|
All I can say is that I'm happy to FINALLY report on some good news regarding animals in the United States. The PACT Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump of the United States after unanimously making its way through Senate and landing on his desk. The PACT (Preventing Animal Cruelty & Torture) Act will make animal cruelty a federal offence effectively punishing those who engage in a variety of forms of animal crushing and cruelty. The Act will allow individual states to convict animal cruelty under federal law making for more convictions and stronger punishments associated with those convictions. This is a monumental step in the right direction when it comes to animal welfare standards in the United States and will see animals better protected across the nation.
I originally reported on the PACT Act passing through senate earlier this month so it's incredible that in such a short time, the act was signed into law and will come into effect. As I mentioned, this is great news for animals in the United States and will hopefully lead to stronger punishments, more convictions, and over time, less instances of animal cruelty of this nature.
Congratulations to the United States for enacting this monumental law! HAPPY VEG
2 Comments
New York has once again proven their commitment to animal welfare by announcing a ban on foie gras. The ban on foie gras will be enacted beginning in 2022 meaning that the sale of foie gras from that point will be illegal. The ban comes after 9, 000 veterinary professionals, 30 co-sponsors, over 90 NYC based restaurants, and 81% of people surveyed supported the ban of the controversial delicacy. Foie gras is arguably one of the most cruel food products on the market. Geese and ducks are force fed obscene amounts of food in an effort to bloat their livers until they are nearly ready to explode, at which point the goose / duck is slaughtered and the liver is harvested and sold as a delicacy. There is simply no argument in defense of foie gras aside from the ever popular, "but it tastes good" because one cannot argue in defense of a product steeped in so much cruelty.
Foie Gras is unilaterally banned in several countries around the world including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Norway as well as California in the United States that enacted the ban in 2012. Despite the ban being challenged, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban in California cementing California's continued commitment to advancing animal welfare standards in the state and being an example to other states. New York's ban will also hopefully prompt other states to join in on banning foie gras, recognizing that it is a novelty product rooted in cruelty.
Here's to the ban on foie gras! :) HAPPY VEG Michigan has just passed a law requiring hens, calves, and pigs be cage free by 2024, effectively ending some of the cruelest conditions for farm animals in the state. The law, improving on a law from 2010 that put a ban on restrictive cages by 2020, will see all farm animals spared the horrors of living in cages on farms which is wholly exciting. Animals used for meat and dairy have some of the lowest standards of living when compared to other animals outside of the agriculture industry. I know I have repeatedly reported on stories involving abuse of farm animals in the past because they simply don't have the protections and welfare standards other animals have, like dogs and cats for example. Farm animals are regularly overlooked when it comes to the way animals deserve to be treated, especially within the agriculture industry where they are looked at as nothing more than products. Farm animals endure some of the most grotesque treatment and poor living conditions imaginable which is why a law like this is quite monumental.
This law will alleviate some of the worst conditions for farm animals allowing them the space to move without the restriction of living in cages. There is still much work to do in regards to farm animals being treated as living creatures who deserve certain standards of living until their deaths, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. We can only hope that this inspires more states across the US to impose similar laws effectively ending cages for these poor animals.
HAPPY VEG Senators in the United States have reintroduced the Humane Cosmetics Act in an effort to finally end cosmetics testing on animals. The Act would phase out cosmetics tested on animals and make it unlawful to produce or sell cosmetics knowingly tested on animals in the United States. This is a very important first step to ending the cruel and unnecessary testing of cosmetics on animals that has for years, legally tortured animals for the sake of novelty products.
Animals used for cosmetics testing are forced to endure repeated testing of creams, lotions, lipsticks, and other cosmetics all while living in tiny cages their entire lives. When being tested on, they are being monitored for skin irritations, rashes, allergic reactions, and other ailments from using said products. In some instances, the animals used for cosmetics testing are left with painful sores and rashes that typically go untreated until the animals are of no use any longer at which point they are killed. These animals live their entire lives as a disposable product despite being living, breathing creatures.
Animal testing for cosmetics is wholly unnecessary and it's time that the world recognizes that cosmetics testing on animals needs to go. There is simply no argument for continuing to abuse animals for the sake of novelty products which is why this bill needs to be approved and made into law. We must do away with unnecessary abuse of animals and stop arguing for the value of these tests. Animals and humans react differently to medications, cosmetics, food etc., there just isn't enough evidence that animal reactions translate to human reactions which makes cosmetics testing even further unnecessary. The U.S would join Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and Australia, all of which have either banned or are currently phasing out cosmetics tested on animals. It's time for an end to cosmetics animal testing! I will update you guys when more information becomes available. HAPPY VEG Costa Rica has launched the Stop the Selfie campaign to raise awareness for animal cruelty and wildlife conservation. The stop the selfie campaign aims to end wild animal selfies and raise awareness for the harm and negative effect this can have on both the wild animals and the people involved. Costa Rica has about 5% of the world's biodiversity and sadly, these wild animal selfies are having a really negative effect on the wildlife there. These tourist selfies with wild animals disrupt the natural environment for these animals and can cause them immense stress and anxiety because of forced human interaction. All of this on top of the fact that these animals can also carry disease and pathogens that can transfer to humans making the situation especially dangerous for everyone involved.
On a positive note however, nearly 64% of the tourists in Costa Rica engage in ecotourism meaning they abstain from cruel wildlife selfies and other wildlife related tourist traps like these. That doesn't mean it's not happening however as it is reported that Costa Rica ranks 7th in regards to animal selfies and photographs severely impacting biodiversity. There is simply no justification for engaging with wild animals in this manner.
The Stop the Selfie campaign encourages people to engage in ecotourism and to share ethical photos and selfies of their travels through Costa Rica. This ambitious initiative will hopefully help to end the wildlife selfies in COsta Rica and spread awareness of the harm that they actually cause. Learn more about this initiative by visiting the link at the top of the page for the original story through World Animal News. HAPPY VEG Animal advocacy group Mercy for Animals has launched the "Transfarmation" project, a project aimed at helping animal farmers transition to plant based farming. The Transfarmation project helps heavily indebted farmers transition and become allies in the plant based agriculture community. Through sponsorships, initiatives, incentives, and aid, the Transfarmation project helps farmers who are struggling to make ends meet through animal agriculture and provides them with the means to effectively grow lettuces, hemp, and other plant based crops. These plant based crops will statistically generate more income, require more workers which will create more jobs, and ultimately be better for the farmers, the animals, and the planet. The Transfarmation project recognizes that many farmers are trapped in the animal agriculture industry with few viable farming options evident to them. They are slaves to bigger corporations and often times aren't making enough money off of the animal agriculture they are participating in. They take on colossal debt simply to conduct business with no hope of ever really making enough money to justify the work being done. That's where the Transfarmation project comes in!
The Transfarmation project is going to help smaller, family run farms transition to profitable, environmentally friendly crops allowing them to flourish without the animal ag industry. These initiatives are crucial to convincing more farmers to abandon animal farming and shift towards a more sustainable industry. I look forward to continuing to update about the Transfarmation project because I can see this being successful and making a big impact on the farming industry.
HAPPY VEG The British High Court upheld the UK Ivory Act after a legal fight with antique retailers. The British High Court upheld the Act after a group of antique dealers unsuccessfully claimed that the act was contrary to EU law and infringed on their human rights. Presumably, the antique dealers were frustrated with the Ivory Act being implemented next year because it will impede on their selling of products containing ivory. The ACT, going into effect next year, will restrict the sale of ivory being imported, exported, and sold within the UK in an effort to aid in conservation of elephants. The United Kingdom is one of the leading exporters of antique ivory, particularly to China and Hong Kong, both of which are the largest markets for newly poached ivory. The Environmental Investigation Agency claims that the United Kingdom's ivory industry continues to fuel ivory demand because of perpetuating a perceived value on ivory which is why the UK Ivory Act is a crucial step in heavily restricting ivory sales and curbing the ivory market.
When it comes to conservation, we must recognize the perils elephants face and work towards eliminating the things that we are contributing to their demise, ivory being the number 1 thing. With the United KIngdom standing up and saying there is no place for ivory, it's sending a clear message that elephants matter more than products made out of their ivory. It's also hopefully sending a message to other countries that continue to import / export ivory that a restriction / ban is imperative in saving elephants from extinction.
HAPPY VEG The United States Senate unanimously passed the PACT (Preventing Animal Cruelty & Torture) act and it now falls in to the President's hands to make the final decision. If the act is passed, it will be a serious victory for animal rights and a very big step in the right direction for preventing and properly punishing serious animal cruelty convictions. The PACT act takes aim at "animal crushing" which is a term given to any living, non-human sentient being that is crushed, tortured, beaten, drowned, burned, or anything else that causes serious bodily harm. The PACT act will allow for appropriate punishments to be attached to convictions of crushing and will hopefully start to work as a deterrent for future cases. Without the ACT signed into law, animal crushing is unfortunately going unpunished and unrecognized as a serious crime.
Although, given President Trump's track record regarding animal rights, I am still hopeful that PACT will be signed into law and hopefully come into effect immediately. This is an opportunity for the President to demonstrate even the slightest empathetic attitude towards animals and perhaps show that his heart is not entirely made of stone. As mentioned, his administration's record with animals is one of the worst so this would be pretty monumental should it be signed into law.
I will update this story once the PACT act either becomes law or doesn't and we'll discuss further! HAPPY VEG A new report emerged showing that approximately 20, 000 square miles of land in the United States of America is prime habitat for reintroducing red wolves back to their natural habitat. The report, released by the Center for Biological Diversity, shows that between Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, there's enough suitable space to reintroduce the 14 last remaining red wolves and could support up to 500 breeding pairs. As mentioned, red wolves have dwindled down to only 14 remaining in the wild making them as close to extinction as unfortunately possible. The report urges the US Fish and Wildlife Services to immediately take steps to reintroduce the wolves as they cannot afford any delays to their survival. The report insists the US Fish & Wildlife Services draft a new reintroduction and recovery plan for the wolves taking advantage of the proposed space across the mentioned states to allow the red wolves to thrive once again.
Once common throughout Southeastern US, red wolves have been reduced to a single colony in North Carolina. The US Fish and Wildlife Services has stopped taking necessary steps to protect and conserve the red wolves allowing them to fall into near extinction. In fact, in response to a 2016 petition, the Fish and Wildlife Services pledged to update their recovery plan by the end of last year which they ultimately did not do bringing upon lawsuits to the Trump administration for their lackluster efforts in protecting the species. The Trump administration has repeatedly failed animals and has shown a complete lack of empathy to the perils these animals are currently facing.
With this new report emerging, we can hope that his administration gets off their arse and actually comes up with a proper reintroduction plan immediately before the last remaining red wolves die off, leading to their extinction. HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
Archives
April 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
Proudly powered by Weebly