Update on National Meat Association vs. Brown

Did anyone know this was going on?

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently heard arguments in National Meat Association v. Brown, a case in which the meat industry is attempting to invalidate a California law designed to reduce animal suffering and protect public safety.

At issue is Section 599f of the California Penal Code, which, among other things, prohibits slaughterhouses from purchasing, receiving, selling, dragging, or pushing non-ambulatory animals, also known as “downers,” and requires immediate euthanasia of such animals. The industry sued California, arguing that Section 599f is preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act. A coalition of animal protection groups consisting of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Farm Sanctuary, and the Humane Farming Association (HFA), intervened in the case to ensure that the interests of animals and the public were represented.

Cutting Duplicative Research Could Save Millions

Just read an August update from an ALDF lawyer about medical research. I was struck by this paragraph.

I recently attended a presentation on animals and toxicity testing in which I was stunned to hear the speaker estimate that by merely requiring researchers to share their research results with other scientists to decrease duplicate testing, and by harmonizing chemical testing standards, several million animals would be immediately spared from use in unnecessary research.

That's a lot of saved lives. But would researchers be willing to share their results? Doubtful if it means endangering their potential patents.

Vick to Play in Game 3

Just realized that we reported this on Critter World News, but never posted about it.

Michael Vick is now eligible to return in Game THREE instead of just Game Six of the regular season.

Someone up there must like him.

Trader Joe's Eggs NOT Humane

I decided to look online for some information regarding the "Organic Free Range Eggs" that Trader Joe's, my favorite store, sells.

Here is what their web site says.

6. A Note About Eggs

At Trader Joe's we listen to what our customers tell us about the choices we give them. Thanks to their valued feedback, in 2005 we made an important change in our egg selection. As of this time, all Trader Joe's brand eggs come only from cage-free hens. Now customers looking for cage-free eggs need to look no further than the Trader Joe's label. Any conventional eggs sold in our stores are in a brand name carton, not under the Trader Joe's label.

But are they really free-range eggs? I looked online and all I could find was this article on The Vegetarian Site. Here's what they say about Trader Joe's eggs (definitely does not sound humane to me.)

Trader Joe's, a national specialty grocer, offers a large range of vegan and soy products. They also offer "Cage Free" eggs. None of the employees at my local store could offer any information concerning the welfare of the hens. However, I did get a response from corporate headquarters: "The hens live in barns with some access to the outdoors. They are debeaked because that is necessary to keep them from injuring each other." If, in fact, Trader Joe's deems debeaking as necessary, then this immediately reveals the high density of birds. Under a true free range setting, hens can establish a "pecking order" and none is in danger so long as she can move easily to a different area. Under a high-stress, high-density environment, a natural pecking order cannot be established and the sharp beaks of hens can result in injury (and death) to large numbers of birds.

Another Excuse for Michael Vick

Sigh. I see a lot of these rationales. Essentially, it goes like this.

What Michael Vick did really sucked.

But everything humans do to animals really sucks anyway.

So, let's cut him some slack and forgive the guy.

In that case, why do we punish humans for crimes against other humans? We are a pretty cruel society that cares little for children, the poor and the elderly. If someone harms them, well, it's okay if you place it in context.

Let's give the perpetrator a second chance!

Wolf Killing in Idaho Under Scrutiny

I'm not surprised Sarah Palin's family is from Idaho. The state government is as crazy about wolf killing as she is. But a US District Court Judge has granted a hearing on stopping the killing to wolf advocates represented by Earthjustice.

Montana is another state where wolf killing is allowed.

France's Ugly Secret: Eating Endangered Songbird

Now France can add another to its long list of gastronomic sins...eating ortolan, an endangered songbird.

From the Guardian...

In a co-ordinated protest, members of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) destroyed hundreds of traps and set free the birds inside. The time had come, they said, to prioritise biodiversity over gastronomy.

"For 10 years now, not only has the state turned a blind eye [to the poachers] but it has been complicit," said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the LPO. "It is time to make the state face up to its responsibilities."

The hunting and selling of ortolans, which have suffered a Europe-wide decline of 40-50% in the last 40 years, has been illegal in France since 1999.

But that has not stopped hundreds of poachers setting traps to catch between 30,000 and 50,000 of the songbirds a year.

During the hunting season, which lasts from mid-August until the end of September, the birds are taken from their cages, fattened up in the dark and then drowned alive in Armagnac. Plucked and roasted, they are served whole.

Humans Not Natural Milk Drinkers

I've heard this before, but it's fascinating every time it comes up.

There is such a push in society to drink milk for calcium for strong bones. But really, it's not natural for us to be drinking milk past infancy. It's the perfect example of a market being created out of nothing. Of misinformation that is repeated so often it becomes fact. If you really think about it, how many prehistoric people were grabbing pregnant cows to suckle on?

Lactose intolerant people are actually the normal ones.

Happy Friday

It's a cruel world, but sometimes you just have to enjoy the simple things in life the way this puppy is.

ALF Activist Pleads Guilty in Utah to Damaging Mink Farm

A man in Utah has pled guilty to "interfering with an animal enterprise" in federal court.

The raid to which Viehl pleaded guilty took place at the McMullin mink farm in South Jordan in August 2008. Rydalch said the raid consisted of releasing minks and spray-painting parts of the farm, including a barn. She said the plea agreement "stated the damage and loss to real and personal property at the farm exceeded $10,000."

Spray painting a barn? Wow, good thing the feds were on this instead of the local cops.

Baby Chicks Ground Up

What a subject line, but it's true. Thanks to Mercy for Animals for their undercover work exposing this egg industry practice.

This is the second time this year that I've heard of this group capturing headlines. I'd never heard of them before. I'm very impressed by their courage and tenacity.

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Efforts Being Made to Halt Dolphin Slaughter in Japan

It's that time of year in Taiji Japan when they start slaughtering dolphins. You can read about Save Japan Dolphin's efforts here. It looks like there is at least some hope.

Thai Government Deals with Victims of Wildlife Trafficking

Sad, but at least the government is trying to help these animals.

RSPCA Collects 68,000 Signatures Supporting an End to Animal Research

That's an even larger number if you realize that each signature probably represents a few non-signers who feel the same way.

I really believe the more people learn about what research animals go through, the more common decency becomes a factor. The problem is that people don't really look at the pictures, read the stories or think about what's happening. They are too disturbed, frightened, or threatened to do so. But how many animal research supporters (non-scientists) actually step into a room and observe an experiment? How many of them actually see these animals in the labs?

That's why so many people don't want to talk about these issues. It upsets them. But their silence and cluelessness is essentially their consent.

The RSPCA collected these signatures leading up to the the 7th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Rome.

[The conference] began on the 30th of August and runs until the 3rd of September, two members of the RSPCA’s Research Animals Department are attending the event together with worldwide representatives of NGOs, industry and science as well as authorities and decision-makers.

68,315 people signed an online RSPCA petition stating "We, the undersigned, call on the British Government to work towards ending the use of animals in experiments, replacing them with humane alternatives."