Worldlog week 17 - 2014 - Hoofdinhoud
Cattle farmers who structurally violate the law by neglecting animals should be given a lifelong ban on keeping animals! I asked Parliamentary questions about that this week. It is unacceptable that, in case of animal neglect or abuse, the court cannot impose a lifelong ban on keeping animals as an independent sanction because the law does not permit it. We want this to be arranged as soon as possible by the Cabinet, which announced in the coalition agreement more severe sentences in case of animal abuse or neglect.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) recently announced that the number of reports of neglected farm animals is increasing. Most reports concern cows, pigs and sheep which are underfed, subsist in dirty stables or receive no medical care. The NVWA currently carries out tightened supervisions over more than 300 cattle farms. Some of these farms are known to the NVWA as notorious offenders. Hard action is therefore a must.
We are well underway in the European election campaign. Our position towards Europe is green eurocritical, which is unique. We are not critical on grounds of self-interest or nationalism, but on grounds of compassion, sustainability, personal freedom and personal responsibility. This Europe puts at stake the real values such as climate, the interests of citizens and animals, nature, the environment and democracy and, therefore, also the long-term interest of the citizens of the EU.
This week, we presented our posters, which clearly show how we look at Europe. Europe concerns mostly animals, nature and the environment. Three of our posters relate to the fact that half of the European budget is intended for agriculture and fisheries. We want people to say no to agricultural subsidies (mega stables), no to GMO (Monsanto, poison) and no to animal transport.
Our 4th poster relates to enhancing or limiting the power of the European Union. The undemocratic and non-transparent European Union has taken a path where the free market, the interests of multinationals, and free-trade agreements with countries such as the US are of primary importance. National parliaments are increasingly sidelined and salami tactics are used to place the (socio) economic policy, the budget right of an individual MemberState into the hands of Brussels more and more. This must stop!
The European Union is in the process of entering into a free-trade agreement with the United States in an entirely undemocratic and non-transparent manner. As a result, genetically modified crops and hormone meat threaten to come on the European market. See here for an example of a calf breeding farm in Oregon in the United States. Half an hour after their births, calves are removed from their mothers and placed in 1 crate each. Animal welfare in the European Union is certainly at a pitifully low level, as well. But if there is a free-trade agreement with the US, with us having to allow American veal on the market, it will become very difficult to increase welfare requirements on a national and European level and to put an end to factory farming.
In my Worldlog of 7 April, I already mentioned our list of candidates for the European elections and the other persons on our list, from Canada, Australia and the US. The Electoral Council decided last week that our candidates John Coetzee, Will Kymlicka and Tom Regan be deleted. The reason they gave is a missing stamp in their passports. We disagree with this decision and will therefore lodge an appeal with the Council of State (legal body in the Netherlands)!
John Coetzee
I received a good luck wish from Paul McCartney this week for the European elections.
See here for his message to the European Parliament in 2009.
Until next week! Marianne