
unhealthy than that of cows and pigs will be interested to learn that
DNA from cows and pigs is turning up in chicken breast meat, according
to a report in The Guardian, May 23, 2002. Of 30 samples of chicken
breast fillets purchased in supermarkets, 17 contained bovine and
porcine DNA. This is not surprising in view of the fact that 13
BILLION pounds of cow flesh were fed to American chickens in the year
2001. The Department of Agriculture got around to prohibiting the
feeding of flesh from mammals to other mammals in 1997, but still
permits mammalian flesh to be included in chicken feed and chicken
flesh in cow and pig feed. Also see SLAUGHTER Part 2.
http://www.carn-age.org.uk/slaught2.html
Theresa Manavalan, a prominent MALAYASIAN journalist, comments: " . .
. the pig is not the villain, neither is the chicken. It's actually
us. And our horrible farm practices, outdated agricultural policy and,
most of all, reckless disregard of our ecology and environment." She
points out that, of the 35 emerging human diseases in the last 20
years, more than 70% have involved other animals.
Every year we eat 5% more rice. The (Independent colour supplement,
2002)
Due to the insatiable demand by the Japanese for sushi, Mediterrranean
Bluefin are caught, put into cages, fattened up on other fish, and
then exported to Japan. It is happening all around the Med, but EU
funds are being misused in Spain by a couple of big companies. There
will be a complete collapse of tuna stocks if this continues. The
companies receive EU funds for aquaculture - the breeding and rearing
of fish in captivity - not for capturing wild fish to fatten. Bluefin
tuna stocks have fallen by 20% in 5 years and numbers of anchovies and
sardines have also fallen, as they are used as tuna food. (September
2002)
Graham Pardon, Pulham St Mary, Norfolk, supplies fresh chicken to
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and other supermarkets via Grampian Country
Food Group (the UK's biggest provider). He breeds chickens amongst
scenes of the most appalling filth and squalor. Undercover
investigators discovered distressed chickens with badly deformed legs
living in piles of their own excrement in huge windowless sheds. Among
them were maggot-infested carcasses that had been left to rot. Posters
can be seen in supermarkets showing this man smiling reassurance at
shoppers as to the 'quality' of the food they are buying. (September
2002)
YOU ARE BEING SEDUCED BY FANCY WORDS OF ASSOCIATION - HERE ARE SOME OF
THEM
Think you know what you're eating and drinking? You probably believe
food companies' spin. Wise up. You are probably being had. 'Smoked'
bacon is probably full of artificial smoky flavouring. ' Brown' bread
can be dyed. 'Fresh' can mean anything, but you probably like the word
used anyway, where food is concerned. 'Lean' doesn't mean anything.
Neither does 'low fat'. 'Flavour' can mean it's made from laboratory
chemicals. 'Natural' doesn't mean anything. 'GM free' food is not
necessarily so - it can still contain a small quantity of GM food.
'Spring water' can be taken from a tap. 'Meat' is just anything from
an animal, scraps of meat blasted off the bones, bits of faeces
clinging to it, its nose, its tail . . . 'Steak' can be bits of flesh
from anywhere on an animal, squashed and pressed into a chunk. 'Free
range' may make you feel good, but the poultry may still have highly
restricted movement, flocks of up to 16,000 birds, debeaked and
overcrowded in large sheds - many hens don't venture outside, and are
probably still fed on factory made pellets. Know what 'nutritious'
means? Nothing at all where food companies are concerned. Many food
companies must regard consumers as suckers. If you're not, enquire,
complain, protest.
EGGS are a rich source of cholesterol - one single egg contains almost
the maximum daily limit. Eggs are a major source of salmonella food
poisoning. Eggs are responsible for massive animal suffering,
slaughter, environmental threats and human health risks.
From the USA: I WORKED FOR PERDUE by Ann Holmes
I am a native of the Eastern Shore of Virginia . . . my first job out
of college was working as a Quality Assurance Manager for Perdue, at
the Accomac Virginia chicken slaughter plant, from 1995-97. Truly it
was the most miserable 2 years of my life, but it opened my eyes to a
different world that the public rarely has a chance to see - behind
the scenes cruelty . . . I . . . will be haunted for the rest of my
life by the horror I witnessed at Perdue.
Along with the mistreatment of chickens, the company has little
concern for the safety of the finished product. The birds are soaked
and repeatedly drenched in bleach. The birds spend approximately 70
minutes in a high concentration pool of chlorine and pass through
dozens of chlorine misters before the product is packed and shipped
out.
The workers are allowed to run over stray chickens with forklifts
without any sort of disciplinary consequences. When spoiled chicken
products are located on the premises, the company serves the product
in the plant cafeteria.
. . . The government allows the poultry industry to govern itself . .
. no one enforces the checks. So much falsification takes place among
the line workers and management when it comes to making hourly HACCP
checks (for poisonous bacteria on birds, equipment, and in tanks of
slaughter water) that I spent my time documenting the falsification
more than I spent monitoring the production process . . .
I could ramble on with the many, many horror stories I have about
working in a chicken slaughterhouse. After reading Carol Adams' book
"Living Among Meat-Eaters" I realize that non-vegetarians are blocked
vegetarians and that I have to set the example. I've learned to stay
calm in situations when I have to explain why I don't eat meat and why
I feel so strongly about the suffering of animals . . .
People ask why Linda McCartney died of cancer. I cannot explain the
cause of her death, but unfortunately she was not vegan and did eat
dairy and eggs. I realize vegetarians have less of a risk of
developing cancer than meat-eaters, but dairy and egg consumption
increases your chance of the disease.
(No vegan claims they will ever be disease free. The figures show that
they are less prone to disease, ie their immune system is stronger
than those of vegetarians and meat-eaters. However, vegetarianism and
veganism do not make people immune from the chemical pollution
onslaught that we all endure daily, from car exhausts, chemicalised
toiletries, chemicals in garden products, chemicals emitted from home
furnishings, etc etc. Ed)
Scientists at Virginia Techn University have introduced rat genes into
the genetic material of lettuces which increased their vitamin
production by 700%. (Rats can produce their own vitamin C - an ability
humans lost in the course of evolution.) They say this will help fight
starvation in the Third World. So let's see now. Let's imagine the
drugs corporations prevent us - via their usual enormous pressure on
the EC to make it illegal - from buying our usual supplements in the
quantities and strengths we wish. Many small health shops will have to
close. This leaves the whole business in the hands of . . . the drugs
corporations, who will sell us what they decree, at the prices they
decree, when they decree. They will also tell us to eat their
genetically engineered food as well or instead of our own choice of
non-GE supplements, of which they have sole ownership, to sell to us
at the prices they decree, when they decree. Farmers will have to pay
dearly for buying the drugs companies' GE seeds, and of course they
will have to buy them every year, instead of saving the seeds to sow
for themselves year after year. The land on which GE plants grow will
be 'dead' - made so by the application of drugs companies' pesticides
and herbicides (which of course they say farmers won't need - or not
as much, but recent practice has proved otherwise) and the fact that
GE plants are likely to make the area devoid of all insect and birds
life. This means that chemical fertilizers will have to be applied to
make up for the deficit. Chemical fertilizers will run off into
streams and rivers, so causing mutations and death to fish, plants,
animals and humans . . . and so on . . . to the great pleasure of the
chemical companies, for they will not be paying for the sickness,
death and destruction that comes in the wake of these products. The
Third World, the Second World and the First World will all be united
in the equality of suffering and, er, starvation.
FOOD POISONING:Here are some nasties to look out for:
Botulism - rare, but has a mortality rate greater than 50%: found in
under-processed foods. A single case is a national emergency; symptoms
include dry mouth, constipation and blurred vision - death results
from respiratory muscle paralysis.
Campylobacter - one of the most common cause of food poisoning: causes
fever, abdominal pain and diarrhoea - transmitted through raw and
undercooked meat, poultry, animal faeces, unpasteurised milk and
occasionally tap water. Destroyed by proper cooking, you can then eat
dead campylobacter.
E coli - can lead to kidney failure and death: transmitted through
undercooked food, especially beef, milk and vegetables, and can also
be caught through contact with infected people or animals. Most
serious strain is E coli 0157.
Hepatitis A - transmitted through person-to-person contact or through
consumption of untreated water, contaminated shellfish and foods eaten
raw or washed in these waters: young people may have no symptoms, but
older people may develop jaundice, abdominal pain, itching, fever and
nausea.
Listeria - dangerous mainly to pregnant women or people with a poor
defence to infection: can spark a variety of diseases, from a mild
chill to meningitis in newborns - found mainly in soft-ripened or blue
cheese, patés or TV and microwave meals. Unlike many bacteria, it can
survive freezing.
Salmonella - one of the most common cause of food poisoning which
causes illness lasting 2 or 3 days, but can lead to septicaemia and
severe illness or even death: transmitted through cross-contamination
of raw and cooked foods including meat and dairy products, but most
notoriously, eggs. Bugs are killed by cooking, you can then eat dead
salmonella.
Shigella flexneri - a type of bacillary dysentery which causes fever,
diarrhoea and stomach cramps: transmitted through contaminated water
or raw foods, so it can be found on fruit and salads.
Staphylococcus aureus - acute food poisoning takes place within an
hour or two of being eaten and can cause severe vomiting and cramps:
transmitted through contaminated meats, milk and custard. The bacteria
is carried in the noses of 40% of the population. In the right
conditions is forms a toxin on food.
Cross-contamination can occur in kitchens with cramped conditions,
and/or where there is poor temperature control, and/or where there is
poor food hygiene. The other issue is ensuring that people don't
breathe on food, whether during food preparation or in self-service
establishments where people stand breathing on uncovered food displays
or on each others' food on their trays. In takeaway-crazy Britain,
food poisoning soars. Now you know, it's your choice . . .
SO YOU LIKE ANIMALS' MILK? Milk's image as healthy, wholesome and
nutritious is a modern myth. The bacteria in cow's milk have been
linked with Crohn's disease, a chronic disorder of the human bowel.
Animals in the wild do not stand day after day and month after month
in their own excrement, as do today's intensively farmed animals. In
'animal-loving' Britain, the factory farm is more relentlessly driven
than in the rest of western Europe. The modern dairy cow is a
desperately sad, exploited and biologically dangerous creature. She is
a combined milk and meat machine who drives, and is driven by, modern
agribusiness. The modern artificially inseminated cow has been bred
with an enormous udder that virtually drags on the ground. She is
forced to produce 10,000 litres or more of milk a year, 10 times more
than her calf could drink (but then the calf doesn't get its mother's
milk after it is one or two days old when, if it's not sent to be
killed or to market, it joins the orphan herd). The farmers are paid
handsomely by the EU for filling milk quotas, so there is a stupendous
glut of milk, cheese, fat and beef - all stoked full of saturated fat
- the very food that nomads may have craved, but which we couch
potatoes need just as desperately to avoid.
Some of the healthiest people on earth usually avoid milk - the
Chinese, Japanese and other Pacific Rim people. Some of the sickest
people were those starving people in the 1950s and 1960s who ingested
dried milk the Americans (who have completely lost track of centuries
of natural food hygiene and production) parachuted into famine areas -
the starving now caught, from food-poisoning, dysentery: and many more
people died than need have.
We are just as stupid - we believe that milk can be safely drunk if it
is pasteurised: but pasteurisation cannot kill all bugs.
Pasteurisation lulls us into a sense of false security, like all
scientific quick-fixes. (Information from article by James Erlichman
in The Independent)
Extracts from "The 2nd Big Lie" by Tony Wardle in "Viva!LIFE" of
Spring 1999:
". . . The advertising spend of the meat industry is enormous . . .
the main targets for the Meat and Livestock Commission's propaganda
are children and their mothers. It includes sending 'nutritionally
qualified' speakers into schools . . . These nutritionally qualified
people will obviously tell children the truth about diet - little gems
from bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO)! "Diets
associated with increased in chronic diseases are those rich in sugar,
meat and other animal products, saturated fat and cholesterol . . ." .
"Neither will you find anything from the world's most authoritative
dietary body, the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Certainly not
its conclusion that vegetarians are less at risk from all the
degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disease
and diabetes nor that they live longer than meat eaters . . ."
"Even more difficult to come to terms with than the meat industry's
selective eye is how scientists allow themselves to be used in support
of poorly-researched, anti-vegetarian propaganda. One eminent
nutritionist in particular pops up quite regularly in the media,
wagging a stern cautionary finger at vegetarians and helping to
perpetuate the myth that a vegetarian diet is somehow second rate and
sub standard. He is Professor Tom Sanders BSc, PhD, DSc, Head of the
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Kings College, London
University . . . In a recent article in The Guardian he maintained
that vegetarians are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and face twice
the risk of iron deficiency anaemia . . .
" I dug around and found no research anywhere in the world to support
the inference. . . . blow me down if I didn't find a paper by the Prof
himself: "Western vegans and vegetarians usually have high intakes of
iron . . . these intakes must be adequate because their haemoglobin
levels . . . are normal." A little bit of contradiction, I think,
Prof! Just to prove it wasn't a passing aberration, I found another of
the Prof's papers: "Haemoglobin concentrations are generally normal in
SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) and British vegans and vegetarians."
" . . . In disbelief I moved on to vitamin B12 deficiency. It affects
vegetarians because milk and yoghurt are a poor source, claimed the
Prof . . . Far from being a poor source, milk and yoghurt are listed
as a fair source . . . Again I checked the Prof's previous studies,
particularly one on the medical aspects of vegetarianism . . . "There
are no routine collected statistics . . . so we cannot estimate the
incidence." Too few to count!
"As his final defence, Prof Sanders claimed . . . a meat diet is
better than a vegetarian diet because it contains a wider variety of
foodstuffs. There's someone who strongly disagrees with the Prof:
"British vegans and vegetarians consume a very wide variety of plant
foods. Indeed, their diets tend to contain more variety than that of
the typical non-vegetarian. Consequently the term omnivore to describe
non-vegetarians is a misnomer." Who said it? One Prof T A B Sanders!
"The Prof's public pronouncements have provided the meat industry with
some wonderful ammuntion. It's no accident that the health issues they
push are iron deficiency, B12 and the euphemistic 'teenage health
problems'. Next time the Prof goes on air it would be helpful if he
reminded everyone of some of his other findings: . . ."Studies show
that their growth and development is normal".
". . . Many of the world's great environmental catastrophes, from the
abstraction of water to desertification, deforestation to dying oceans
have a direct causal link with diet based on animal protein. And yet
these diets are still uncritically supported by governments, the Press
and most academic institutions . . ."
An experiment devised by Prof Jim Stevenson from Southampton
University, involved identical twins and provided further evidence of
the effect food additives have on children's behaviour, eg causing
temper tantrums and hyperactivity. The food banned from one twin's
diet included chocolate, artificially coloured sweets, fizzy drinks,
flavoured crisps, canned mushy peas, ice cream and tinned vegetables
and fruits (unless in natural juices), and going without these foods
provided an amazing improvement in his behaviour. (April 2003)
The UK government (or, let's face it - Blair) has backed Cadbury's
grotesque scheme encouraging children to eat vast amounts of chocolate
in return for sports equipment. (May 2003)
Do you recognise the animal as a subject, not an object? Then be
coherent, don't ask: "What shall we eat today?" but "Who shall we eat
today?" (Charlotte Probst)
Derek Moody
Trust join the list of scammers?
http://www.peta.org/feat/greenwash
A clean, safe, and healthy environment is important, and everyone
wants to see it protected. With this goal, many people donate millions
of dollars each year to organizations that say they are working to
protect the environment and wildlife. But how much do we really know
about these organizations and their activities? For example, do their
campaigns demand a ban on toxic chemicals or take the bureaucratic
route and call for more testing? Are they concerned about protecting
animals as well as people, or do they at least ensure that their
activities do not harm animals?
Many generous contributors are shocked to learn that some
"environmental" and "conservation" groups use people’s donations to
support activities that are extremely harmful to animals and
accomplish little or nothing to protect the environment. For example,
some organizations support—and even promote—the poisoning of animals
to test pesticides and other chemicals already known to be toxic. In
fact, several well-known environmental groups are directly responsible
for the creation of what have become the most massive animal-testing
programs in history.
Hiding harmful activities behind the guise of environmentalism and
conservation is called "greenwashing." If you are a member of or
donate money to environmental or conservation groups, you may wish to
consider the information in the following pages to be sure that your
donations are not being used to support greenwashing activities that
harm animals.
History of this Campaign
In March 2001, PETA contacted prominent environmental, consumer, and
public health organizations in the United States and asked for their
positions on the massive animal-testing programs under development by
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).We sent each group a cover
letter and an issue paper explaining the animal protection community’s
concerns about the EPA’s approach to chemical-testing.
For example, despite killing hundreds of thousands of animals in cruel
chemical toxicity tests, the EPA has not banned a single toxic
industrial chemical in more than 10 years using its authority under
the Toxic Substances Control Act. The chemical industry has long
approved of the EPA's near-exclusive reliance on animal tests because
their results are easily manipulated. In addition, required testing
means that a company’s products are safe from regulation for years
while the products are tested and retested on animals. And, after
decades of practice, industry representatives have perfected the art
of arguing both sides of the animal-testing issue.
Here’s how they do it: If a chemical is shown to cause cancer or other
harmful effects in animals, industry representatives claim that the
results aren't applicable to humans. This is happening right now with
the pesticide atrazine and with chemicals called phthalates
(ingredients in plastic products, including children’s toys). In each
of these cases, companies have argued that cancers that develop in
animals exposed to these chemicals would not occur in humans—and the
arguments have worked. Both these chemicals remain on the market and
in widespread use despite the fact that thousands of animals have died
painful deaths during EPA-mandated testing.
At the same time, company officials happily display the results of
EPA-required studies that suggest that their chemicals are not
harmful. In these cases, companies laud the predictability of
animal-testing and claim that their products are safe for humans. This
is exactly what happened with cigarettes for more than 20 years, as
industry scientists claimed that tobacco was safe for humans because
animal tests—many of which involved cutting holes in the throats of
dogs and forcing them to inhale cigarette smoke––did not cause cancer
in animals.
The EPA's addiction to animal testing is so pervasive that even when
evidence from human population studies implicates a chemical, the
results are ignored by the EPA for the sake of conducting more and
more animal studies. For years, population studies have shown that
arsenic in drinking water causes cancer in humans. Yet the EPA dragged
its feet for more than 20 years while thousands of animals were killed
in tests that attempted to reproduce the effects already seen in
humans.
The matter is made worse by the fact that the EPA refuses to subject
animal-based test methods to the same level of scientific
validation—to determine their reliability and relevance to humans—that
all non-animal test methods must meet before they are accepted and
used. The results of nonvalidated animal tests are scientifically
useless as a basis upon which to regulate dangerous chemicals. So, the
EPA’s animal-testing programs do not protect either people or the
environment, despite causing enormous animal suffering. Yet some
environmental groups continue to call for ever-more animal-testing and
defend every animal test, no matter how cruel or irrelevant.
After outlining the futility of relying on nonvalidated animal tests
to regulate dangerous chemicals, PETA asked environmental groups to
sign on to a statement:
• calling on the EPA to increase its funding and use of non-animal
test methods; and
• endorsing the use of only those new test methods—including animal
tests—that have been rigorously assessed by the Interagency
Coordinating Committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods and
found to be scientifically valid.
Based on the responses we received, as well as other published
information, we awarded each environmental group a grade reflecting
how responsible and "animal-friendly" it is.
Who Failed the Class?
It is a sad fact that some organizations claiming to care about the
environment and wildlife not only support, but actively promote the
poisoning of animals in cruel and useless laboratory toxicity tests.
Three environmental organizations in particular—Environmental Defense,
the National Resources Defense Council, and the World Wildlife
Fund—actively lobby for more animal-testing and have caused major
setbacks in the development and acceptance of non-animal test methods.
For example:
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
http://www.peta.org/feat/greenwash/wwf.html
was largely responsible for initiating, and has been one of the chief
architects in designing, the EPA's notorious Endocrine Disruptor
Screening Program (EDSP). The purpose of the EDSP is to screen
thousands of chemicals to detect endocrine (hormone) disrupting
effects, even though scientists have been unable to even define what
an "endocrine disruptor" is or does. However, as a result of lobbying
by the WWF and others, the EDSP has become the largest animal-testing
program of all time, with the potential to kill as many as 100 million
animals.
Report Card > World Wildlife Fund
Grade:
PETA wrote to the World Wildlife Fund because it is responsible for
initiating and designing the EPA’s notorious Endocrine Disruptor
Screening Program (EDSP)—the largest animal-testing program of all
time. According to the EPA’s Web site on this program, as many as
80,000 chemicals will be tested. Scientific estimates of animal usage
are that between 600,000 and 1.2 million animals will be killed to
test each 1,000 chemicals. This enormous program is moving ahead
despite widespread criticism from the scientific and regulatory
communities—and even from some within the environmental community.
Download PETA’s EDSP factsheet for more information.
The World Wildlife Fund has been heavily involved at virtually every
stage of development of the EDSP, including pressuring Congress to
establish the program, lobbying for increased funding, and weighing in
on the test methods used. The World Wildlife Fund was represented on
the EPA's former Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory
Committee (EDSTAV) and Standardization and Validation Task Force
(SVTF) and is currently represented on the Endocrine Disruptor Methods
Validation Subcommittee (EDVMS). The World Wildlife Fund did not
object to the fact that 10 of the 13 tests recommended by EDSTAC were
animal-poisoning studies. In fact, the organization's only objection
was to PETA's request that meetings of the SVTF—which were being held
behind closed doors and often at the office of the World Wildlife Fund
itself—be made open to the public. The World Wildlife Fund also
organized and signed a joint letter to U.S. senators and
representatives in April 2000 reiterating its vehement support for not
only EDSP in general, but animal-testing in particular.
Despite the World Wildlife Fund’s obvious indifference to the
suffering of animals subjected to chemical-poisoning tests, PETA asked
the organization to endorse a statement:
• calling on EPA to increase its funding and use of non-animal test
methods; and
• endorsing the use of only those new test methods that have been
rigorously assessed by the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the
Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and found to be
scientifically valid.
On April 5, 2001, the director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Global
Toxic Chemicals Initiative, Clifton Curtis, responded to PETA’s
letter. He did not endorse PETA’s call for increased federal funding
for the development and validation of non-animal test methods and
reiterated the World Wildlife Fund’s ardent support for using animals
in chemical testing.
Most recently, the World Wildlife Fund's representative on the EPA's
EDVMS stated, in reference to a proposed test that would kill as many
as 3,000 animals each time it was conducted: "I think that what you
want to do is terrific! ... But can't we cut the hearts out and keep
them? Why throw the hearts away? Why throw the pancreases away?" Far
from advocating reduced reliance on animal testing, representatives of
the World Wildlife Fund consistently throw the organization's full
support behind any and all animal tests, regardless of how cruel or
wasteful they are.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What you can do
Please send polite letters urging the World Wildlife Fund to withdraw
its support for animal-testing. Click here for points you can include
in your letter. Send letters to:
Kathryn S. Fuller, President
World Wildlife Fund
1250 24th St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
Fax: 202-861-8378
E-mail: Kathryn Fuller's e-mail address has changed or has been
disconnected. We apologize to those whose letters to WWF have been
returned as undeliverable, and urge you to re-send your letters to Ms.
Fuller's assistant, Lisa....@wwfus.org, and the WWF scientist
chiefly responsible for the EPA's endocrine disruptor screening
program, Theo.C...@wwfus.org.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
http://www.peta.org/feat/greenwash/nrdc.html
has aggressively lobbied the EPA to initiate several large
animal-testing initiatives. Dissatisfied with the rate at which the
EDSP was being developed, the NRDC filed a lawsuit in an attempt to
force the EPA to begin the testing process sooner—without properly
validating the animal tests that would be used—and has fought every
attempt by PETA to ensure that animal tests undergo the same
scientific scrutiny as their non-animal counterparts. The NRDC also
coordinated a joint letter calling on the EPA to require that all
pesticides undergo developmental neurotoxicity testing on animals. The
nonvalidated developmental neurotoxicity test kills between 1,200 and
2,500 animals every time it is performed. In addition, EPA officials
have admitted that they don’t even know how to interpret the results
of this test.
Environmental Defense
http://www.peta.org/feat/greenwash/ed.html
was one of the chief architects, and is largely responsible for
initiating, EPA's notorious high production volume (HPV) chemical
testing program. The HPV program was created to pressure chemical
manufacturers to test (or retest) thousands of chemicals using a
"checklist" approach that relies on numerous crude, painful, and
uninformative animal tests. Environmental Defense opposed the
incorporation of non-animal tests into the program. Even though the
animal protection community has reviewed and commented on every
proposed HPV test plan in an attempt to limit the number of animal
tests performed, Environmental Defense has only commented on a small
handful of HPV test plans. Yet in virtually all cases, Environmental
Defense has called for more animal tests, even on substances well
known to be blinding and corrosive.
Report Card > Friends of the Earth
Grade:
PETA wrote to the Friends of the Earth on March 9th asking for its
position on animal-testing, and the organization has yet to respond to
PETA’s letter or endorse our statement:
• calling on EPA to increase its funding and use of non-animal test
methods; and
• endorsing the use of only those new test methods that have been
rigorously assessed by the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the
Validation of Alternative Methods and found to be scientifically
valid.
PETA wrote to Friends of the Earth to commend the organization for the
progressive stance on animal-testing issues adopted by its European
branch. Unfortunately, not only has Friends of the Earth-U.S. failed
to respond to our letter, PETA has recently learned that FOE has
openly advocated the testing of genetically modified crops on animals.
Comments submitted to the EPA by Friends of the Earth stated that "for
a higher degree of certainty [in the assessment of genetically
modified foods], more extensive analysis is required––for instance,
serum screening and tests with animal models."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What you can do
Please send polite letters urging Friends of the Earth to withdraw its
support for animal-testing and asking that the organization adopt the
same progressive stance as its European branch. Click here for points
you can include in your letter. Send letters to:
Brent Blackwelder, President
Friends of the Earth
1025 Vermont Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
Fax: 202-783-0444
E-Mail: bblack...@foe.org
While some environmental organizations recognize the futility of
trying to manage dangerous chemicals by relying on endless
animal-testing, these organizations insist on throwing more and more
animal tests at every problem.
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll is playing at forgery again.
> C A R NA G E
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing. Pete the troll is forging replies to his own forged posts.
> On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:39:47 +0000, Derek Moody
> <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
>
> >http://www.carn-age.org.uk
>
> C A R NA G E
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Nothing of the sort. Pete the troll is forging replies to his own
forged posts.
> On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:39:47 +0000, Derek Moody
> <thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
>
> >http://www.carn-age.org.uk
> >
>
> C A R NA G E
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
On no I didn't. Pete the troll is performing the old 'forge headers
and copy and paste garbage' trick again.
> C A R NA G E
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
<URL:mailto:thisis...@derekmoody.con> wrote:
Not one of mine. A genuine Pete the troll forgery.
> How long before the CONservation hooligans like the RSPB, Woodland
As Pete never reads what he posts and desires only to provoke argument it is
Derek Moody
Moorland fires 'help cause global warming'
IAN JOHNSTON
THE burning of moorland by shooting estates could contribute to global
warming, ecologists have warned.
Gamekeepers, who are preparing for the start of the grouse season on
Saturday, burn moorland to encourage the growth of heather to feed the
birds. It also provides a better habitat for rare birds and other
wildlife.
However, Dr Adrian Yallop, an ecologist of Cranfield University in
Bedfordshire, said peat moors were important stores of carbon and
burning surface vegetation caused them to dry out, releasing carbon
into the environment.
"In terms of carbon storage, the moors can be thought of as Britain's
rainforests. Where burning occurs, the hydrology changes and the peat
is open to decomposition and erosion," he told New Scientist magazine.
"This strips the moor of carbon as surely as setting fire to the
Amazon rainforest."
It is unclear how much carbon is released. Carbon in the sea can be
absorbed by animals and plants there. But it can also make the water
more acidic, which then eats away at shells and the bones of dead
creatures, thus releasing more carbon.
According to a study of English uplands by Dr Yallop, the amount of
land subject to controlled burning has doubled over the past 30 years.
However, in Scotland, there has been concern that the amount of
burning by gamekeepers is declining, and Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH) encourages the practice when carried out in a responsible way in
order to encourage biodiversity.
Dr Richard Dixon, of the environmental group WWF Scotland, admitted it
was difficult to choose between promoting local diversity and not
contributing to global warming. "If anyone was suggesting SNH should
propose radically increasing the amount of burning, we'd probably
think that's a bad idea. Clearly, a balance needs to be struck," he
said.
"But we should err on the side of keeping carbon in the soil, and
Scotland's peat bogs are really quite important."
Davie Thomson, the vice-chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers
Association, who works on an estate near Inverness, said: "To be
honest, I think it's a lot of piffle. We have been burning heather for
hundreds of years and we have probably more peatland here than
anywhere in Europe. It hasn't damaged the peat bog as far as I can
see. I think it's scaremongering."
Derek Moody
newsgroups of late.
There is obviously something seriously wrong with those who want to
hurt things for fun! Just take a look at the likes of Andy Mabbett,
Malcolm Ogilvie etc, who lost their jobs, career and friends through
it!
Violence Breeds Violence
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_other/ALL/1515//
Research from around the world suggests that people who deliberately
harm animals are more likely to harm people, too. Many infamous
killers, including Mary Bell, Ian Brady and Dunblane murderer Thomas
Hamilton, started out by deliberately hurting animals. But it's not
just high profile killers whose violence can be traced back to
'practise runs' on animals; perpetrators of domestic violence and
other assaults may also have begun by inflicting pain on animals.
Research to date has examined the link between the illegal harming of
animals and people, while the impact that killing animals legally may
have on a person has not been explored. Slaughtermen, butchers and
gamekeepers, for example, routinely make use of equipment that can
kill people. And those who did not possess a propensity for killing
when first entering their profession may have developed this along the
way. At the very least, they are likely to become desensitised to the
suffering of sentient beings. These legally-sanctioned animal killers
harmed people, too.
Gary Galbraith, a butcher from Galashiels, was convicted of slashing
two men in the street with a knife and jailed for 30 months in
February 2007.
Muhammed Arshad, a butcher from Crumpsall, Manchester murdered his
mother-in-law with a meat cleaver and was jailed for 24 years in
December 2004.
John McGrady, a former butcher, was sentenced to life for the murder
and mutilation of a 15-year old girl, in Catford, London in May 2006.
Multiple murderer Fred West worked as a butcher in a slaughterhouse.
Author of The Corpse Garden wrote that 'evidence suggests that
necrophilia and desire to mutilate corpses began during his period as
a butcher'.
Somerset gamekeeper Peter O'Hare shot his wife, her child and then
himself in 2002.
Slaughterman Paul Harry Smith beat up his pregnant girlfriend and was
jailed for 12 months at Burnley Crown Court in November 2001.
Former slaughterman, Paul Weedon, slit the throat of a 91 year-old man
and was sentenced to life in 2003.
Infamous killer, Denis Nilsen, was convicted of ten counts of murder
and two of attempted murder in the US in 1983. He was a trained
butcher.
Australian John Travers sodomised, killed and butchered animals before
raping and murdering a woman in 1986.
One theory about the identity of Jack the Ripper is that he was a
butcher. The knife used to kill the women was expertly used.
Last month, Robert Pickton, a pork butcher was arrested for the murder
of 49 women in Canada. It is alleged that he butchered his victims and
fed them to the pigs.
Animal Aid campaigns peacefully against all animal abuse, and promotes
a cruelty-free lifestyle. You can support our work by joining, making
a donation, or using our online shop.
Contact Animal Aid at The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge,
Kent, TN9 1AW, UK, tel +44 (0)1732 364546, fax +44 (0)1732 366533,
email in...@animalaid.org.uk.
Derek Moody
allow pro hunt extremist, criminal, trolls in these days?
Chris Mead rightly has his own place.
http://www.bou.org.uk/bouhon.html
HONORARY MEMBERS, MEDALS, ALFRED NEWTON LECTURES
Honorary Members
The BOU's Rules allow for the appointment of up to 20 Honorary Members
for their distinguishes contribution to ornithology. The current
Honorary Members are:
Dr F. Bernis (Spain)
Dr P. Berthold (Germany)
Dr J. Blondel (France)
Prof V.E. Flint (Russia)
Dr E. Mayr (USA)
Dr A. Schifferli (Switzerland)
Dr S. Somadikarta (Indonesia)
Prof S. Ulfstrand (Sweden )
Dr U. Glutz von Blotzheim (Switzerland)
Dr J. Warham (New Zealand)
Founders Gold Medal
Presented to the four original Members surviving at the Jubilee
Celebration, 9 December 1908
F. D. Godman
P. S. Godman
W. H. Hudleston
P. L. Sclater
The Godman-Salvin Medallists
The Godman-Salvin Medal is awarded by BOU Council to an individual as
a signal honour for distinguished ornithological work.
1922 — W. E. Clarke
1929 — E. Hartert
1930 — W. L. Sclater
1936 — H. Lynes
1938 — H. F. Witherby
1946 — P. R. Lowe
1951 — R. Meinertzhagen
1959 — D. L. Lack, Sir A. Landsborough Thomson
1962 — E. M. Nicholson
1966 — R. E. Moreau
1968 — W. H. Thorpe
1969 — N. Tinbergen
1971 — Sir Julian S. Huxley
1977 — V.C. Wynne-Edwards
1982 — D.W. Snow
1988 — C.M. Perrins
1990 — G.M. Dunnet
1991 — D.A. Ratcliffe
1992 — J.C. Coulson
1995 — E. Mayr
1996 — P.R. Evans
1999 — G.R. Potts
2004 — J.P. Croxall
The Union Medallists
The Union Medal is awarded by BOU Council to a Union Member in
recognition of eminent services to ornithology and to the Union.
1912 — W. Goodfellow, C. H. B. Grant,
1948 — W. P. Lowe
1953 — A. W. Boyd
1959 — W. B. Alexander, E. A. Armstrong, D. A. Bannerman, Miss E. V.
Baxter, P. M Scott
1960 — C. W. Benson
1967 — Salim Ali
1968 — J. M. M. Fisher, C. R. S. Pitman
1969 — C. W. Mackworth_Praed
1970 — L. H. Brown
1971 — S. Marchant, H. N. Southern, B. Stonehouse
1972 — D. Goodwin, N. W. Moore
1973 — Mrs B. P. Hall
1975 — K. H. Voous
1976 — K. Williamson, G. C. Shortridge, A. F. R. Wollaston
1979 — K. E. L. Simmons
1980 — G. V. T. Matthews
1984 — S. Cramp, P. A. D. Hollom, G. Mountfort
1987 — I. Newton
1988 — J. F. Monk
1989 — R. Spencer
1991 — F. B. M. Campbell
1992 — M. P. Harris
1993 — R. M. Lockley
1995 — R. Tory Peterson
1996 — C. J. Mead
1997 — R. A. F. Gillmor, J. S. Ash
1998 — J. Kear
2004 — G. Bonham
Alfred Newton Lecture
The object of the Alfred Newton Lecture should be the presentation of
a major lecture by an internationally renowned figure on an
appropriate ornithological theme. The lecture should come from a
world-wide pool; the lecture should be given annually at one or other
of the BOU's main meetings and should be linked with the conference
theme wherever possible, and would normally be published in Ibis.
1994 Prof Ian Newton
1995 Prof Janet Kear
1998 Prof Jared Diamond
2003 Prof Christopher Perrins
BOU Ibis Award
An award recognising the outstanding achievement of younger
ornithologists.
2003 W. Cresswell
Back to top
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford
OX1 3PS
Tel & Fax 01 865 281 842
Email bou @ bou.org.uk (remove spaces)
Derek Moody
The board of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has decided to suspend
its cull of hedgehogs in the Western Isles.
The organisation is to have the animals gathered and transported from
the Uists to the mainland.
The cull was started to protect the eggs of rare wading birds. The
agency had previously said hedgehogs would not survive relocation.
However, animal welfare campaigners began their own programme of
trapping and transporting the hedgehogs.
SNH says it will continue to catch the hedgehogs and then hand them
over to a welfare organisation.
We sincerely hope that lessons will be learned from this experience
and that conservation organisations will incorporate a respect for
animals and their welfare into future policies
UHR spokesman Ross Minett
Until now 690 hedgehogs have been culled.
SNH's decision to suspend the scheme was welcomed by the Uist Hedgehog
Rescue coalition.
Spokesman, Ross Minett, said: "We have offered SNH the benefit of our
expertise and experience of translocating hedgehogs from the Uists.
"We sincerely hope that lessons will be learned from this experience
and that conservation organisations will incorporate a respect for
animals and their welfare into future policies."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6378245.stm
Published: 2007/02/20 15:22:35 GMT
Derek Moody
Campaign wins reprieve for Uist hedgehogs
By Paul Kelbie Scotland Correspondent
Published: 20 February 2007
A five-year battle between conservationists and animal welfare
campaigners over the fate of hedgehogs in the Western Isles of
Scotland is expected to come to an end today.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on culling the
animals, which have devastated the populations of ground-nesting birds
in the islands by eating their eggs.
However, just weeks before a fresh round of culls was due to begin in
the spring, evidence has emerged that transporting the animals to the
mainland rather than killing them may not be as harmful as first
feared.
Hedgehogs are not native to the islands. They were introduced in the
1970s by a gardener who wanted to control slugs but, without any
natural predators, the population exploded to more than 5,000 as the
hedgehogs spread throughout South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist
unchecked.
Feasting on the eggs of rare wading birds and other ground-nesting
species that use the Western Isles as a breeding ground, the hedgehogs
thrived, prompting Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to order a cull.
It was feared that relocating the animals to the mainland would be so
stressful for them that they would die, so experts decided on a humane
cull to solve the problem. The Uist Wader project was launched in
2002.
However, their decision upset animal welfare campaigners. A coalition
of campaigners, Uist Hedgehog Rescue (UHR), was set up to snatch the
hedgehogs from under the noses of exterminators and transport them to
the mainland.
Now it appears a truce is about to be reached after new research by
the British Hedgehog Preservation Society has found that the island
hedgehogs will survive if relocated.
The study, which was undertaken by ecologist Hugh Warwick and
published last month in the scientific journal Lutra, showed that 80
per cent of animals relocated to the mainland survived when deaths
unrelated to relocation were discounted.
Another study published last year, conducted by Professor Stephen
Harris from Bristol University, also said hedgehogs could be relocated
successfully.
As a result the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals has withdrawn its support for the culling of hedgehogs in the
Uists, prompting the other organisations behind the project, SNH, RSPB
Scotland and the Scottish Executive, to consider a complete halt when
the SNH board meets today in Inverness.
"We welcome the Scottish SPCA's change of policy," Ross Minett, the
director of Advocates for Animals and a leading voice in UHR, said.
"We are hopeful that SNH's board will ... agree to end the cull in
favour of translocation.
"We believe that scientific research and decades of practical
experience have shown that translocation is the humane and ethical
solution to this problem. We have already relocated hundreds of
hedgehogs from the islands to the mainland."
Susan Davies, the SNH director of strategy and operations north, said
yesterday: "We thank the Scottish SPCA for advising us of their change
in view on the animal welfare implications of the translocation of
hedgehogs. We would like to discuss this further with them. We will be
taking a paper to our board for a decision on how we go forward with
the Uist Wader project."
Derek Moody
20/02/2007
http://www.snh.org.uk/press/detail.asp?id=1639
The Board of Scottish Natural Heritage today (Tuesday 20 February)
approved a trial translocation of hedgehogs from the Western Isles to
the mainland.
The move followed consideration of new advice received from the
Scottish SPCA that a trial translocation should be conducted rather
than a cull.
SNH has consistently taken advice from the Scottish SPCA on animal
welfare issues and the Board stated that a trial translocation should
be subject to an agreed protocol. This would require to address issues
such as numbers of animals released and monitoring of their progress
and survival.
Susan Davies, SNH's Director of Strategy and Operations North said:
"The Board has carefully considered the options presented to them and
agreed that SNH must continue to direct its effort at removing
hedgehogs from the Western Isles to protect the internationally
important breeding waders there.
"Throughout the history of the project SNH has always given due regard
to high animal welfare standards and has sought the advice of the
Scottish SPCA in this respect. The Board have therefore taken into
consideration Scottish SPCA's new advice on animal welfare issues and
agreed that a carefully monitored trial translocation is the best way
to proceed in 2007.
"Details on the protocol that will be followed will need to be
discussed further and agreed with the Scottish SPCA.
"SNH will also investigate funding a structured post release
monitoring programme. Research from Bristol University has shown that
survival rates during translocation can be increased if the animals
are stabilised in a controlled environment in an effort to reduce
their stress levels and to ensure that they reach a certain body
weight before release.
"This information is a significant step forward in rehabilitation
practices and in understanding the issues which need to be addressed
during a trial translocation.
"The trial will last for a year and so it could be next year before we
have further information on the effectiveness of translocation".
Derek Moody
James Randerson, science correspondent
Tuesday February 20, 2007
The Guardian
Scientists have called for subsidies paid out to a handful of national
deep sea fishing fleets to be stopped immediately to prevent permanent
ecological damage and the extinction of some of the longest living
creatures on the planet.
Without the $152m (£78m) of subsidies paid out annually, deep-sea
fisheries would operate at a loss of $50m. But the technologically
advanced fleets are moving from place to place, fishing areas to
extinction before moving on. The researchers said deep-sea species are
particularly vulnerable because they reproduce slowly and so are not
able to recover.
Elliott Norse, of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in
Bellevue, Washington, said: "Industrial fisheries are now going
thousands of miles, thousands of feet deep and catching things that
live hundreds of years in the process - in the least protected place
on earth."
Daniel Pauly, at the University of British Columbia's Fisheries
Centre, said: "There is surely a better way for governments to spend
money than by paying subsidies to a fleet that burns 1.1bn litres of
fuel annually to maintain paltry catches of old growth fish from
highly vulnerable stocks."
Most of the subsidies paid to the fleets buy cheap fuel, but
governments also offer help with building boats, buying back old boats
and tax breaks. Japan is the worst culprit, handing out nearly $35m to
deep sea fishermen annually, followed by Russia, South Korea, the
Faroe Islands, Spain, Australia and Ukraine.
Fishermen use powerful ships to drag nets hundreds of metres below the
surface. They employ GPS and shoal-finding radar to find the best
places to trawl and by "flash-freezing" the catch they can stay out at
sea for weeks.
Deep-sea ecosystems are vulnerable because in the colder, darker
waters they are much less productive than shallower seas.
"We actually know very little about these species," said Selina
Heppell, a fisheries biologist at Oregon State University. "The
adaptation to living in a place like this is to slow down. They slow
way down."
Biologists are concerned about orange roughy, grenadier, deep-sea
rockfish, oreo and Patagonian toothfish among others. The orange
roughy is so slow growing that it is not sexually mature until 34
years old. It can live to 150.
Trawling also destroys ancient habitats such as deep-sea cold water
coral reefs. The coral Lophelia can live for 2,000 years. "But they
can be removed from the deep sea in one trawl sweep," said Murray
Roberts at the Scottish Association for Marine Science.