Farm Sanctuary Updates!

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FARM SANCTUARY FARM ANIMAL DEFENSE CAMPAIGN UPDATES -

SUMMER 2001

 

NO DOWNERS CAMPAIGN:

 

The Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 267 and H.R.

1421) has bee

re-introduced in Washington, DC, and we are now

working to build the

list of cosponsors. The bill currently has over 96

cosponsors in the

House and 9 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate. For more

information and to

see if your Representative and Senators have

cosponsored this

legislation, please see www.nodowners.org.

 

ACTION: Write to your Congressional Representative and

Senators and urge

them to cosponsor the Downed Animal Protection Act

(H.R. 1421 in the

House and S. 267 in the Senate). If they have already

cosponsored,

please thank them:

 

Senator _______________

Congressman/woman______________

 

U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC

20515

 

FDA Petition:

 

Farm Sanctuary's petition to prohibit the slaughter of

downed animals

for human food remains under consideration at the Food

and Drug

Administration, and we are increasing our grass roots

campaign to

generate awareness and letters to FDA to urge the

Agency to grant our

petition. In addition to e-mail, phone, and US mail

alerts, we have

placed ads in various publications.

 

ACTION: *Volunteers needed- We have postcards which

can simply be signed

and sent into FDA, and we can send you these in

quantity if you can get

them signed. It is important that the FDA receive

input from as many

citizens as possible, and you can help bring this

about. (To obtain

postcards, please e-mail campaign or

call 607-292-3030

ext. 10.)

 

Please write to the Food and Drug Administration to

urge them to grant

petition number 98P-0151/CP1 to ban the slaughter of

downed animals for

human food, and help generate additional letters and

postcards to FDA.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Dockets Management Branch

5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061

Rockville, MD 20852

FAX: 301-827-6870

E-mail: FDADockets

 

NEW JERSEY CAMPAIGN TO OUTLAW CRUEL FARMING PRACTICES:

 

 

We continue urging the New Jersey Department of

Agriculture to fulfill

its legislative mandate and to draft humane standards

to prevent

inhumane factory farming practices in New Jersey.

Besides receiving over

15,000 comments from concerned citizens, the

Department is now beginning

to hear from New Jersey legislators. So far, 8 state

Assembly members

and Senators have contacted the Department and urged

it to draft

meaningful humane standards. We have met with various

NJ media outlets

who are now beginning to air this issue publicly.

 

NJ Egg Factory Cruelty Case:

 

Last year, we succeeded in having ISE egg farm, the

largest egg producer

in the state of New Jersey, convicted of cruelty to

animals for

discarding two live hens in a trash can. However, in a

shocking reversal

of the case, a superior court judge ruled there was

not substantial

evidence to uphold the convictions. We are extremely

disappointed with

this decision, but we are encouraged by some of the

other findings made

in the appellate case. Most significantly, in response

to ISE's

assertion that it and other factory farms are

protected by the 'Right to

Farm Act' and therefore not liable to prosecution

under the anti-cruelty

statute, the judge explicitly rejected ISE's argument.

 

 

ANTI-VEAL CAMPAIGN:

 

On Mother's Day, Farm Sanctuary coordinated a national

anti-veal

educational effort, and worked with dozens of

activists in 60 cities and

towns across the United States. In addition to

educating people through

leafleting at public locations and in front of

restaurants, the media

was contacted to help inform people about the inhumane

treatment of veal

calves.

 

To date, 29 of New York City's most prestigious

restaurants have signed

our anti-veal pledge. Some recent additions to the

list include: Lutece,

Aureole, Luahn, Metrazur. New York City restaurants

who continue to

serve crated, anemic veal, will be the target of

educational leafleting

activities weekly throughout the summer months. This

summer, we will

also undertake an anti-veal advertizing campaign in

New York City.

 

We have obtained anti-veal pledges from 9 restaurants

in our hometown of

Watkins Glen, NY - 7 agreed not to serve any veal

while 2 agreed not to

serve veal from calves raised in crates and fed a diet

which causes

anemia. Some restaurants in Watkins Glen continue to

serve crated,

anemic veal, and we will stay in touch with these

establishments, and

encourage them to reconsider their menu selections.

 

We have also started to contact airlines and other

industries with a

large food service components to urge that they not

serve veal. So far,

one airline, Frontier, has returned the pledge not to

serve crated,

anemic veal.

 

ACTION: Contact restaurants and other establishments

in your area, and

urge them not to serve veal. Order Farm Sanctuary's

" NO VEAL " organizing

kit which includes color posters, flyers, and other

materials to help educate people about veal from

ampaign or call

607-292-3030 ext. 10.

 

Robyn Thunderchild, Farm Sanctuary Campaigns Coord

Robyn