Vote Cruelty Free EU - Manifiesto

8/14/2019 Vote Cruelty Free EU - Manifiesto

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Vote Cruelty Free is a new,

non-partisan coalition o non-governmental organisations

working together to ensure the

political process reects public

concern or animal protection.

Its members are the BUAV,Compassion in World Farming,International Fund for AnimalWelfare (IFAW), League AgainstCruel Sports and Respect forAnimals.

Vote Cruelty Free covers a broad

range of animal welfare issuesincluding wild and marine animals,animal experiments, cruel sports,the fur trade and farming.

Vote Cruelty Free believes bringingthe animal protection movementtogether and working directly withcandidates and elected ofcials is

an effective way to achieve positivechange for animals in the politicalarena.

Wat i VoTE CruELTy rEE?

www.vteceltee.g

EuropeanElections

2009


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Statement o principle

The last decade has seen a steady growth in

public concern about arm animal welare.

As a result, signicant improvements have been

achieved. The veal crate has been prohibited in theEU since 2007. Battery cages will be prohibited EU-wide from 2012. Sow stalls have been banned inthe UK since 1999 and will be prohibited throughoutthe EU from 2013. Despite this progress, majorreforms in farming are urgently needed. The majorityof pigs, chickens and turkeys continue to befarmed industrially. Vote Cruelty Free believes that

animals should not be considered objects for ourconvenience, and we want to ensure that all animalsreared for food are treated humanely.

Commitments sought

rom European Parliament:

The export of animals for slaughter or fatteningshould be brought to an endEnriched cages for egg laying hens should beprohibitedEU legislation must be enforced requiring pigsto be provided with enrichment materials andprohibiting routine tail dockingAnimal welfare should be seen as one of thecore objectives of EU food policy.

amAimalWelae

CIWF

CIWF

Aimal

Exeimetati

Statement o Principle

Vote Cruelty Free calls on theEuropean Parliament to phase outthe use of animals in experiments.

12 million animals are used inexperiments throughout the EuropeanUnion every year.

EU legislation on the protection ofanimals in experiments (Directive86/609/EEC) is currently underrevision. This is the best chanceto reect the views of European

citizens. It is also the best opportunityto provide citizens with a full andundistorted picture of what animalresearch really means.

Commitments sought rom

European Parliament:

The creation of a European Centre for non animal researchPrinciples of transparency,accountability and stakeholderscrutiny should be enshrined inlaw

An immediate ban on experimentscausing a high level of sufferingA ban on the use of Non HumanPrimates in researchA exible legislative framework to

take into account public concernand advances in the developmentof alternative methods.

BUAV

BUAV


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sealCommercial seal hunting


Vote Cruelty Free is opposed to the commercial hunting

o seals, which is primarily or their ur, because o thecruelty involved, the unsustainable nature o the hunts,

and the additional threat that global warming poses to

seal populations.

Commercial seal hunts take place in Canada, Greenland,Namibia, Norway and Russia; with Canadas commercialseal hunt being by far the largest marine mammal hunt in theworld. In the last ve years over 1.5 million seals have been

killed in Canada. This years quota was set at 280,000, anincrease on the previous year.

Every veterinary report on the Canadian commercial sealhunt demonstrates unacceptable levels of cruelty. Scientistspredict that at current levels Canadas commercial seal huntrisks reducing the harp seal population by 70% in the next15 years.

This cruelty has led the USA, Mexico, Croatia, Belgiumand the Netherlands to put in place total bans in the tradein commercial seal products, with the Czech Republic,Germany and Austria also considering national bans. Russiaalso banned the hunt of all harp seals less than one year oldin March 2009. This decision heralds the ultimate end of thehunt in the northern White Sea region.

Vote Cruelty Free remains convinced that commercial sealhunts are inherently inhumane as evidenced by veterinary,media and eyewitness reports, along with a study conductedby the European Food Standards Agency on behalf of theCommission.

Vote Cruelty Free wants to see an end to commercial sealhunting and markets for those products to be shut downworldwide.

Commitments sought rom European

Parliament:

Support and enforce a complete ban on the commercialtrade and importation into the EU of seal products withan exemption only forproducts from Inuit huntsRenew diplomatic effortswith Canada, Norway,Denmark (Greenland),Russia and Namibia to seekan end to cruel commercialseal hunts and the trade

in seal products in thesehuntsPromote the ban incommercial seal productswith like-minded countries.

Bllfgtig

Public opinion in Europe shows a strong and

growing opposition to bullfghting.

Whilst 67% of Spaniards are not interested inbullghting (Gallup poll, September 2008), 89% of

British citizens would never visit a bullght (ComRespoll, April 2008).

Recent press articlessuggest that the EUstill gives subsidiesto the Spanishbullghting industry

worth 30m annually.It is unacceptable thattax payers moneyis used to subsidise

bullghting whichis illegal in mostEuropean countries.

The European Commission admits that money isstill paid but is not able or not willing to conrm the

amount. It also argues bullghting is for national

governments to deal with. This argument is, however,awed as all EU tax payers contribute to the

subsidies to bull breeders and it should matter to allEU governments and Brussels.

MEPs represent the European people who stronglyoppose bullghting and would not like to see their

taxes used to articially keep this barbarity alive.

Commitments sought rom European Parliament:

Initiate debate about bullghting subsidies and

demand an immediate end of all these subsidiesEnsure transparency on the matter of subsidiesfor bull breeders and urge the Commissionto publicise details of all money given to thebullghting industry, directly or indirectly through

agricultural funds.

IFAW

League Against Cruel Sports

League Against Cruel Sports


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Respect for Animals

WaligStatement o principle

Vote Cruelty Free calls or an

end to commercial whaling, a

practice which has driven many

whale populations to the brink o

extinction. Despite an international

ban on commercial whalingadopted by the International

Whaling Commission (IWC)

in 1986 Japan, Norway and

Iceland continue this cruel and

unnecessary activity.

Whaling is inherently cruel - there isno humane way to kill a whale andthey can take up to half an hour todie. Commercial whaling resultsin products nobody needs with

hundreds of tons of unsold meatstockpiled in whaling countries.

Whaling also presents seriousconservation concerns; manypopulations have yet to recoverfrom previous intensive whaling.With whales facing more threatstoday than ever before, they arein desperate need of internationalprotection.

Commitments sought romEuropean Parliament

Take steps to ensure theeffectiveness of the moratoriumon commercial whaling at

the International WhalingCommission (IWC) and opposeany proposals that might allowcommercial whaling despitethe moratorium, such as thoseto legitimise Japans coastalwhalingChallenge commercial whalingconducted by Iceland andNorway at the IWC and so-calledscientic whaling conducted by

JapanRenew high-level diplomaticefforts to counteract unduepressure from Japan to inuence

the votes of sovereign statesat the IWC and ensure aneffective international regulatoryframework for the conservationof whalesUrge EU Member States andthe Commission to ensure the

EU takes a strong commonposition at the IWC against anyproposal (or deal) which mayundermine the maintenance ofthe moratorium on whaling atfuture IWC meetings.

Statement o Principle

Vote Cruelty Free oppose the

commercial use o real animal ur.

A clear majority of people in Europeare against the trapping and factoryfarming of animals for their fur. The

oceanie

plltiStatement o PrincipleVote Cruelty Free welcomes the

adoption o the Marine Strategy

Framework Directive and the

act that it explicitly recognises

ocean noise as a pollutant.

Sound is extremely important tomany marine animals, particularlycetaceans (whales, dolphins

and porpoises) who use it forcommunicating, navigating,nding food and detecting

mates and predators.

Sources of man-made ocean noiseinclude commercial shipping,military sonar, seismic surveys foroil and gas exploration, constructionand recreational activities. Suchnoise can be extremely harmful tocetaceans and in extreme cases

can cause them to strand and die.Measures to regulate these harmfuleffects are needed urgently.

The Marine Strategy FrameworkDirective sets up the generalframework for controlling noisein EU waters, but doesnt specifywhat measures need to be adoptedand it is up to each individualMember State to develop nationalmarine strategies by 2015 includingimpact assessments, to achieve

Good Environmental Status.

With so many aspects left to thediscretion of Member States, VoteCruelty Free fears that the Directivecould be seriously watered downin the implementation phase.


European Parliament

UK MEPs need to urge the

UK government to take aleading role in the rigorousimplementation of the MarineStrategy Framework Directiveand to ensure that ocean noisepollution is properly regulated.

IFAW

SECAC

steel-jawed leghold trap commonlyused by fur trappers is bannedthroughout the EU yet countries stillimport furs from places where its useis widespread.



A ban on fur factory farmingIn the interim:

A ban on the import and tradein fur skins, garments and otheritemsThe introduction of an EU widelabelling scheme for all garmentsmade of or trimmed with furregardless of cost or the speciesof the animal used.


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This publication lists a series of policies which theEuropean Parliament should either enact or where anissue transcends its boundaries, actively promote. It isnot designed to be a comprehensive list of all animalprotection issues but represents key issues identied by

the organisations involved. Not all organisations involvedin Vote Cruelty Free work on every issue; please checkthe website for further information. Even if all the policiesin this manifesto were implemented, it would still leavelarge areas of animal exploitation to be addressed.

The manifesto is not directed to any particular politicalparty. We encourage all parties and candidates to adopt it.

We believe that it represents what the majority of the

Gvemet adAdmiitati

Statement

o Principle

Vote Cruelty Freebelieves thatincreased animalprotection shouldbe an integral part

of making policyat international,national and locallevel. It should nothave to compete with other interests but should be alegitimate goal in its own right. The European Parliamenthas a key role to play in the promotion of this.



The appointment of a Commissioner for Animal Welfare with an overallresponsibility for all animal issuesEstablishment of an independent inspectorateanswerable to the Commissioner withadequate enforcement powersRigorous, enforceable EU animalwelfare standards for all animalsThe European Parliament to support aUniversal Declaration for Animal Welfareunder the auspices of the UN.


Vote Cruelty Free calls on

the European Parliament

to protect endangered

species rom illegal trade.

The illegal trade in wildlifeis estimated at over $20billion annually and issecond only to that of illicitdrugs and arms. It is cruel and unnecessary and iswiping out endangered species including elephants,big cats, bears, rhinos, sharks and turtles. The EU isone of the largest consumers of wildlife products.

The illegal ivory trade is on the increase,

despite an international ban, with over 20,000elephants killed each year for their tusks.

The emerging internet trade in wildlife poses anadded threat to many threatened species, includingelephants. We hope that eBays decision to ban ivory willencourage other internet market providers to follow suit.



Financially support real conservation

efforts in range states and provide supportto the African Elephant CoalitionMonitor the effects of the 2008 CITES-approvedstockpile sales on elephant populationsDevote sufcient resources to enforcing wildlife

trade legislation and tackling illegal ivory trade,including the illegal trade in wildlife over the internetUrge EU Member States and the Commissionto ensure the EU takes a strong position infavour of real elephant conservation andagainst any ivory trade at the 15th CITESConference of the Parties in January 2010.

Wildlie Tade

IFAW

British public would like to see and is achievable withinthe lifetime of the next European Parliament.

The manifesto sets a key position of principle for eachissue, then lists the action the next Parliament will needto take to ensure these goals are achieved.

This document is being sent to the ProspectiveEuropean Parliamentary Candidates of all the mainpolitical parties in the UK. We will be calling on them to

show their support for the manifesto by registering onthe Vote Cruelty Free website. We will also be askingcandidates to produce position statements on specic

issues. We hope this will allow voters to make aninformed choice when they head to the ballot box.

Te maiet


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ThAnk you or your supporT!

Ctact Vte Celt ee:

B email //

[email protected]

B telee //

020 7619 6970

B t //Vote Cruelty Free16a Crane GroveLondonN7 8NN

Webite//

www.votecrueltyfree.org

GET ACTIVEWhAT you CAn Do To hELp

Show your support for Vote Cruelty Free by:

regiteig your support for this manifesto bycontacting [email protected] or 020 7619 6970

Witig a tatemet to show your positionon each of the issues covered by the manifesto.Position statement forms can be downloaded fromwww.votecrueltyfree.org and will be displayed onthe website

Gettig te membe of your party to showtheir support for Vote Cruelty Free

raiig te ie in the manifesto with therelevant spokespeople in your party

Ctactig Vte Celt ee about media

opportunities.

To nd out more about any of the issues raised

in this document, or to get more involved, pleasevisit www.votecrueltyfree.org

Documents

Vote Cruelty Free EU - Manifiesto