Simon Coveney TD and Agricultural Minister is meeting at Dublin Castle at 11am tomorrow to discuss the Animal Welfare Act.
Dear Simon Coveney TD,
Please do your best for the animals tomorrow. I understand
that you are deciding the animal welfare act tomorrow.
This is a very emotive subject because it is so upsetting to see so much
unacknowledged suffering. Please see the demonstrators as the good people of
Ireland in general. Everyone here loves animals and would love to see neglect
and cruelty stopped. The few of us that you will see are the ones that have the
heart, the strength of their convictions and the trust in your department, to
turn up and let the government know what is really happening to animals. We hope that you will be motivated to address it, stop it and put regulations in
place. Please take this opportunity to expose cruel underlying practices and
make them illegal. It is only greed and an unwillingness to change that keep
these situations going. We are all relying on you.
1.
Dogs and Cats
It is important to promote
neutering and rehoming. It could be that all money from licenses goes towards
vouchers for neutering to vet’s and rescue services. It could be that breeding
is penalized and rehoming is supported. It could be that people who have
animals are told to take a companion animal from a rescue centre. Possibly even
one for one. If you have 5 competition dogs or horses, you most likely have the
infrastructure, food and land to match that. Or the cost of the additional keep
go to the rescue organizations so they can do what’s needed there. It has come
to my attention that Europe has paid the Romanian government a lot to support a
neutering programme but instead the money has been kept and a massive cull been
authorized. Anybody who brings in a dog gets something. This alerts us to the
fact that vouchers rather than money should be used so that the good work can
be definitely carried out. Also, the SPCA s should be regulated and expanded so
that all cases can be checked and addressed. For example, in all of County
Kilkenny there is only one horse inspector. Grants and benefits should be
available for smaller, professional good will ventures. Puppy farms should be
closed.
2.
Cows, Pigs and Sheep
There are thousands of vegans,
like myself, and vegetarians in Ireland who do not believe that it is
appropriate anymore to kill another to feed ourselves, when there are so many
alternatives. It would be in keeping with the wishes and choices of the people
to offer incentives to farmers to convert to growing crops. The climate cost of
so many animals is well known as is the amount of water farmed animals use.
Many people understand that the grain animals eat would itself go a long way to
feeding the world’s population. Rather than producing one meal on one table.
I understand that you yourself
have a farm and there might be resistance to change from many of your voters. While the industry is still going
strong therefore, please consider the following amendments. There should be no
intensive farming. There is a place in Kildare that takes ‘organic’ raised cows
and fattens them over 3 months in intensive conditions. During this time they
are given antibiotics to stop the spread of disease and they are fed non
organic grain.
Even if you have difficulty
summoning up the compassion in your peers to care for animals, please focus on
their place in the food chain. Genetically modified feed and chemically sprayed
feed brings the toxicity in to the human body. Nicotinoids in round up and all
the other pesticides and herbicides do not get processed by the body. They are
accumulative.
Put in legislation tomorrow to protect the earth, the
population, the biodiversity, the farm animals, sport animals and pets.
Farmers, via Monsanto and other pharmaceutical companies have been unleashing
pathagons into the eco system and the human food chain. All these things are
connected. The time of neutrality is over. Don’t let businesses make up their own
minds on their own practices, you must influence them. Please be clear in your
intention tomorrow. Intentions to date have been short term; to control the
source of food, make money and use, misuse and abuse whatever and whoever comes
to hand. Medium-term outcomes will be to destroy the eco system and the human
being’s ability to live on the planet. What level of hideousness are you
prepared to witness or address?
Rabbits for Angora wool ripped out of their bodies? Fur
farms? Factory farms, abbatoirs. I ask you to spare a thought for the logistics
of these places? In fur farms for example, thousands of animals being skinned –
less that half of them dead before it happens. Fur farming has to be banned. It
is completely unnecessary.
Ireland has a reputation for its green fields and healthy
produce but we all know that this is a veil of illusion. I only eat organic
food and in 50 metres of vegetables in each supermarket and small grocers there
is often not one pesticide-free product, let alone fully organic. The
reputation suits farmers but those cows have often not seen grass for months
because the ground is too wet and the grain they are fed is full of chemicals.
Many breeds of cow do not even have the lung capacity to live past 2 years as they are fed so heavily to fatten them up.
Then there are the laws that say cows should be killed around the 18 month, two
year mark which must serve someone. It is probably difficult to keep them alive
without drugs longer than that. Whatever is happening, the good reputation is
not a true story. It is bad practice, sad practice and toxic practice hidden
behind a green and pleasant façade. We need to clean up our act as everyone
will benefit. I suggest a blanket ban on GM crops being grown here, a ban on
chemical trailing. Obviously fracking should be banned as there won’t be clean
water for man or beast if you let that happen. Even if you can’t inspire a deep
interest in welfare, remember the connection between the land, the animals and
the people’s health.
Horses
I think the companion horse rule would be successful. Everyone
who has a horse should host and care for
a second, less-advantaged one! A simple principle that values kindness above
usefulness is called for.
Please ban the use of
nurse maid mares. They are made pregnant and their own foal discarded to
make them available to suckle a more valuable thoroughbred foal, as
thoroughbreds can sometimes be not as good mothers. But the clue’s in the name,
these animals are ‘mothers’ and the whole practice smacks of disregard. This
Act that you are working on is going to have to write compassion into it, in
nearly every sentence, so that there are no loop holes that ignorant (in the
original sense of the word) people can get through. Some people simply do not
know better.
Blood Sports
Again, the clue is in the name. Nothing should have to run
for its life. It is not a fair competition. The only thing animals have is
their lives and their skins and it is not healthy or humane to want to take
them from them. Fox hunting, stag hunting, hare coursing all display a
disturbing absence of humanity.
Birds and bees
The wild life has got to be protected. If you see the images
of a supermarket shelf post bees extinction there is nothing much to be bought.
Offer grants to people to learn how to keep bees and, again, ban pesticides.
The birds will be severely affected if the wind turbines go ahead, let alone
the pylons and substations. Don’t let more and more pollutants creep over the
Irish countryside, via corrupt short term planning and gain. No living thing
can cope with it. It is notable that the 300 billion loan for the Eirgrid plan
was decided in Dublin Castle too. Try not to step into that coercion and agree
to anything that will just serve the wealthy land owners. This is the day to
consider the animals only. Pure and simple empathy and regard for other
sentient beings.
Farming
We have received word that someone wants to raise production
40 and 60%, whatever that means. Don’t let it mean that you compromise on
production methods. Focus on quality not quantity. There is plenty of evidence
that fully organic production is just as strong as other methods. It works WITH
Nature, rather than killing off what we don’t want in the way of weeds and
pests. It can yield an equal crop and most importantly is not poisonous. Do not
let GM grain and chemicals weaken (change the ph of) our soil and toxify our
water courses any further. If you think about raising more animals for export,
think of the logistics of that. There is constantly a shortage of hay already.
All the grain will be cheap, GM imported feed that comes in to the human food
chain and more water will be used, more ground poached and more animals suffering
in intensified living conditions. Please come up with a better plan. You can do
it and this is the chance.
Circuses
Please ban the use of animals in circuses and don’t let
animals be transported for more than 6 hours while still alive. No food, no
water, no chance to stretch your legs, claustrophobic, terrifying and
accompanied by the sense that you are going to your death. You wouldn’t like
it. Its reminiscent of Auszwich. One day everyone will regret how animals are
treated and don’t let situations in other countries blind you to the cruelty
right here. Please systematically and radically sort this out. Some companies
may suffer but maybe they’ve made enough money on the backs of others and can
step away. Let life thrive again and with it humanity.
Also ban the flights of thousands of mice arriving in Dublin
for experiments. Vivisection has never healed anyone yet. For another understanding on how to move
forward see
The Hadwen Trust
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and
Europeans for Medical Advancement.
We can do things differently, harmlessly and in unison.
Thank you for your time and efforts so far.
Best regards, Frances Micklem
This is the link to the Ethics Commission interview with John Carmody, founder of ARAN
Show starts tonight at 10pm or on demand any time after that! http://newdirections.creatingcalmnetwork.com
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