Worldlog Week 44 – 2012

What a great party! Yesterday we celebrated our 10th anniversary in Apeldoorn. It was excellent to see so many people who have worked hard to see our party break through into the political arena. In these past ten years, we have all worked hard together to make the Netherlands a more animal-friendly country. And not without success! I wish to thank everyone who has helped put our party on the political map. Next week I will write a more detailed report on the celebrations and there will be pictures.

Last Wednesday, the Dutch Labour Party and I were successful in obtaining a house majority for a debate on the large-scale violation of animal-welfare rules by cattle farmers. Our request for a debate comes in the wake of an investigation conducted by the foundations “Dier & Recht” and “Varkens in Nood” which revealed that between 1 and 2.5 billion violations are committed each year on a total agricultural animal population of 500 million. The greatest abuses are observed against chickens raised for meat: half of them can hardly walk owing to their weight. The tails of piglets are burned off as a preventive measure, and animals become sick owing to dirty drinking water or the poor air quality in their stalls. Unbelievable! Nowhere so many lawbreakers as in the cattle and animal raising industry. Nowhere so many eyes closed shut as in the regulatory bodies of this industry. Tougher inspections and regulations are in very much in order.

This film on intensive cattle raising in Australia has to be seen: We believe in a world without factory farming!

The ceremonial sacrifice was again held last Friday. 75,000 sheep, lambs and goats and 4,000 cattle were again slaughtered without stunning. These animals had to choke in their own blood for forty seconds. Furthermore, the meat of these animals thus slaughtered that is not served during the celebrations finds its way to the regular butcher or supermarket. Fortunately, we are seeing growing numbers of vegetarian Muslims and Jews who reject slaughter without stunning! We continue to argue for a ban on the ritual slaughter of animals without prior stunning. We are working on a new legislative bill!

The photos of the BP oil spill that the American government did not want us to see can be viewed here.

We had a small but satisfying success in the Lower House this week. The costs for the Royal Family’s hunting hobby can no longer be hidden from the public! The House adopted my motion in which I called for a detailed costs overview of crown property het Loo and the Royal Department of Fauna Management to be included as standard in the civil list.

While there is no support among the people of the Netherlands for the killing of animals as a pastime, the Royal Family’s hunting hobby is financed by public money. The Dutch taxpayer therefore involuntarily pays for the hunting activities of the Royal Family. Furthermore, it has always been impossible to ascertain just how much taxpayers’ money is set aside for this royal hobby. Well, that should be about to change.

Until next week!

Marianne