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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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Historic Victory for Farm Animals! Prop 2 Passes in California November 4, 2008 Farm Sanctuary Congratulations to animal protection advocates throughout the country for getting the word and the vote out for farm animals! In a historic victory, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 2, a landmark measure that bans three of the cruelest factory farming confinement systems battery cages, veal crates and gestation crates -- in the state by 2015. By a vote of more than 60 percent Californians sent a clear message to big agribusiness that cruelty to animals is unacceptable. While Prop 2 will curtail the suffering of millions of animals in California, the repercussions throughout the country promise to be even more profound: As California goes, so goes the rest of the nation. California’s new law against farm animal cruelty holds the potential to spark an unstoppable precedent for change in the way farm animals are treated nationwide. Although veal crates, gestation crates and battery cage confinement systems have been banned throughout Europe, they remain common across most of the U.S. With the passage of Prop 2, California becomes the 5th state to outlaw gestation crates (joining Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado) and the third to outlaw veal crates (joining Arizona and Colorado). Perhaps most significantly, it becomes the first state to ban battery cages for laying hens, who are killed in far greater numbers than either pigs or calves. Debeaked shortly after hatching and crammed five or more into a cage the size of a filing drawer, each laying hen is provided less space than a sheet of typing paper to live her entire life. Now, California egg producers will be required to provide birds with enough space to turn around, stand up and spread their wings. This ban on battery cages sets the stage for other states to follow in California’s path—ultimately affecting many millions more animals a year. The impact of California’s passing of Prop 2 will be significant, and the efforts of animal protection advocates across the country toward its passage will continue to send ripples across the nation. Thank you to everybody who gave their time and energy to help achieve this phenomenal victory. Together, we are making a difference! Comment: The passage of Prop 2 is expected to usher in a new era in agriculture in the USA. With the Obama Administration, there can be a new and enlightened USDA. Speak up and make your voice heard – FOR THE ANIMALS! November 04, 2008 PETA On the other side of the country, Question 3 passed, which will ban greyhound racing in the state of Massachusetts by 2010. We have long supported the fabulous team of activists there and thank all of you who have worked so tirelessly to see this victory become a reality. Dogs who are used for racing typically spend 20 hours per day confined to cages measuring only 32 in. by 42 in. by 34 in. Many of the dogs can't even stand completely upright. The animals are also highly susceptible to injuries, including fractures, dislocations, lacerations, and amputations. And because injured dogs are no longer of use to the industry, they are often simply killed. The impact of both these important initiatives is tremendous for the millions of animals whose lives will be affected by them. Comment: One can make a difference – keep fighting the good fight. Revise EU Experiments Law to Replace Animal Use Humane Society International More than 12 million animals suffer and die each year in research and testing laboratories across the European Union, yet many are denied even minimal protection under EU law, such as the requirement to use available alternative methods. This is because the existing legislation—Directive 86/609—is out of date, and applies only to “product-related” tests using “living vertebrate” animals, which broadly excludes all forms of scientific research, teaching and training, as well as experiments using sentient non-vertebrate and foetal animals. HSI Europe has been at the forefront of the campaign to update the 20-year-old law, and is calling for the EU to establish a world-leading Centre of Excellence in non-animal research to accelerate the development of more ethical and reliable research methods. In May 2008, we co-hosted an event in the European Parliament alongside the Dr. Hadwen Trust for Humane Research and world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, at which we presented the Parliament with a petition signed by 150,000 EU citizens, together with our joint report, Towards a European Science Without Animal Experiments. In addition to our demands regarding animal replacement efforts, HSI Europe is calling on the EU to ensure that the revised animal experiments directive:
Comment: Our treatment of other species is beyond reprehensible. We’re truly in the Dark Ages, but fight we will, until there is justice and peace for all creatures. |