Animal rights organization Animal Outlook released the audio. It was part of an investigation into a number of chicken farms owned by Tyson, as well as its competitors. 

As reported by Vox, the undercover investigator recorded a conversation with a farm manager and a “broiler technician advisor” at Tyson. The latter individual worked with a number of chicken farms in Jetersville, Virginia. The farm where the recording was made was not free-range, and the discussion did not focus on one farm in particular.

The myth of free-range

The technician is said to have acknowledged that the “free-range” chicken label is more or less meaningless. At the start of the conversation in question, the farm manager speculated how a Tyson competitor handles “free-range” chickens. To this, the technician replied: “Those birds don’t go outside — you know that. They don’t all go out … Look that up online.”

The farm manager then said: “It’s not like they make it like all of ’em come out and enjoy the sun. That is strictly for commercial [advertising] purposes. They pick the prettiest birds [for commercials] and they toss ’em out in the grass.”

To this, the technician points out that “breeder birds” (those used primarily for breeding, rather than meat) are often used for advertising as they look healthier. 

Speaking to Vox about the findings, the investigator said: “Usually people in [the technician’s] type of position are very guarded about what they say… For her to be so blatant and upfront about this — I was really shocked.”

What does free-range actually mean?

This investigation is just the latest bit of evidence that suggests “free-range” is little more than a marketing tactic.

Many people believe that free-range chickens are raised outdoors. Commercials and advertising campaigns often put across the image that birds spend their lives on green pastures with plenty of space.

The reality, however, often looks very different. To qualify as free-range, under USDA guidelines, producers must attest that birds have some access to the outdoors for most of their lives. In practice, this may mean that chickens are kept in cramped barns with tens of thousands of other birds for most of their lives. The outdoor “access” may be a small door that many may never be able to reach, due to injury, lack of space, or strict pecking orders in the flock. 

There are some farms that raise birds outdoors either all or some of the time, but huge broiler farms are also able to use the free-range label if they offer potential outdoor access.

The post Undercover Audio From Tyson Employee Exposes ‘Free-Range’ Chicken appeared first on Plant Based News.

At 8pm last night (Wednesday, May 24), three women entered the grounds of Appleton Farm and took three lambs. They named them Sammy, Sunny, and Sooty, and they have all been taken to safety. According to the group, the lambs were due to be slaughtered soon. 

The women have since handed themselves into police at Windsor. They held placards reading slogans like “I rescued the King’s Sheep” and “This is how we love animals.”

Animal Rising said this is the first of a number of “open rescues” the team will carry out this summer. 

‘It doesn’t have to be this way’

Animal Rising has since confirmed that the activists made “every attempt” to rescue the mother sheep along with her babies, but that it wasn’t possible.

“​​We take solace in knowing that we have done our best by these babies,” the group said. “Saving them from slaughter and helping them to a long life of freedom.”

“Saving lives is morally the correct thing to do,” Rose Patterson, 33, one of the rescuers, told Plant Based News. “We are all taught that preventing harm is a good thing to do and that is exactly what we did yesterday at Sandringham.

“At barely months old – just babies – lambs are killed for food; it doesn’t have to be this way. We can live in a world where the freedom of all animals is valued, they’re not used for food, and we have a safe and secure food system.”

Animal Rising have also called on the royal family to commit to the transition of a plant-based food system. The group pointed out that they own an area of land larger than Greater London, and that it would be an “incredible statement” to commit to a rewilding program.

“Mending our connection to animals is vital in tackling the climate and nature crises,” Foy said. 

Sheep farming in the UK

Farming sheep is big business in the UK. Around four million hectares are used for this purpose, which is an area twice the size of Wales. Despite this, they provide only a tiny fraction of the calories consumed, around 1.2 percent. Many activists, including those from Animal Rising, are calling on the government to rewild the land used for grazing animals to help us fight the climate crisis. 

Lambs are generally killed when they are around seven-months-old, though they are sometimes just six weeks. At the slaughterhouse, they are shackled upside down and stunned before having their throats cut.

“Three lambs have been given a second chance at life, a life free from the harms of our food system,” Animal Rising wrote on Instagram. “Through their actions, [the Animal Rising rescuers] not only saved these innocent babies but they also continue the crucial conversation on our broken relationship with animals.”

The post 3 Lambs Destined For Slaughter Rescued From King Charles’ Land appeared first on Plant Based News.

Zero grazing denotes intensive “livestock” farms that keep animals locked inside at all times. The factory farm-style facilities tend to be huge, and house cows in “barren cubicle-style sheds.”

Animal rights organization Viva! was handed what it described as “damning” evidence into the growing industry. It claims that such farms are supplying the UK’s biggest dairy companies, including Arla and Müller.

Investigators visited three of England’s largest dairy farms, as well as one calf-rearing facility, between 2021 and 2022. These were Newburgh Dairy in Dorset, Pawton Manor in Cornwall, and Lea Manor and Grange Farm in Cheshire.

The problems with zero grazing

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that zero-grazing systems leave cows at increased risk of “hoof problems, teat tramp, mastitis, metritis, dystocia, ketosis, retained placenta, and some bacterial infections.” This means that dairy cows, who are already at risk in traditional grazing farms, are more likely to suffer in indoor systems. 

Calves in the dairy industry are generally taken from their mothers soon after birth and put into isolated pens. Investigators filmed around 500 of these hutches at Pawton Manor. Calves were also fed milk replacer with a robotic machine, and some were also left without water overnight.

“For the first time ever, the British dairy industry’s secret shift towards zero grazing is out in the open,” Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of Viva!, told Plant Based News (PBN).

“Viva!’s latest exposé uncovers the harsh conditions on zero-grazing dairy farms supplying giants like Müller and Arla, where dairy mothers will never roam freely in nature as they evolved to do; instead, they are bored out of their minds and waste away inside the four walls of their iron prison.”

The rise of zero grazing

Unlike pigs and chickens, cows aren’t traditionally associated with factory farming. In the UK, they have sometimes been allowed onto pasture for parts of their lives. As such, many of the public have a romanticized vision of dairy.

According to Viva!, zero-grazing systems now account for around 20 percent of the UK dairy industry. Its growth in popularity has been attributed to milk producers prioritizing profit over welfare. 

While zero grazing isn’t yet the norm in the UK, it’s arguable that it could follow in the footsteps of other countries in making it so. In the US, around 80 percent of cows are kept in such systems. In Denmark, Germany, and Austria, it’s 50 percent. Meanwhile, in Hungary, it’s at least 95 percent. 

“The UK is sadly following the US and Europe in allowing this silent takeover of total captivity,” Gellatley told PBN. “The chilling truth of the dairy industry is that cows have always been sacrificed at the altar of profit, and never more so than today.”

The post New Investigation Warns Of Factory Farming’s ‘Silent Takeover’ In UK Dairy appeared first on Plant Based News.

The Humane League and law firm Advocates For Animals are taking the government to court over the modern broilers (those raised for meat), who have been selectively bred to grow around 400 percent faster than they naturally would. Campaigners say that breeding chickens in this way goes against animal welfare laws. 

Packham, who was at court for a separate case, joined poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah and TV personality Lucy Watson in holding banners outside the court. They chanted “justice for chickens” as they urged the government to end the use of these “Frankenchickens.”

Opening the case for the Humane League, Edward Brown KC said: “These breeding practices have increased meat yield, and allowed producers to significantly reduce cost, at the expense of substantial welfare detriment.”

He went on to highlight welfare issues, including musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disorders such as leg weakness, ascite (buildup of fluid in the abdomen), breast muscle diseases, as well as higher mortality rates.

He said that these were all “exacerbated as a result of the high-density intensive conditions in which the animals are kept.”

Are Frankenchickens illegal?

Campaigners claim that the use of Frankenchickens in farming is illegal. Despite this, they make up around 90 percent of the more than one billion chickens killed for food each year in the UK. 

The Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2007 (WOFAR) states: “Animals may only be kept for farming purposes if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of their genotype or phenotype, that they can be kept without any detrimental effect on their health or welfare.”

According to Brown, Frankenchickens go against this guideline. He cited an RSPCA report, which stated: “fast-growing breeds cannot be kept without detrimental effects to their health and welfare.”

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the defendant in the case. It argues that it has no policy which condones or permits the use of Frankenchickens.

What’s the alternative?

Many campaigners argue that we shouldn’t farm chickens at all, but there are also alternatives to Frankenchickens that some say are a more ethical alternative. In the Netherlands, for example, it’s thought that 100 percent of broiler chickens are a slower growing breed. 

The hearing judgment will be released at a later date, and The Humane Society is hoping it will lead mark the beginning of the end for fast-growing chickens. 

“The future of billions of animals hangs in the balance. I hope that fast-growing Frankenchickens, who are born and die in grim factories across the country, get the help they desperately deserve,” Sean Gifford, Managing Director of The Humane League UK, said in a statement.

“Fast growing chickens are trapped in their own bodies and are victimized by constant pain and illness. We want a future where animals are treated with compassion and respect. That is a future where Frankenchickens no longer exist.”

The post ‘Justice For Chickens’: Chris Packham Joins Protest Against UK ‘Frankenchickens’ appeared first on Plant Based News.

The animal activist claims it was filmed in Pilgrim’s Pride abattoir in north west England in February 2021. It shows pigs being herded into metal gondolas in groups of five or six. They are then lowered into a chamber and subjected to a high concentration of carbon dioxide gas. Pigs are seen shrieking, gasping, and writhing in apparent pain and distress. 

CO2 gas stuns pigs before slaughter. Around 88 percent of pigs in the UK are killed with this method, which is widely believed to be inhumane and cruel. The gas is highly aversive, and forms an acid on wet surfaces it touches, including eyes, lungs, and throats. It supposedly takes around 60 seconds to render them unconscious, but Carbstrong’s footage showed a pig kicking after more than three minutes.

“Being asphyxiated to death with CO2 is one of the worst ways to die imaginable,” Rory Cockshaw, campaigner at Viva!, told Plant Based News (PBN). “That feeling of burning from the inside out, lungs rasping for air that isn’t there, is appalling to even consider.

“But this is how an overwhelming majority of pigs in the UK die – suffocated to death in a dark, grimy pit filled with a heavy gas that suffocates them to death over the course of multiple minutes.”

The ‘humane’ myth

Despite this, the farming industry often portrays CO2 gassing as a “humane” option. The chairman of the National Pig Association (NPA) reiterated this claim to the Guardian after Carbstrong released the footage.

In response to this, Carbstrong told PBN: “The industry’s motivation for Gassing has everything to do with the fact they can kill as many pigs as possible, for a lower cost. CO2 has been proven in study after study to be fear-inducing, painful and distressing. The NPA of course will downplay the horrors of CO2, but now the footage can speak for itself.”

Experts have long put forward sasses including argon and helium as non-aversive and more “humane” alternatives, but these are more expensive. It’s arguable that the industry has no incentive to change. A 2020 study found that 78 percent of the public aren’t aware of carbon dioxide gassing, meaning it has so far been able to use the method in secret. “Most of the general public have no idea pigs are gassed, and they certainly don’t know how horrific it is,” said Carbstrong.

‘Stop using animals as resources’

Many are campaigning for more “humane” alternatives in pig slaughter, but activists like Carbstrong argue that they shouldn’t be farmed and killed at all. 

“The government needs to stop legally allowing the use of animals as resources,” he told PBN. “They need to urgently enact legislation that grants non-human animals fundamental rights. The welfare movement has failed to protect animals, the animal rights movement needs to step in. The only thing that will truly protect animals, is the right not to be considered property by those seeking to profit off of their slaughter.”

Carbstrong’s footage was filmed for the upcoming feature film Pignorant, which is set to be released in the coming months. Find out more here. 

The post Joey Carbstrong Releases First Ever UK Footage Of ‘Horrific’ CO2 Pig Gassing appeared first on Plant Based News.

It’s not that I wasn’t worried about the outcome of a trial, especially with the possibility of a sentence that could separate me from my dog. And it wasn’t that I wanted my time in court. It’s that I wanted the two chickens rescued by my friend and me – and the hundreds of thousands we couldn’t rescue that day – to have their time in court. 

The rescue

Our rescue of these two individuals took place in September 2021 during a peaceful protest that was part of the Animal Liberation Conference. The chicken I carried to safety, later named Ethan, was in a crowded cage on a truck just outside a Foster Farms slaughterhouse in Livingston, California. Not only was he minutes away from the terror of being flipped upside down and hung in shackles by his feet, but when I opened the cage door and saw him – unmoving, his head low and legs splayed – he was slowly dying. I know a lot about chickens, because my family has a small sanctuary for rescued animals, but you wouldn’t have to know much to see that Ethan was gravely ill. 

My friend Alexandra also rescued a sick chicken, later named Jax, that day. How did we know we’d find debilitated chickens on the truck? Well, as the driver of this very truck testified at our trial, dying and dead chickens arrive at the slaughterhouse every day. Even though Foster Farms’ business is to breed and sell chickens, the monetary value of a single chicken is so low that dead chickens (who are not supposed to be used for human consumption) are built into the business plan.

At our trial, the maximum value the company was able to place on Jax and Ethan was $16. So when Alexandra and I opened that cage, it took us only a few seconds to see that Jax and Ethan needed our help – immediately.

The cruelty of chicken slaughter

We also knew that the fate awaiting Jax and Ethan wasn’t a quick, painless death – despite Foster Farms’ marketing claims that its chickens “enjoy” freedom from injury, fear, and distress. Footage from a hidden camera, part of an investigation by the global animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere, had just exposed dangerous conditions for both workers and animals in this particular slaughterhouse: Working in darkness, with the assembly-line shackles moving at high speed, workers in the video rush to shackle more than 140 birds each minute.

Under this pressure, they inevitably handle the terrified chickens roughly. Sometimes a chicken briefly escapes human hands and can be seen frantically trying to find a way out. Many chickens judged unfit for slaughter are thrown to the ground or buried under the bodies of other “condemned” chickens.

What’s more, once upside-down in the shackles, chickens often struggle wildly to right themselves and thereby avoid the electrified water that’s meant to stun them as well as the blade that’s supposed to kill them. When this happens, a worker has to cut the fully conscious bird’s neck with a knife. Some chickens are still alive when they reach the scalding tank (meant to ready their skin for defeathering) and are then boiled and drowned. 

The importance of rescue

My focus that day was on Ethan – getting him to a veterinarian for treatment, making him feel safe. But when I learned I was being charged with theft for rescuing him, my focus broadened. Of course I wanted the public to hear Ethan’s story – despite expert veterinary care, he was too ill to recover and passed away – and the story of Jax, who not only got well but is now thriving at a sanctuary where he is loved and respected as the individual he is.

But I also wanted the public to know about all the animals who never get named, whose stories are never told. I figured a jury trial was an opportunity to show what really happens in the places where these animals live and die – how sick and diseased they typically are, the extreme cruelty of everyday husbandry and slaughter practices, the hazardous work of slaughterhouse employees (at high risk of everything from sliced-off fingers to COVID infections to mental health problems). 

The trial

And to my amazement, that’s what happened. A few of the facts revealed during our trial, which took place over nine days in March 2023: 

• Jax and Ethan were infected with a contagious disease that could pose a risk to humans as well as other chickens. 
• Foster Farms routinely transports morbidly ill chickens from farm to slaughterhouse.
• Foster Farms allows diseased birds to be processed for pet food.      

To my even greater amazement – our legal team put our chances of acquittal at 20 percent, at best – the jury found Alexandra and me “not guilty.” 

In post-trial interviews with three of the jurors, they said their decision was based on the openness with which Alexandra and I carried out this rescue, how clearly we knew that we were doing the right thing. 

The truth is that people – people like the members of our jury – don’t want animals to suffer. Knowing this too, a company like Foster Farms goes to great trouble and expense to hide the truth about its operations and to create bucolic images that have nothing to do with how their chickens actually live and die. 

Compassion isn’t a crime

Another truth is that compassion isn’t a crime. Even people who live in areas of the country with intensive animal farming agree: Last October, a jury in St. George, Utah, acquitted two friends of mine – also members of DxE – of felony charges for rescuing two sickly piglets from a massive “pork” operation. Clearly people support the right to rescue. Not only dogs trapped in hot cars, but any suffering animal.  

Increasingly, the “right to rescue” is being discussed globally and the collective work to establish animal rights is being recognized as a legitimate social justice movement. In June, activists from around the world will be gathering in Berkeley for the annual Animal Liberation Conference, featuring distinguished speakers, educational workshops, and opportunities to take bold mass action.

Jax and Ethan’s day in court shows the need for gatherings like this, in which humans come together to change the systems that commodify and abuse animals. For that, I am proud and grateful.   

The post Why I Risked A Jail Sentence To Tell The Story Of Two Desperately Sick Chickens  appeared first on Plant Based News.

Now, those found guilty of “aggravated trespass” can face up to two years in prison (formerly one year). And, a fine of AUS $24,000. If a judge negates a custodial sentence, they are legally required to impose a fine and a community service term.

The law has reportedly been implemented to protect the agricultural sector. It is now in full operation, alongside a revised Animal Welfare Act. The latter gives recognized officials more power to enter and monitor animal food source production facilities.

Australian officials are adamant that stricter trespass laws, coupled with welfare transparency, will quash activists’ needs to uncover animal cruelty.

“By enhancing the existing animal welfare inspection regime, animal advocates will no longer be able to use lack of transparency in abattoirs and other intensive production facilities as a reason for their illegal actions,” Attorney General John Quigley said in a statement. “And they will face far greater consequences should they break the law.”

Animal advocates call out farm trespass law

However, anti-animal cruelty organizations are concerned that the new legal protections will allow animal abuse to fly under the radar.

Rebecca Linigen is the national director of activist organization Four Paws Australia. Speaking to Plant Based News, Linigen said: “Legislation like this, commonly referred to as ‘ag-gag legislation’, claims to benefit animal welfare but this is a smokescreen commonly used.

“The reality is it is intended to stifle transparency and the public’s access to accurate information about just how animals get from farms to our supermarket shelves.”

Linigen added that animal welfare is considered a top priority by Australian citizens. Unfortunately, research indicates that they do not have confidence in existing standards. Linigen explained that penalizing those who uncover animal abuse within the food system will do little to inspire public trust. 

Four Paws suggests that in place of anti-activist legislation, contemporary accountability measures should be put in place. It calls for mandatory CCTV in all commercial animal enterprises (such as farms and slaughterhouses). And, enhanced funding for animal protection enforcement. 

A ‘smokescreen’

Similarly, Australia’s Animal Justice Party also regards the new legislation as a smokescreen. The party notes that the introduction of unauthorized people into a food production setting is commonly used as a biosecurity-related argument against activism. This, despite the inherently unhealthy conditions facing animals in factory farming locations.

“Factory farms are, in and of themselves, biosecurity risks. Their very existence – animals crammed together, the overuse of antibiotics, the filth and disease, trucks entering and leaving farms regularly – should be the concern, especially in light of zoonotic pandemics,” Michael Anagno of the Animal Justice Party told PBN. “Yet the legislation appears to be more worried about the supposed biosecurity risk that a very small number of animal activists may cause by setting foot on an animal agriculture property.”

Anagno concluded that his party is very interested to know how the government will address the biosecurity threat of intensive animal farming as a whole.

The post Australia’s New Farm Trespass Law A ‘Smokescreen’ To Criminalize Animal Activists  appeared first on Plant Based News.

Andrea Papi, 26, was found dead on a wild bear-populated trail earlier this month displaying claw and bite marks. Following his death, a female bear – called Jj4 – was captured and relocated to a wildlife park while authorities debate whether she should be killed.

Governor Maurizio Fugatti is adamantly calling for the “culling” of Jj4, also known as Gaia. Having issued a death order, his decision was suspended by the Regional Administrative Tribunal while the case is looked at more closely. Behind the suspension is a coalition of activist groups–including the International Organisation of Animal Protection–which submitted an appeal. They have vowed to protect Gaia, and the cubs she has birthed, “via all available legal means.” 

A petition was also launched and already has the support of more than 300,000 people. They include veterinarians who are reportedly threatening to refuse a kill order while demonstrations continue outside the governor’s office. 

Also stating that they do not want to see the bear destroyed are Papi’s parents. His mother told reporters that local residents were not aware that bears in the area were “problematic.”

Waiting for Gaia’s official judgement

Gaia was identified as Papi’s attacker due to DNA left on a stick that Papi used to defend himself. It comes after she was found to have non-fatally mauled a father and son in the same area last year. This evidence is being used to present her as a persistent threat.

“If the court proves us to be right, the bear will be put down,” Fugatti said in a statement. “It is the news we would have liked to have given in 2020 following the attack against a father and son. There is bitterness about what has happened this time.”

The court’s final decision is expected on May 11. In the meantime, Fugatti is also considering the deaths of two more bears who are thought to have attacked humans. This comes alongside a plan to relocate 60 “excess” bears from Trentino after a program to repopulate the species was more successful than anticipated.

Bears in Trentino

The EU-funded Life Ursus project saw 10 bears moved from Slovenia to Trento in an attempt to rewild the area. The initiative was deemed essential for the integrity of the local ecosystem, as bears lived there prior to increased urbanization.

However, the bears’ numbers have naturally increased to around 100, causing local officials to now declare them a threat. Citizens are reportedly divided about their growing numbers with many loving the animals and wanting to help protect them, while others deem them a nuisance and a concern.

The post Calls For Italian Officials To Spare Life Of Mother Bear Who Killed Jogger appeared first on Plant Based News.

Animal rights group PETA is behind the ad, which is currently on show in Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire. It shows a smiling fishmonger holding up a dead fish, which then turns into a cat. The words “Sea things in a different light. Respect all life. Go vegan” are shown underneath. 

Cleethorpes is at the center of the UK’s fish processing industry, and the ad is displayed just outside a fish and chip shop. According to the BBC, one passerby described it as a “bit sick,” adding: “It’s a cat. You don’t eat a cat.”

The hypocrisy of animal consumption

While people may be shocked by the comparison, the ad stems from the belief of many in the vegan community that there is no difference between the animals we eat and our “pets.”

Humans in the UK are often repulsed by the idea of eating companion animals like cats and dogs, but find nothing wrong with eating cows, pigs, chickens, and fish. 

Many people would argue that preference for some animals over the other can be attributed to our culture and society, rather than any scientific basis. There is no reason to believe that any of these animals have less of a capacity to feel emotions  than cats and dogs, and it’s this message that PETA is attempting to drive home with its advert. 

“Fish are animals with feelings who can experience pain just as much as our animal companions can, yet fishers haul them out of the ocean, causing them to suffocate, and gut them while they’re still conscious,” said PETA Vice President of Programmes, Elisa Allen. “Everyone deserves protection from abuse, and PETA is reminding Grimbarians that sea animals all have a will to live and don’t want to die for human dinners.”

Can fish feel pain?

Historically, humans have tended to view fish as unconscious and unintelligent animals. This is likely due to the fact that they look and behave differently to us. 

A great deal of scientific research has indicated, however, that fish do have the capacity to feel pain. 

In her book Do Fish Feel Pain?, biologist Victoria Braithwaite wrote that “there is as much evidence that fish feel pain and suffer as there is for birds and mammals.”

Fish, like us, have nervous systems. These release endorphins that relieve suffering. Experts have claimed this is further evidence they are able to experience pain. 

The post Is Eating Fish The Same As Eating Cats? New Billboard Campaign Sparks Debate appeared first on Plant Based News.

Devised by the North Canterbury Hunting Competition (NCHC), the new under-14s cat-killing contest was poised to pay out around $155. This, to the minor who shot the most feral cats by the end of June 2023. The winner would have been declared after a tally of bodies was completed.

However, the contest stated that any cats fitted with a microchip (therefore likely a domestic companion) would be disqualified from the count.

Previously, children had participated in similar events, killing deer, wild pigs, and hares.

North Canterbury Hunting Competition announces the cancellation

NCHC removed the contest from its roster of planned events, citing its disappointment in a Facebook statement.

“The decision has been made to withdraw this category for this year to avoid further backlash at this time,” the announcement read. “We are disappointed and apologize for those who were excited to be involved in something that is about protecting native birds, and other vulnerable species.”

The organizers went on to reiterate that had the event proceeded, all participants would have needed to follow firearm and animal welfare laws.

Animal activists are said to have sent “vile and inappropriate messages and emails” to NCHC regarding the new hunting category. As a result, the event’s organizers cited safety concerns for participants as a contributing factor to removing the shooting tournament.

Are feral cats a threat to native species?

Current estimations put the feral cat population in the millions, vastly more than that of domestic cats. Classified as pests and a threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity, they kill up to 1.1 million native birds each year and more non-native species. 

However, welfare organizations within the country responded to the proposed children’s cat hunt stating that there are more humane ways to control the population.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New Zealand acknowledged that feral cat culling is sometimes necessary. However, it said that a “coordinated response” is preferable.

“Instead of organized killing events, humane education can better prepare young people to appreciate and protect the biological heritage of New Zealand,” Christine Sumner, a science officer at SPCA New Zealand said in a statement.

Likewise, the Department of Conservation, though unwilling to take an official stance on the feral cat-killing contest, confirmed similar thoughts. Principal scientist Craig Gillies noted that cat control must be carried out by the right skilled people using effective equipment. This is to minimize potential animal suffering, which was also highlighted as a concern by animal rights group SAFE.

Speaking to the Washington Post, SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe noted that carrying out a kill shot on a cat is difficult. As such, he commented that inaccuracy would likely result in prolonged animal deaths and suffering.

The post Contest That Asked Kids To Kill Feral Cats Canceled In New Zealand appeared first on Plant Based News.

The black Angus calf was being driven from Pennsylvania to Saba Live Poultry in Canarsie, Brooklyn, a butcher’s that keeps live animals for slaughter on the premises. 

After he jumped off the truck, workers from a nearby pizza restaurant filmed the cow being chased around the street in an attempt to catch up with him. The cow was eventually caught and taken to the slaughterhouse.

The rescue

This wasn’t the end of the story, however. After hearing about what happened, the owner of New Jersey’s Skylands Animal Sanctuary, Mike Stura, decided to attempt to rescue the cow. 

He reportedly had a three-hour phone call with both the owner of the farm and manager of Saba Live Poultry, which was later described as “tense.”

Stura is well known for animal rescues, and has secured the release of many more prior to this. While he doesn’t reveal his exact methods, he has stated he never offers to pay for their release. He said offering payment would be “counterproductive” to his goal of ridding the world of slaughterhouses. 

Rescued animals given sanctuary

While it’s very unusual for “livestock” to have a happy ending, this isn’t the first time an escaped animal has been rescued in similar circumstances. 

Back in 2016, Stura also secured the rescue of a cow named Freddie, who had escaped from a slaughterhouse in Queens, New York. Freddie had been delivered from upstate, and had managed to run away while being transferred from a trailer at a live meat market. 

In 2021, a pregnant pig named Matilda escaped from a factory farm in Nottinghamshire and gave birth to 10 babies in the woods. Thousands of people signed the petition calling for Matilda to be rescued, and she now lives with her children at Surge Sanctuary. 

The post Cow Filmed Running Through Brooklyn After Escaping Slaughter Taken To Sanctuary appeared first on Plant Based News.

It’s thought that 30 people entered Benalla slaughterhouse in the early hours of Thursday morning. They then chained themselves to the machines, which paralyze pigs with a high concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2). Some activists also gained access to the roof of the building, while others stood outside with placards. 

Police attended the scene and attempted to remove activists from the machines by cutting the chains. FTP executive director Chris Delforce told Plant Based News that seven people, including himself, were arrested and charged with trespass. They have now been released on bail and are due to appear in court later this year.

This is just the latest action in FTP’s campaign to get such gassing machines banned. It comes weeks after Delforce hid inside the top of the machine, where pigs are lowered to their deaths, to film their final moments.

He stayed there hidden while pigs were killed, and his footage showed pigs squealing and thrashing in apparent distress before losing consciousness. 

The slaughterhouse provides pig meat to a number of well-known brands, including Australia’s largest supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles. After the footage was released, Woolworths said it would examine the “circumstances surrounding this footage.” Coles claimed to be “committed to working with suppliers who have animal welfare standards that meet [our] high expectations.”

What is CO2 gassing?

Carbon dioxide is used as a means to stun pigs before slaughter in many parts of the world. It’s a popular method, and has been labeled “humane” by bodies including the RSPCA.

Some have noted, however, that its popularity could be due to its ability to render a number of pigs unconscious in a relatively short amount of time.

CO2 gassing is widely considered by many to be inhumane and cruel. The gas forms a carbonic acid on wet surfaces it touches, including pigs’ eyes, lungs, and throats. Experts have previously said that this means they “burn from the inside out.”

“This is what the pork industry proudly claims to be the ‘most humane’ option out there for stunning pigs,” said Delforce. “We ask that, if pigs screaming in agony, desperately thrashing, and trying to escape is what this industry can call humane, how can we trust any claims they make to care about the welfare and wellbeing of animals?

“Australian pork is lying to its consumers and obscuring the reality which is that no pig wants to die. They go to their deaths in agony, writhing, screaming, and gasping for air.”

A great deal of footage has shown pigs in apparent significant pain, and there are campaigns to ban the method in the UK and US, as well as Australia. 

The post Activists Occupy Pig Gassing Machines At Australian Slaughterhouse appeared first on Plant Based News.

The group is now known as Animal Rising. It has described its rebrand as a “new era of action for animals,” and comes just days before their planned disruption of the Grand National horse race in Aintree, Liverpool, on Saturday, April 15. 

While Animal Rebellion traditionally focused more on the environmental impact of animal farming, Animal Rising will put animal rights front and center. 

The group will lead what it says will be “the biggest campaign of animal-focussed actions the UK has seen in decades” this summer. This will be made up, organizers say, of open rescues and high-profile public-facing actions. 

Animal Rising prioritizes animal rights

“Over the past four years Animal Rebellion has made untold difference to the environmental movement and raised the issue of animal farming and fishing into the public consciousness,” Animal Rising spokesperson Nathan McCgovern told Plant Based News. “However 2023 will see a shift in our actions and message in order to spotlight animals more than ever.”

Last year, Animal Rebellion made headlines after rescuing 18 beagles puppies from an animal testing breeding facility in Cambridgeshire in the UK. This, the group says, is the sort of action Animal Rising will prioritize in the coming months. 

“Our action this year will be firmly centred around animals in a way they perhaps haven’t been previously,” McGovern said. “We’ll be rescuing them from factory farms whilst also occupying these facilities too. We’ll also be disrupting events that use animals for ‘sport’ to put our bodies between them and harm.”

Over the bank holiday weekend, supporters of Animal Rising spray painted the group’s logo (∀) across a number of locations in London and Manchester. They also put up posters advertising their Grand National action on betting shop windows. 

The post Animal Rebellion Moves Away From Extinction Rebellion With New Rebrand appeared first on Plant Based News.

Labeling the group a “Vegan Mob,” the front page splash detailed the group’s apparent plans to “sabotage” the horse race. An undercover reporter claimed that a group of around 100 people were set to carry out the protest. 

Taking to social media after the report was published, Animal Rebellion confirmed that it still planned to protest at the race, and urged like-minded activists to join them in the peaceful action. 

Background to the Grand National

The world-famous annual event runs over three days at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, UK. The main race, which this year takes place on Saturday, April 15, sees 40 horses run a four mile, two-and-a-half furlong race track (four miles 514 yards, or 6.907 kilometres). The track is complete with 16 fences (14 of which the horses jump twice). 

In total, around 150,000 people attend the Grand National each year. A further 600 million watch it on TV around the world.

The race has been taking place since 1839. Among certain parts of society, it’s a much-loved British tradition. In others, it’s deemed a cruel and unnecessary event. 

“The Grand National is a huge symbol of how utterly broken our relationship to other animals and nature is,” Nathan McGovern, Animal Rebellion spokesperson tells Plant Based News.

Whether you’re part of the “vegan mob” or just want to learn more about the horse racing industry, here’s what you need to know about Animal Rebellion’s upcoming action. 

Animal Rebellion’s Grand National plans

The group is planning a peaceful protest to disrupt the Grand National. It’s doing so to raise awareness of the cruelty inherent in using animals for sport, and to urge the public to reconsider their attitude toward non-human species. 

“The race is, arguably, the biggest of its kind in the world and we aim to send a clear message that using animals for entertainment, or for food, has to end,” McGovern says. “The need to reevaluate the way we treat other animals and our natural world is critical to tackle the climate, ecological, and animal emergencies.”

The group is calling on members of the public to join them at 9:30am outside Aintree on Saturday, April 15. According to McGovern, they will be “peacefully showing our love for the horses and attempting to come between them and harm on the track.”

Animal Rebellion is hoping that hundreds of like-minded people will join them in the action, “who can no longer ignore the horrific way we exploit animals for fun at the horse races or, indeed, for food on our plates.”

Why is Animal Rebellion protesting the Grand National?

Animal Rebellion is one of a number of animal rights groups to criticize sports or entertainment industries that rely on the exploitation of animals. 

The group deems all horse racing cruel, but the Grand National in particular is a highly dangerous race for horses. Injuries are commonplace, and animals will often be euthanized if they don’t succumb to injuries on the track. 

Since the year 2000, 15 horses have been killed in the main Grand National Race. A further 20 horses have been killed on other races held during the three-day event. In addition, 24 horses have been killed on the Mildmay Course during the Grand National Meeting. In total, 59 horses have lost their lives in just over two decades of racing.

‘Find a way to love animals without harming them’

According to Animal Rebellion, the Grand National is just one example within a hugely problematic industry.

“The horse racing industry needs to take a look at itself in the mirror and find a way to love animals without harming them,” McGovern says. “We’re a nation of animal lovers and a great deal of people watch the horse races because of this.”

He goes on to point out that a horse dies every two – three days on UK race tracks, adding that this “cannot be ignored.” 

“If we make wholesale changes to our food system and rewild vast amounts of land, we could see wild horses return to this country,” he says. “We can create a way of appreciating these animals without racing them to death.”

Police presence at Grand National

After the Mail exposé was published, it was reported that police were planning to deal “robustly” with any disruption at the race.

“We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but public order or criminal offences will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly,” a statement from Merseyside Police reads.

The force added that it had been working with The Jockey Club “for a number of months… to ensure that any necessary plans and processes are in place to deal with any incidents that may arise.”

Those interested can sign Animal Rebellion’s petition to cancel the Grand National here.

The post Inside Animal Rebellion’s Plan To Disrupt The Grand National appeared first on Plant Based News.

The two will now cooperate to navigate 57-year-old Tokitae’s safe relocation to a sea pen in her home waters of Puget Sound. Here, she will be able to live in close proximity to other orcas, potentially some from her familial pod.

Also helping the rescue endeavor is Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team. The philanthropist is reported to have made a “generous contribution” to facilitate financing the relocation effort.

“The story of Lolita the orca has been near and dear to my heart. I am proud—and enthusiastic—to play a role in finally returning Lolita to her native Pacific Northwest,” he said in a statement released by Friends of Toki.

It is understood that relocation should be completed within the next 18 to 24 months. Until then, Tokitae will continue to receive care from a large team of animal health professionals.

The fight for Tokitae’s freedom

Animal rights campaigners have campaigned for Tokitae’s freedom for years. Though the seaquarium previously claimed to be on board with the idea, no meaningful action had been taken, until now.

Bought out by the Dolphin Company in 2022, Miami Seaquarium is now under new management.

“It has always been our commitment at The Dolphin Company that we place the highest priority on the wellbeing of animals, above all else,” Mr. Albor, CEO of the Dolphin Company, said in a statement. 

“Finding a better future for Lolita is one of the reasons that motivated us to acquire the Miami Seaquarium. With the help of Jim Irsay and Pritam Singh [Friends of Toki], we are bringing that dream, the dream of returning Lolita to her home waters, closer than ever.”

Having been captured in the Pacific Northwest in 1970, Tokitae was forced to entertain crowds for decades. She was only retired last year. Yet despite no longer putting on shows, she remains in captivity, making her the oldest confined Orca in the world.

Over the years, Tokitae’s treatment has raised concerns. She has been kept in the smallest orca tank in North America, been fed rotten food, and endured skin infections. However, she now also faces the prospect of a difficult journey to her home waters.

Concerns surrounding Tokitae’s release

Worries prevail that Tokitae is not well enough to undertake a move across the US, to her new sea pen. In addition, there are fears that she could bring captivity-induced infections to native pods, including her family.

It is widely believed that the resident orca pod in the Salish Sea (where she will be taken) includes Tokitae’s 90-year-old mother, Ocean Sun. If they encounter each other, even through a sea pen, an infection could spread and threaten the entire pod.

Federal agencies in the US are yet to approve Tokitae’s transportation. They will have to do so, if the freedom mission is to progress.

The post World’s Oldest Captive Orca Granted Freedom After 5 Decades In A Tank appeared first on Plant Based News.

Rescue endeavors are tied to the brand’s first product release: a combination dairy-free milk called Oatish that uses oats, millet, and mung beans. For every 10,000 liters sold, one cow or milking buffalo will be freed, through legitimate and fair compensation. Following their release they will be able to live the rest of their life in peace. 

Additionally, for every 10 liters sold, Dancing Cow will add 10 bricks to its sanctuary site, thereby creating space for more rescued animals in India.

Alongside rescuing cows, for every 100 liters of Oatish sold Dancing Cow will plant three trees. This is on top of donating five percent of all profits to a non-profit organization.

Dancing Cow: good for animals and humans

Dancing Cow creators founded the vegan milk brand on the guiding principles of positively impacting the environment and human health. As such, it offers stark comparisons to regular dairy on its website. It refers to this as “cowsplaining.”

“We believe that every person has the power to make a difference in the world by choosing to consume plant-based foods,” Aarohi Surya, founder of Dancing Cow, said in a statement. 

“Our new dairy alternative brand offers consumers a delicious, healthy, and ethical choice that helps to protect animals, the environment, and human health.”

Dancing Cow says that Oatish is responsible for 81 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than cow milk production. Furthermore, 67 percent less energy is needed to produce the plant milk, which contains 60 percent fewer calories.

The beverage comes in two flavors: plain extra creamy and rich chocolate. Both are vegan, gluten-free, and fortified to provide vitamins and calcium. 

India’s dairy sector in the spotlight

India is home to the world’s largest dairy sector. At last count, more than 48 million dairy cattle lived in the country. However, despite the large population, little welfare protection in place. 

At the beginning of March, new documentary Maa Ka Doodh exposed the truth about India’s dairy industry. Shot over two years, it uncovered the multifaceted impacts of India’s increased dairy production. In particular, frequent imagery of brutalized animals drives the underlying anti-dairy message home.

Praised for its candor and investigative revelations, Maa Ka Doodh has won multiple awards.

The post This New Vegan Milk Brand In India Has Its Own Sanctuary For Rescuing Cows appeared first on Plant Based News.