Worldlog week 36 - 2015 - Hoofdinhoud

The summer recess has come to an end, which means I am going to work hard again in the Lower House this year. It may have been summer holidays, but that does not mean I have not been busy!

For example, I was invited to speak at a conference on the future of our food in Portugal. With this conference, the Portuguese mayor hoped to raise awareness about sustainable, healthy and animal-friendly foods. According to the UN agricultural organisation FAO, we will need more 60% more food in 2050 to feed the growing world population. Whereas the planet is already under great pressure. Forks and knives are our most powerful weapons to save the world for future generations. I found it an honour to think along with scientists, nutritionists and national and local politicians on this conference in Portugal about the question of how to address the world food problem in a pragmatic manner. Everyone can lend a helping bite!

Before the summer, I was very busy with the ban on pleasure hunting. The election programme of the Labour Party (PvdA) stated they wanted to ban pleasure hunting, but they failed to fulfil their promise when this was voted on in the Lower House of Parliament. The Animal & Right Foundation filed a complaint with the Dutch organisation Advertising Code Committee for misguidance and deception of the electorate. I wish the Animal & Right Foundation the best of luck in this case!

The annual Amsterdam Gay Pride took place in the first weekend of August. This time, our party took part in the boat parade through the Amsterdam canals. And I am very proud of it! The Party for the Animals is against any form of discrimination and defends the interests of vulnerable and/or disadvantaged groups. It was a fine festivity and the boat full of proud members looked wonderful. For a great photo report, click here.

In the Faroe Islands (an autonomous province of Denmark), barbaric massacres of dolphins take place every summer, under the guise of “tradition”. The necks of dolphins are cut and hooks are inserted into their blow-holes. Gruesome… I have therefore asked our government what steps they have taken against this and whether the Netherlands want to critically confront the Danish government with this, because this really must stop!

Unfortunately, dogs are still left behind in locked cars in the summer heat, often with fatal consequences. In a closed vehicle, the temperature rises very fast! With this video, a musical band from Croatia who regularly speaks out on animal welfare issues showed how fast this can go wrong by locking themselves up in a car. The director of our scientific bureau also got into such a sweltering car this summer. What heroes to perform this act!

There was also special animal news from Serbia this summer. A little dog that saved a child did not survive the heroic act itself. The dog has now been given its own statue. This is very special, because Serbia, a country which has many stray dogs and huge problems in the area of animal welfare, has never before honoured an animal with its own statue. Hopefully, this makes people think about our relationship with animals.

See you soon!

Marianne