Animal Aid

The New EU Vivisection Directive: Time For Government Action

The government yesterday (May 17th) made clear how it intends to translate into domestic legislation a new European Directive governing the conduct of animal experiments across the European Union. The government’s plans were laid out in its response to the public consultation on the new Directive, which the UK must ‘transpose’ into legislation by November 2012 and implement from the beginning of 2013.

Tullos Hill Roe Deer Killed

Twenty-two of the 30-strong population of roe deer who lived on the meadowland around Tullos Hill in Aberdeen have now been killed. Various agencies were involved in the plan to plant trees on this site and pleas for them to protect saplings from the resident deer rather than kill them were not heeded. The Woodland Trust was one such agency.

Denial and animal experiments

Among the speakers at Saturday’s World Day for Animals in Laboratories rally and march in Birmingham was Animal Aid’s Scientific Consultant Dr Adrian Stallwood. The theme of his address was the state of denial in which those engaged in animal experiments function. They deny that animals suffer or that their victims have any moral worth. They condemn and seek to criminalise those who expose their cruel activities, and they use jargon and euphemism to deflect attention from the truth of what they do. Adrian explained why plain speaking by opponents of vivisection is an essential prelude to meaningful change. Saturday’s speech was drawn from a longer article exploring these themes.

Cheale Meats animal abusers jailed

Today (25 April), two former Cheale Meats slaughterhouse employees received jail sentences after pleading guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The men had been caught on covert cameras placed by Animal Aid in March and April last year

Animal groups refuse to participate in ill-conceived consultation on wild animals in circuses

Despite widespread support from both the public and MPs for a complete ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, the government is continuing to pursue an expensive and ill-conceived inspection and licensing regime. Such a system would not prevent animals in circuses from suffering.

World Day for Animals in Laboratories

April 24th is World Day for Animals in Laboratories - a day, recognised by the United Nations to remember the millions of animals worldwide who are used and killed every year in animal experiments.

This year, to mark World Day, Animal Aid has issued an invitation to four major charities that fund animal research: Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society and Parkinson’s UK, asking them to take part in a public debate about the moral and scientific issues surrounding vivisection.

Cheale Meats Employees Convicted under the Animal Welfare Act

Yesterday (18 April), two former Cheale Meats slaughterhouse employees pleaded guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Piotr Andrzej Wasiuta from Southend admitted three charges relating to stubbing cigarettes out on the faces of pigs, while his colleague Kelly Smith from Benfleet admitted two counts relating to beating the animals with excessive force.

Grand National Kills Again: 'the worst kind of mob entertainment'

The Grand National, supposedly made much safer than in previous years, has killed at least two horses. Two were killed last year.

Synchronised and According To Pete both came to grief at the infamous Becher’s Brook, even though the Aintree authorities claimed that the obstacle had been made less lethal through recent adjustments.

Gottany O'S killed in second race at Aintree

Just half way through the second race of the three-day Grand National meeting, a horse has been killed at Aintree. Four-year-old gelding Gottany O'S had just jumped the fourth of nine hurdles in the 2.30 race, when it became clear he had sustained a major leg injury. He was destroyed on the course.

Sanctuary Not Cruelty – call to boycott Grand National and help rescued horses instead

Animal Aid’s increasingly influential campaign against the Grand National is given fresh impetus this year with the launch of its Sanctuary Not Cruelty initiative. This asks the public to donate any money they might have bet on the cruel and punishing Aintree race, to sanctuaries that help rescued horses instead.

Yorkshire horse sanctuary to benefit from Grand National boycott

A Yorkshire-based horse sanctuary is hoping to benefit from a plea to boycott the Grand National this year. Hope Pastures, near Leeds, is one of two sanctuaries selected by campaign group Animal Aid as part of its Sanctuary Not Cruelty initiative. The public is being asked to donate any money they might have bet on the cruel and punishing Aintree race, to help rescued horses instead.

East Anglian horse sanctuary to benefit from Grand National boycott

A Norfolk-based horse sanctuary is hoping to benefit from a plea to boycott the Grand National this year. Hillside Animal Sanctuary, near Cromer, is one of two sanctuaries nationwide selected by campaign group Animal Aid as part of its Sanctuary Not Cruelty initiative. The public is being asked to donate any money they might have bet on the cruel and punishing Aintree race, to help rescued horses instead.

Web blackout on our Grand National film

We regret to report that Animal Aid’s powerful new film revealing the lethal nature of the Grand National race and the reasons why it kills so many horses, has been withdrawn from Youtube. This is as a result of a copyright infringement claim by RacingUK. The 7-minute film is intended to promote public debate about the morality of the 4-and-a-half mile event that routinely kills one or more of the 40 horses who take part. In 2011, Ornais broke his neck and Dooneys Gate broke his back. A total of 20 horses have died as a result of racing on the Grand National course since 2000. Our campaign to ban the Grand National will continue with full vigour, despite this setback.

Spare the little ones

At Easter, we see cute baby animals everywhere - fluffy yellow chicks adorn greeting cards and adorable lambs gambol in the fields. But the reality for these animals is not as pretty as the pictures. In farms and slaughterhouses, these babies are treated as mere units of production and they suffer terribly.

New research funds must not be wasted

The Government has this week announced that research funding into dementia is to be doubled by 2015. This is potentially very good news, but there is a real risk of these precious funds being squandered. We should be aiming to be a world leader in the care and compassion we afford to dementia sufferers, not just in the number of published papers, citations, or research posts. Enough money has been wasted already on misleading animal experiments.

Article by Animal Aid’s Scientific Consultant, Dr Adrian Stallwood MB BS

New film reveals terrible price paid by horses in Grand National: BBC accused of cover-up

A powerful new film revealing the lethal nature of the Grand National race, and the reasons why it kills so many horses, is released today (29 March) by Animal Aid.

The 7-minute mini-documentary is unveiled in the week that the national campaign group has written to the BBC – which relinquishes Aintree broadcasting rights to Channel 4 next year – demanding that it breaks with tradition this year and reports fully and promptly on any horse deaths should they occur during the three-day Grand National meeting.

Cheale Meats employees to be prosecuted for animal cruelty

Animal Aid is delighted to report that two former Cheale Meats employees will now face prosecution for animal cruelty.

Sanctuary Not Cruelty

Animal Aid's Horse Racing Awareness Week (8-14 April 2012) takes place in the seven days leading up to the country's most famous race, the Grand National.

New for 2012 is the launch of our Sanctuary Not Cruelty initiative. The campaign is aimed both at individuals who visit bookmakers, and at workplace sweepstakes, offering those who are concerned about the National a positive alternative to simply betting or boycotting. Instead of supporting animal cruelty, we are asking people to help two specialist sanctuaries that rescue horses – including ex-racehorses – and are in need of financial assistance.

Reprieve for the Windermere Canada Geese

Plans to shoot 200 nesting geese this spring have been shelved after a concerted campaign by Animal Aid, in conjunction with Respect for Wildlife, wildlife experts, celebrities and local campaigners.

Badger Cull Scrapped in Wales

Today, the Welsh Assembly Government has announced that the planned pilot cull of badgers in West Wales is to be scrapped and a five-year vaccination project will be trialled instead - an announcement greeted with relief and gratitude by Animal Aid.

Windermere Geese: A Humane Solution Offered

Wildlife experts have today submitted a proposal to the Lake District National Park Authority, and to its partners on the Geese Management Group, offering a humane alternative to the mass cull of Canada geese that is due to take place in the coming weeks.

Five horses killed in just two days racing at Cheltenham

Featherbed Lane and Abergavenny are the latest 2012 Cheltenham Festival casualties. They were killed in the 4pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle. Abergavenny is understood to have fractured an elbow, while Featherbed Lane was pulled up after breaking a leg. Yesterday, the first day of the 2012 meeting, saw three horses perish.

Windermere Geese Cull: Concerns over Public Safety, Local Authority Secrecy and an 'Inexplicable' Lack of Accountability

Campaigners battling to save the lives of hundreds of Canada geese on Windermere have today expressed serious concern over public safety issues relating to the cull, the accountability of those driving it and the secrecy surrounding the entire proposal. Despite dozens of letters, emails and phone calls asking for information about the cull, details remain sparse and key questions – including ‘how exactly do you propose to kill the birds?’ – have been ignored.

Three horses killed on first day of Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival, which has killed nine horses in the last five years, produced three more fatalities on the opening day of the 2012 event.

The victims were 11-year-old Scotsirish, 13-year-old Garde Champetre and 7-year-old Educated Evans. The first two, were both racing in the gruelling 3-mile 7-furlong cross-country handicap chase. Educated Evans had been entered into the final race of the day – the two-and-a-half mile novice chase.

Demonstration held against Canada geese cull

On Saturday, local campaigners held a highly successful demonstration against the announcement by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) that it does intend to go ahead with a cull of 200 Canada geese on Lake Windermere. The geese, absurdly, are being blamed for massive pollution and environmental damage to the lake. This is despite large quantities of human sewage and farm chemicals and slurry continuing to be dumped and washed into Windermere.

If slaughterhouses had glass walls...

Mark Gold, the editor of our quarterly campaign journal, Outrage, has written a thought-provoking and powerful article about the slaughter of farmed animals for the influential magazine, Resurgence. In it he draws upon the evidence provided by Animal Aid’s undercover slaughterhouse investigation and examines the morality of eating animals.

Medical charities' platitudes on animal experiments cannot be trusted

Medical research charities that fund animal experiments are keen for the public not to discover their true objectives with regard to the protection of animals in laboratories. Whilst stating publicly that welfare standards should be preserved in new UK legislation, their joint submission to a government consultation contained demands to water down key aspects of animal protection. Given that these charities fund a large proportion of animal experiments, such demands are perhaps not unsurprising, but are sure to trouble an increasingly sceptical public.

Is the Canada Geese Cull Legal?

Three weeks ago, Animal Aid asked the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) for more information about the proposed cull of 200 Canada geese on Lake Windermere. As yet, the LDNPA has not responded to any letters or emails from the national campaigning organisation and one specific question – whether the Authority is relying on satisfying the conditions of the General Licence in order to kill the popular birds – remains a point of serious contention.

Pro-shoot Green councillor brought into line

The Green Party has reiterated its fundamental opposition to bloodsports, following the publication in a leading regional newspaper of pro-shooting comments by a rogue councillor.

Derek Hardcastle, a Green councillor on Kirklees Council, told the Yorkshire Post that he is a keen supporter of a local shoot, for whom he acts as a ‘beater’ – scaring birds into the sky so that they can be shot to the ground.

Youth Art and Poetry Competition 2012

Do you know a budding young artist or poet who is passionate about animal issues? Animal Aid has launched its fourth nationwide Art and Poetry Competition for 11-14 year olds. We have sent competition details to all UK secondary schools inviting them to set class projects, but you don’t have to enter through a school. We welcome individual entries as well.