COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING

Compassion in World Farming - Ireland

Newsletter - Farm animal welfare= campaigns in Ireland, November/December 2008

DRIVERS FINED BY FREN= CH POLICE AFTER FAILING TO STOP AND UNLOAD IRISH ANIMALS FOR THEIR LEGALLY REQUIRED REST PERIODS

3D"Text It is shocking that some drivers carrying Irish cattle and calves on long journeys from Ireland to continental Europe are still flouting EU law by ignoring the requirement for the anima= ls to be unloaded and rested after arriving in France.

Driver fined by = French police

In June 2008, Compassion in World Farming’s French sister organisation Protection Mondiale des Animaux de Ferme (PMAF) trailed= an Irish livestock vehicle that was transporting young calves (about 3 weeks o= ld) from Ireland to the Netherlands.

The vehicle travelled from Ireland to France by ferry fr= om Rosslare to Cherbourg, a sea journey of more than 18 hours. After a long fe= rry crossing such as this, EU law requires that young calves are unloaded and g= iven 12 hours rest at a suitable facility at the port or in its immediate vicini= ty.

However, this vehicle did not stop at, or near, Cherbour= g. Instead, the driver drove out of the port and continued towards the Netherlands. PMAF alerted the French police, who subsequently apprehended t= he vehicle three hours after it had left Cherbourg. The driver was fined for failing to stop and give the calves their required rest period.<= /span>

Formal Complaint= to Minister Smith

Compassion in World Farming - Ireland made a Formal Complaint to the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, about this incide= nt. We listed other reports [by animal welfare organisations, the media and the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office] of drivers carrying animals from Ireland failing to stop to unload the animals for their requir= ed rest period after reaching the Continent. The history of this problem stret= ches back to 1998!

Two more cases of drivers failing to rest Irish animals

It is shocking that while we waited for a response from Minister Smith, two further cas= es of Irish livestock vehicles being in breach of the law whilst transporting ani= mals from Ireland to the Continent were brought to our attention by PMAF:

· In September, an Irish livesto= ck vehicle disembarked from the ferry at Cherbourg, carrying young calves from Ireland to Spain. Again, PMAF alerted the French police when the vehicle fa= iled to stop to rest the animals at, or near to, the port of Cherbourg, resultin= g in the driver being fined.

· At the same time, the French p= olice stopped another Irish livestock vehicle. This was carrying adult cattle to Spain and had also failed to stop to rest the animals at the required point= in the journey. This driver was also fined.

We sent Minister Smith details of these two further case= s, which he says are now “under investigation”. Department of Agriculture officials met with representatives of Compassion in World Farmi= ng to discuss these on-going problems. We will continue to do everything we ca= n to ensure that all animals travelling from Ireland get their legally required = rest periods.

ARAN RALLY A HUGE SUC= CESS

The ARAN Rally in Dublin on 5^th October was a huge success, with hundreds of people coming from all over Ireland to be there for the animals!=

There were lots of Compassion in World Farming - Ireland supporters, and our “foxes” certainly highlighted our Ban Fur Farming message.

Compassion in World Farming - Ireland’s Director, Mary-Anne Bartlett, was delighted to be included amongst the speakers at the end of the Rally. She said that there have been many successes for farm ani= mal welfare over the past years, including:

· veal crates are now banned ac= ross the EU;

· battery hen cages will be ban= ned in the EU from 2012;

· confinement of sows into narr= ow stalls for their entire pregnancies will be banned in the EU from 2013.

However, there is still much to do. One of Compassion in World Farming - Ireland’s main campaigns is to get fur farming banned= in the Republic of Ireland where there are 5 mink farms, one of which also has= a small number of foxes.

A huge WELL DONE to ARAN for organising such a wonderful day for the animals! Thank you also to our “foxes”, Mary and Sara.

ANIMAL HEALTH & W= ELFARE BILL

Compassion in World Farming-Ireland made a very detailed submission with regard to the proposed new Animal Health & Welfare Bill. Meetings with the Department of Agriculture (DAFF) are to be arranged to discuss submissions, but DAFF says that it is still not known when these wi= ll take place. DAFF tells us that over 400 submissions were received.

In Compassion in World Farming-Ireland’s submissio= n, we argued that the new Bill should:

· include a ban on fur farming;

· recognise that animals are sentient beings;

· in= clude a “Duty of Care” responsibility for farmers and people looking after animals, to ensure that the animals’

needs are properly catered f= or.

THINKING OF FARM ANIM= ALS AT CHRISTMAS

Things to think about when buying presents and food

Don’t buy any cloth= es item, fashion accessories, toys or furnishings that are made of real fur, h= ave real fur trim, or are decorated with real fur.

As well as fur coats, real fur may be found on fashion i= tems such as bags, collars, and accessories such as scarves. There are also toys being sold that are made from real fur, for example miniature cat toys. Some rugs and throws may be real fur. Often it is very difficult to tell if fur = is real or fake.

How do you know which is real fur and which is fake fur?=

Look closely at the back of it - real fur has skin on the back (similar to suede) whilst fake fur has mesh fabric backing.

However, often you cannot see the reverse of the fur.

Read the label. This may say whether the fur is real or fake.

It can be VERY difficult to decide if fur is real or fake fur. We strongly advise: if in do= ubt, don't buy it.

Don't buy real fur because fur animals are reared on factory farms in Irela= nd and other countries. Mink and foxes on fur farms are confined in rows of sm= all cages. They never know freedom. Farmed mink have no water for swimming, even though they always live near water in the wild and are good swimmers. Farmed foxes cannot dig because the cage floor is wire mesh. Mink and foxes are br= ed on the farm but are not fully domesticated like other farm animals.

Choose food carefully.

The majority of poultry and pigs in Ireland are reared intensively on factory farms. Be careful when choosing products such as chicken, turkey, pork, bacon, sausages and eggs, or made-up products that contain these.

The compassionate option is to buy free-range or organic poultry and pig products. The Irish organic standards are good on welfare. = Look for a label saying free-range or look for one of the Irish organic symbols (IOFGA or Organic Trust).

Note that if poultry and pig products are NOT labelled as free-range or organic, these are almost certainly from the factory farm.

Irish beef and lamb comes from animals that have access = to outdoors. Beef products from outside Ireland may be made from cattle that w= ere reared intensively on feedlots. Irish cattle and sheep spend time on green fields and this is much more welfare-friendly.

You might even decide to have a meat-free Christmas this year!

   Read the list of ingredie= nts in ready-made products

If you are buying ready-made products, such as cakes, quiches, biscuits, chicken dishes, etc., check the 'Ingredients List' carefully. If the product con= tains eggs, then these will almost certainly be battery eggs unless it actually s= ays "free-range eggs". =

If the product contains chicken or pork products, again unless the 'Ingredients List' specifically says that these

are free-range or organic, it is nearly certain that they are from animals kept on factory farms.

   Buy locally-produced food= where possible

Animals reared and killed locally will not have had a lo= ng journey to a slaughterhouse. Also, you may know the farm where the animals = were reared, so you can be assured that the conditions are good and the animals = well cared for. Farmers markets ar= e a good place to start, and you can ask the stall-holders questions about their produce and how their animals are kept.

   If you're eating out, ask= the restaurant if they use free-range eggs and free-range poultry and pork meat= .

If they do not, ask them to change their policy on this.= In the meantime, you might choose a dish that does not contain factory farmed animal products.

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