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In Ariège, bears are being shot at to make them run away…

In Ariège, bears are being shot at to make them run away…

In Ariège, bears are being shot at to make them run away…
26.07.2022
Ariège
In Ariège, bears are being shot at to make them run away… Wildlife

To combat bear scaring in the Pyrenees, we are attending the emergency interim hearing at the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal on 27 July. One Voice is requesting the cancellation of the Ariège prefectural decree. The hearing relating to our plea at the State Council on the same subject has not yet been arranged.

After having reintroduced bears where farmers had made sure they had disappeared, the executive authorised prefects to organise warning shots, essentially to scare them, but which could also injure them. We are fighting the Ministries of Ecology and Agriculture at the State Council and the Ariège Prefecture at the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal. It is inconceivable to have made bears almost disappear from this area to then bring them from abroad and in turn make their lives impossible.

Various levels of the decrees and pleas are intertwined

Since 2019, the Ministries for the Ecological Transition and Agriculture have authorised the implementation of measures to scare brown bears in the Pyrenees with decrees. These measures were primarily authorised on a trial basis from 2019 to 2021, before being made permanent by a recent ministerial decree issued on 20 June 2022. On the basis of this decree, the prefects can issue bear scaring authorisations each year from now on throughout the entirety of the Pyrenean ranges.

Two types of bear scaring that reduce their natural territory bit by bit

There are two types of scaring measures: simple scaring which consists of the use of olfactory, sound, and light methods for scaring, and more intense scaring which consists of non-lethal shots using a rifle loaded with sound cartridges or rubber ammunition.

These measures present significant risks to bears: injuries caused by the rubber missiles, auditory injuries caused by sound devices, separation of the cubs from their mothers while they are escaping, miscarriages linked to stress, a risk of drifting due to the insufficient supervision of sheepdogs and hunters during operations. In short, an explosive combination.

Among other things, the implementation of these shots leads to bears being systematically pushed out of areas that are their natural habitat, which is decreasing extensively, little by little. The animals are therefore persuaded not to frequent essential parts of their natural area of distribution in the long term!

Protected animals for a good reason!

Today, brown bears are protected animals under European and French laws. The last count reported around 70 individuals in 2021, while the minimum threshold of viability for the species is estimated at 110 individuals. Scaring them “to protect herds” (which are destined for the abattoir in any case…) is nonsense anyway, seeing as there are so few of them…

Administrative jurisdiction that has already broken government decisions. And yet…

The State Council has already annulled the decrees issued in 2019 and 2020 implementing scaring measures that presented a risk to the improvement of the state of the ursine species in the Pyrenees mountain range… However, the Ministries for the Ecological Transition and Agriculture have not drawn conclusions from these annulments and have perpetuated the system, allowing prefects to authorise the implementation of scaring measures with the decree of 20 June 2022. One Voice is therefore attacking this decree from the State Council in order to get it annulled once again. The hearing has not yet been set.

Based on this ministerial decree, the Ariège Prefect has authorised grazing groups to resort to scaring measures (at least seven to date), which can therefore currently be implemented on the Pyrenees ranges. We have referred to the Toulouse Administrative Court in order to obtain an urgent suspension of these authorisations.

Our view is that these authorisations are illegal because these scaring measures seriously threaten the state of the ursine population and that, as for the wolves, alternative, more effective solutions exist to protect herds (by combining the presence of shepherds, protection dogs, and electric night-time enclosures for example). Incidentally, the Conseil national de la protection de la nature (CNPN) [National Council for the Protection of Nature] shares this opinion, and announced this during a meeting on 15 March 2022. For them, the effectiveness of scaring is not proven over time and it “is possible to ensure cohabitation between bears and pastoral activities with herds being well protected”.

While waiting for the hearing at the State Council, we will consequently be at the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal on 27 July facing the Ariège Prefect to defend the bears in our mountain ranges.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Protection for animals in China: raise awareness from an early age

Protection for animals in China: raise awareness from an early age

Protection for animals in China: raise awareness from an early age
25.07.2022
Protection for animals in China: raise awareness from an early age

We know that China is far from being a model country when it comes to animal protection. But digging into it, it is clear that the corrupt relationship of humans with the most fragile of beings is due to a lack of awareness, particularly in the poorest areas. This is why we are working closely with our partner, ACTAsia, to find a solution to the situation by supporting education programmes in kindness. And once the seeds have been sown, miracles happen…

Awakening compassion and stimulating kindness and all that is good in humans is the goal that we have set ourselves by supporting the Caring for Life educational programme by our partner ACTAsia. This NGO, run in China, is an astounding effort in raising awareness with respect for life in all its forms. They have done a lot of work to raise awareness of the state of the country’s zoos and the dog meat trade. Every year they take action against the Yulin festival and also act closely with veterinarians in Asia to make them aware that animals feel fear and pain.

Fur is still all the rage

In China, it is rare for people to be aware of this obvious fact. Even the dangers represented by zoonotic diseases are not always taken into consideration. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic drove many countries – including France – to forbid breeding animals for fur in their countries, the Chinese industry did not draw any conclusions on it. Quite the opposite! With the disappearance of their rivals, they saw an opportunity to gain a greater share of the market in worldwide trade and to promote the exploitation of mink, Arctic foxes, silver foxes, and raccoon dogs, who all suffered the most. All while making fun of the public health concerns of an extremely toxic and harmful industry.

Empathy can be learnt

With ACTAsia, we are convinced that developing empathy relies on education, ideally from a very young age. Those who have benefited from the Caring For Life project are the best witnesses of this. This unique programme, lasting through six years of primary school, addresses social well-being, citizenship, animal welfare, environmental issues, and recognises interdependence between all living beings. Ms Fang, a teacher, discovered it in 2013 and saw the benefits for both her son and herself: “CFL taught me to practice compassion in all aspects of my life and I firmly believe that we should all live our lives on this basis”. She has been very invested since and teaches it by including the CFL lessons in school learning. And the positive impact of the lessons, delivered at school and during summer camps, is remarkable. Ms Fang continues to see changes in the day-to-day behaviour of her pupils. She sees their kindness and their civilised and responsible behaviours grow. In order to measure the success of the programme, she carried out a two-year study comparing two classes — one which follows CFL teaching and the other that does not. Prosocial and compassionate attitudes were very evident among the students who had received the CFL learning. Much calmer and not showing signs of aggression, they showed a much greater respect for others. Following this study, more classes now adopt CFL teaching. A new generation of compassionate and empathetic children is emerging, ready to implement these “un-technical skills” in all aspects of their existence and in society in a wider sense in the future. And we are here to encourage them!

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

An urgent reform of ethical committees in animal testing is needed

An urgent reform of ethical committees in animal testing is needed

An urgent reform of ethical committees in animal testing is needed
20.07.2022
Europe
An urgent reform of ethical committees in animal testing is needed
Animal testing

While we have been told for years that going through ethical committees is a guarantee of compliance with regulations, the Comité national de réflexion éthique sur l’expérimentation animale (CNREEA) [National Committee for Ethical Reflection on Animal Experimentation] has recently ruled that these committees do not have the means to function correctly. Its recommendations, which are interesting, do not go far enough. One Voice has written to CNREEA’s President to request a more ambitious reform.

On 8 April, the CNREEA submitted a notice regarding the conditions for approval for the comités d’éthique en expérimentation animale (CEEA) [Ethical Committees in Animal Experimentation]. This is great when we know that the 130 French CEEAs have not been in agreement since 2013 and that their operation does not allow compliance with the requirements for impartiality and transparency provided for by the regulations. We are almost surprised that the Ministry of Research still uses them today as an alibi to justify projects that involve electric shocks and forced swimming to be authorised.

Unfortunately, CNREEA’s notice remains timid on points as important as the make-up of the committees, the increase in participation of those who are not involved in animal testing, and committees’ independence regarding the establishments whose projects they assess. One Voice has therefore addressed an open letter to Pierre Mormède, CNREEA’s President, to call for a more ambitious reform of ethical committees.

Opinions on the CEEAs

CNREEA’s recommendations on ethical committees predominantly concern financial and logistical means: member training and ‘mission letters’ allow them to carry out evaluations of their working time, the increase in the number of members and regular participation in evaluations, but also material and logistical means necessary for basic operation.

Up to this point, the propositions seem to us to be completely reasonable and welcome, and it seems to be appropriate to thank the CNREEA for this. The major limit of its recommendations is rather what has not been addressed here, namely the make-up of the committees and the function of the evaluations themselves.

CEEA limits

Ethical Committees in Animal Experimentation (CEEA) clearly appear to be lacking when we compare them with their equivalent for research involving human beings: the Comités de protection des personnes (CPP) [Committees for People’s Protection].

CEEAs have a minimum composition of five people, of which four are directly involved in animal testing, while the fifth does not have to prove they have any expertise. CPPs are comprised of twenty-eight people, of which half represent patient and specialist associations such as sociology and law, but also ethics – a speciality which is completely absent from ‘ethics’ committees in animal experimentation.

Furthermore, a file that must go through a CPP is randomly submitted to one of the 38 CPPs in France, which guarantees a certain impartiality in the rulings implemented. On the other hand, a file that must go through a CEEA is submitted to the committee linked to the establishment that is presenting the project – which means that there are currently around 130 CEEAs in France, a number ten times higher than the European average, which is far from a guarantee of independence and harmony in the operation of committees.

The reform is urgent

If CNREEA’s notice is implemented as it stands, the ethical committees in animal experimentation will begin a change in operations involving significant investment. It would therefore then be difficult to move towards more ambitious reforms for several years.

Hence our request to envisage a reform inspired by the CPP model from now on. A request which is not alone, since it is also part of the programme from the Parti Animaliste [Animalist Party] and propositions from the Engagement Animaux 2022 campaign, which we participated in.

This will involve a bigger change but would at least make it possible to reach the objective set by European regulations and by the Animal Experimentation Ethics Charter: the impartiality and independence of ethics committees, moving towards better control in animal testing while waiting for it to be abolished.

To find out more: a brief history

While the CNREEA left no trace over the course of its first ten years of existence (2005-2014) outside of a national charter on the ‘ethics’ of animal experimentation, the arrival of the European Directive in 2013 seems to have motivated some work (listed on the Ministry of Research’s website). In particular, activity seems more sustained since 2019 with the appointment of new members, presided by Pierre Mormède: the 2020 summary mentions four meetings throughout the year (instead of two in the previous years), several notices issued in 2021, and other notices in progress. The next meeting will take place in 2024 – we will fight so that One Voice can have a place in this future committee.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

One month left to call for a Europe without animal testing

One month left to call for a Europe without animal testing

One month left to call for a Europe without animal testing
19.07.2022
Union Européenne
One month left to call for a Europe without animal testing
Animal testing

The Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is not a simple petition: reaching one million signatures will compel the European Commission to look into the proposal and to provide a response to it. You have until 31 August to sign and get those you know to sign! Without you, without them, we will not make it.

Last year, One Voice and numerous committed associations, alliances, and brands joined forces to launch a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) against animal experimentation, specifically in relation to cosmetics. The cut-off date of 31 August 2022 is approaching and we are asking you again to sign and share (see the end of this article) this initiative as widely as possible.

A committed political act

A petition is generally not binding on its recipients. But an ECI is much more than a petition because if it receives more than one million signatures, the European Commission is obliged to look into the requests and to respond to them.

Signing the ECI is therefore truly a committed political act.

The requests of the SaveCrueltyFreeCosmetics ECI

You have three reasons to sign this ECI:

1. Guaranteeing and reinforcing a ban on animal testing for cosmetics

In fact, according to an analysis published in 2021, more than 60 exclusively cosmetic ingredients have been tested on animals in the European Union despite bans on these tests since 2009 and 2013. And that is without counting the thousands of ingredients with multiple uses. We informed you about our concerns on this dramatic setback…

2. Overhaul the EU regulations relating to chemical products

These regulations regularly force businesses to practice tests on animals, particularly when it comes to plastics and other petroleum products, but also metals, dyes, essential oils, and so on.

3. Establish a roadmap to leave animal testing behind

In September 2021, the European Parliament unanimously passed a motion to move away from animal testing.

Signing the ECI will allow us to keep pressure on the European Union for a truly ambitious policy to come into force!

We still need to find more than 300,000 signatures

Eleven countries, France being one, have reached the minimum threshold of signatures, which completes the first criterion necessary for the ECI to be successful. The second criterion is to reach one million signatures – without counting any duplicates. Our Members of the European Parliament are in agreement with us, they are in favour of an action plan to get away from animal testing. The European Commission is the only one left to catch on. We are counting on you to help us to reach this goal!

With already more than 100,000 signatures (almost 200% of the national threshold), France figures prominently among the signatories. But now is not the time to ease off, there is not a moment to lose: other countries have gone even further. Slovakia is at almost 250%, Finland and Germany at almost 300%, Bulgaria has passed 300%, and the Czech Republic is about to reach 600% of its signature threshold!

And there are still around 300,000 left to reach the minimum threshold… You can participate in change for animals used in laboratories!

To help in finding a way out of animal testing, you can sign the ECI (if you have not already done so) and encourage those close to you and your network to do the same and to share the link http://savecrueltyfree.eu

To motivate them, you can explain to those close to you that the signing process is very simple nowadays and can be done without an identity card. You can also remind them that, despite appearances, this is not just a simple petition, but a political process which could have a real and profound impact.

Message template to share on your other social networks: Facebook, Instagram, etc.:

One month left to reach the one million signatures needed for the #SaveCrueltyFreeCosmetics ECI! Without it, progress against #AnimalTesting is not possible. Sign, share, talk about it with everyone you know! http://www.savecrueltyfree.eu/ @onevoiceanimal #EndAnimalTesting

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

One Voice is raising awareness among the public for animals kept in dolphinariums and circuses in 13 towns throughout July

One Voice is raising awareness among the public for animals kept in dolphinariums and circuses in 13 towns throughout July

One Voice is raising awareness among the public for animals kept in dolphinariums and circuses in 13 towns throughout July
13.07.2022
France
One Voice is raising awareness among the public for animals kept in dolphinariums and circuses in 13 towns throughout July
Exploitation for shows

In July, in 13 towns in France, One Voice will raise awareness among the public of the exploitation of animals for entertainment in circuses and dolphinariums. The Association is organising a coordinated national activist event on 16 July in Annecy, Antibes (where a demonstration will take place near Marineland), Lyon, Metz, Montpellier, Nantes (where tributes will be paid to Aïcko the dolphin who died at Planète Sauvage), Rouen, and Troyes; on 17 July in La Rochelle and Sisteron; on 23 July in Aix-en-Provence; on 24 July in Lille; and on 30 July in Strasbourg.

For One Voice, whether they are marine or land animals, they must be preserved and protected in their natural habitats.

Circuses and dolphinariums: places of boredom and intense suffering

Orcas and dolphins lead a miserable life in the concrete pools of dolphinariums where they all suffer cruelly from captivity. They die young, unwell, and injured here and are sometimes driven to aggression by boredom, frustration, and endless deprivation. We are calling on the public to join us and to demand with us the transfer of captive cetaceans from these two dolphinariums in France, Planète Sauvage near Nantes and Marineland Antibes, to a marine sanctuary.

In circuses, the animals are made to suffer by the conditions that they are kept in, by the violence of training and shows and the tough nature of travelling around.
An endless ordeal that specialists say is a life that is not worth living. Many are born and die in a lorry; and disappear unnoticed.

An unfinished law and a campaign lasting more than twenty years

The law against animal mistreatment is a step forward on certain topics but it definitely does not go far enough for the animals kept and exploited for entertainment. One Voice is therefore continuing its work in raising awareness among the public of the reality behind the sequins thanks to footage from the investigation and proceedings. Its activists will encourage as many people as possible not to go to these places where animals are miserable, as they have done for more than twenty years. This is how they have helped ensure that big tops and dolphinariums close one after the other due to a lack of spectators.

These animals, with their dignity tarnished, all suffer the same horrendous fate.
We will never give up on them.

Note: you can consult the event online before going
Updated live to assure you that it has not been changed.

Dept. TOWN Facebook Event Address Date Time
13 Aix-en-Provence https://www.facebook.com/events/1439219893178530 Allées de Provence 23 July 10:30am to 12:30pm
74 Annecy https://www.facebook.com/events/358469066419147/ Carnot 16 July 2:30pm to 4:30pm
6 Antibes https://www.facebook.com/events/540236677589677 1715, route de Nice 16 July 4:30pm to 6:00pm
17 La Rochelle https://www.facebook.com/events/586837823005366 Cours des Dames, Old Port 17 July 3:00pm to 5:00pm
59 Lille https://www.facebook.com/events/2303900679763394 1, rue des Tanneurs 24 July 2:30pm to 4:00pm
69 Lyon https://www.facebook.com/events/1504208013330881 Porte des Enfants du Rhône
Parc de la Tête d’Or		 16 July 3:00pm to 4:30pm
57 Metz https://www.facebook.com/events/477162744169050/ 64, rue Serpenoise 16 July 2:30pm to 4:30pm
34 Montpellier https://www.facebook.com/events/599699914699651/ Place de la Comédie 16 July 10:30am to 12:00pm
44 Nantes https://www.facebook.com/events/5499447786742538 Location to be confirmed 16 July 4:00pm to 6:00pm
76 Rouen https://www.facebook.com/events/1217000419126750 Place du Général de Gaulle 16 July 2:30pm to 4:00pm
5 Sisteron https://www.facebook.com/events/560755435453390/ Plan d’Eau des Marres 17 July 10:30am to 1:00pm
67 Strasbourg https://www.facebook.com/events/574302834134367 Place du Corbeau 30 July 10:30am to 12:00pm
10 Troyes https://www.facebook.com/events/385590263541291/ 71, Rue Emile Zola 16 July 3:30pm to 6:00pm

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

At the National Veterinary School of Alfort, animal testing is a laughing matter

At the National Veterinary School of Alfort, animal testing is a laughing matter

At the National Veterinary School of Alfort, animal testing is a laughing matter
12.07.2022
Alfort
At the National Veterinary School of Alfort, animal testing is a laughing matter
Animal testing

To test surgical veterinary techniques, the National Veterinary School of Alfort [l’École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort (EnvA)] uses ‘experimental’ mares and horses who will never know anything other than animal testing. In a video published in 2021 in an article by EnvA, we hear the staff laughing heartily while one of these horses is in the middle of experimental surgery.

Image: Screenshot of the S1 video from the paper « Balloon catheter occlusion of the maxillary, internal, and external carotid arteries in standing horses »

Following the publication of certain malicious messages on social networks against the veterinary school, the staff, students in fact, asked us to show moderation and to remain intrinsically non-violent, as we always have done. Insults, threats, and injuries never help the animals or the fights that we are leading together. Thanks to you.

The use of animal testing in veterinary research is a complex subject: is it acceptable to use animals to develop medications and surgical procedures for other animals? The question is raised with this study by EnvA, published in February 2021,which tests the feasibility of the occlusion of various arteries in standing horses and mares, with the idea of having a less risky solution to general anaesthesia to treat horses and mares affected by guttural pouch mycosis, a serious illness.

From experimental surgery to the anatomy table

This same question comes up much less when we know that the animals used for the first phase of the study were not presenting with any illness – while the second phase of the study tested the procedure on mares and horses that were unwell, with the agreement of their ‘owners’, with the aim of curing them.

Therefore, it was four ‘experimental’ mares and four ‘experimental’ horses in good health who had not asked for any of this but who had had the misfortune of having been bred for it. For the study that we are talking about, these individuals were subjected to invasive surgical acts on two occasions, in the neck, face, or gum areas.

After being used for these experimental surgeries, all of the animals were killed to be used for use in education of the equine anatomy. Anyone would think that alternative methods for specialised training (such as simulators or augmented reality apps) have still not been successful in becoming established in France.

 

Animal testing is a laughing matter

Evidently, surgical operations do not always go as planned – something which is also true for experimental surgeries. ‘Horse 4’ was thus calmly subjected to the first surgery but showed signs of anxiety and an increase in its respiration during the second surgery, even moving around uncontrollably despite the sedative.

The article provides a video extract of this moment of the surgery. Warning: the footage is difficult to watch. Evidently, it is difficult to watch because it involves surgery. But it is even more difficult to watch when we know that this horse was perfectly well before being made to submit to this intervention and that it was killed a few days later. Above all, the end of the video (after the occlusion of the artery is released and the surgeon has left the camera’s field), where we hear the staff laughing, is utterly obscene.

As if the expressions of anxiety and neurological disorders of this individual could make you laugh. Truly, animal testing feeds a very particular conception of animals.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Pig trifecta: a letter to the Vabres l’Abbaye mayor

Pig trifecta: a letter to the Vabres l’Abbaye mayor

Pig trifecta: a letter to the Vabres l’Abbaye mayor
11.07.2022
Aveyron
Pig trifecta: a letter to the Vabres l’Abbaye mayor
Exploitation for shows

We have received images and videos of the 46th pig trifecta in Vabres l’Abbaye. They show pigs squealing, exposed to crowds and noise, and forced to keep moving as quickly as possible… We have written to the Mayor.

Mr Frédéric Artis
Mayor of Vabres l’Abbaye
Hôtel de Ville
12400 Vabres l’Abbaye

Vannes, 11 July 2021

Dear Mayor,

We have been warned by the organisation about the 46th pig trifecta on 3 July in Vabres l’Abbaye.

In our capacity as an association with the main purpose to protect and defend animals and the environment, we are concerned by the treatment in store for them.

The images and videos that we have been given show pigs squealing, exposed to crowds and noise, and forced to keep moving as quickly as possible. The animals are clearly disorientated and absolutely do not understand what awaits them.

Voluntarily submitting animals to such levels of stress for a purely recreational purpose is cruel and unethical. The pigs, who are nevertheless animals with extraordinary cognitive and sentient abilities, are reduced to numbers here.

Such an event has serious repercussions on the public and particularly children. The pigs are considered as objects of entertainment with no consideration for their needs or desires. This performance is regressive in educating future generations to respect their environment and the individuals with whom they share it.

No tradition can justify mistreating animals. This situation certainly tarnishes the image of Vabres l’Abbaye which also has an undeniable cultural significance. The celebration of the village festival must not happen to the detriment of respect for animals.

This is why we are asking you in future to renounce the organisation of pig trifectas in favour of more ethical events.

We thank you for your attention to this letter and ask that you accept our highest consideration, Mr Mayor.

Muriel Arnal
Founding President of One Voice

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Tens of thousands of mice are still being killed for botox! One Voice is demanding a ban on animal testing

Tens of thousands of mice are still being killed for botox! One Voice is demanding a ban on animal testing

Tens of thousands of mice are still being killed for botox! One Voice is demanding a ban on animal testing
09.07.2022
Union Européenne
Tens of thousands of mice are still being killed for botox! One Voice is demanding a ban on animal testing.
Animal testing

The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), of which One Voice is a member, has revealed that hundreds of thousands of mice are killed in botox tests with great cruelty despite the existence of non-animal tests. On 9 July, the ECEAE organised a European Action Day and is demanding the responsible authority, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM), to abolish this regulatory testing.

Botulinum toxin (called ‘botox’) is a neurotoxin used for cosmetic purposes such as eliminating facial wrinkles, but also in the field of medical applications. Each batch is tested on mice in a test called ‘LD50’. Different doses of this substance are injected into the abdomens of groups of mice in order to determine from what quantity half of the animals die. The poison paralyses the respiratory muscles and the mice die by suffocation while they are fully conscious. In 2011, the American manufacturer Allergan received approval for their cell-based test. Due to continuing protests from the ECEAE and other animal protection associations, the Merz and Ipsen companies also replaced the majority of their tests on animals, but this fight is not over.

Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice, stated:

«It is unacceptable that animals, sentient beings, are still subjected to an atrocious death for a product largely used for cosmetic purposes despite there being non-animal technologies available.»

Non-technical summaries accessible to the public have shown that botox tests carried out on 22,440 mice have been approved by Germany in 2021. In 2019, 46,800 mice (this figure could be as high as 150,000 in previous years!) were used in botox tests in Germany alone. In 2019 and 2020, projects involving the use of botulinum toxin on rodents and birds were approved in France to study different pathologies in the muscles, or pain, or to model avian botulism. In Europe, Ireland has been the country that practices these tests the most for a long time. The official statistics from 2020 reveal that 100,848 mice were subjected to what they call batch potency tests, very likely for botox. 92,887 mice were killed in this way in 2019, 138,846 in 2018, and 192,015 in 2017. The reduction is therefore visible but, in the eyes of the entirety of the members of our coalition, whatever the number of mice sacrificed is, it is unacceptable.

The European Pharmacopoeia, which regulates batch tests of botox-based products, authorises a certain number of tests on animals but also the famous LD50 test on mice. The ECEAE urgently requests the EDQM regulatory authority to abolish the Pharmacopoeia to put an end to the atrocious suffering that it inflicts on animals.

Each year at the beginning of July, our coalition organises an Action Day against botox tests carried out on animals to mark the first regulatory approval, in 2011, of an ethical cell-based botox test.

The ECEAE also supports the ‘Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics’ European Citizens’ Initiative aiming to progressively eliminate animal testing in its entirety. A million signatures must be collected between now and 31 August so that the European Commission will act. We are counting on you!

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Pleas and unpublished images from One Voice on pheasants and partridges being bred for hunting in La Peyratte

Pleas and unpublished images from One Voice on pheasants and partridges being bred for hunting in La Peyratte

Pleas and unpublished images from One Voice on pheasants and partridges being bred for hunting in La Peyratte
06.07.2022
Deux-Sevres
Pleas and unpublished images from One Voice on pheasants and partridges being bred for hunting in La Peyratte
Wildlife

The pheasant and partridge breeding and hunting farm in La Peyratte has requested regularisation on its extension from the Deux-Sèvres Prefecture, which has agreed with them. One Voice has distributed very recent images from the farm and has filed a joint appeal with L214 against this decree on 15 June 2022 at the Poitiers Administrative Tribunal.

Whether it be to protect animals or the environment, there are many reasons to oppose this extension, which will allow the farm to continue to ruin the wetland on which it stands.

Bird droppings fall en masse into the water, thus spreading phosphorus, ammonia, and other various pollutants in a fragile ecosystem. However, any listed establishment such as this one should have had the impact of its expansion on the environment assessed before works. In this case, not content with not having carried out this preliminary study, the farm has not even requested the initial rights to expand and has asked for an even higher authorisation going forward! And this expansion is not insignificant: the capacity is going from 37,000 to 95,200 places.

Breeding birds for the pleasure of shooting them down

Like in many other farms for hunting that we have investigated in the past, the birds are raised in minuscule cages, their beaks are often broken and covered up to avoid injuries during altercations, which are inevitable in such confined spaces, thousands of females are condemned to breed for years and bear the scars, the eggs are retrieved and put into an incubator, then the birds are placed in aviaries where they fling themselves on the nets and cannot learn to fly correctly.

They are subsequently sold to hunting crews and federations who release them to give the impression of the species’ ‘good health’, all while disposing of totally submissive living targets who think that the hunters are approaching them to feed them and are incapable of escaping. Some birds, escaped from cages, incidentally remain in the surrounding area, destined for certain death…

And when they cannot be sold to hunters, as was the case after the lockdowns that led to the cancellation of hunting trips and when avian flu risked farmers losing a lot of money, the authorities authorised additional hunting periods. Simple…

An unpublished investigation to report on the reality experienced by pheasants and partridges in this breeding farm

In 2020, L214 published a study on birds bred for hunting which caused a commotion. In May and June 2022, One Voice’s investigators went back to the site. It was an opportunity to see if things were different now… nothing is, of course. We are all the more aware of the gigantic size of these places seen from above, and the miserable lives of the birds that are shut up in there. And in the cages, there is still overcrowding and chicken wire that injures their legs…

We have therefore decided to unite forces in a joint appeal to attack this decree authorising the expansion of the breeding farm. This was submitted on 15 June 2022 at the Poitiers Administrative Tribunal.

We are more determined than ever to bring an unwavering ethical force down on the industry and the hunting lobby and the farmers who are part of it.

Edit from 7 July 2022:
We had to modify the first version of this article, which erroneously claimed that L214 had taken images in the same breeding farm in 2020. In reality, it was a neighbouring farm; our images are therefore unpublished for this establishment.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

‘Macellum’ farmers’ market: open letter to the town of Metz

‘Macellum’ farmers’ market: open letter to the town of Metz

‘Macellum’ farmers’ market: open letter to the town of Metz
04.07.2022
Metz
‘Macellum’ farmers’ market: open letter to the town of Metz
Domestic animals

Alerted to the holding of a ‘Macellum’ farmers’ market on 25 and 26 June 2022 in the Metz esplanade gardens, we sent this letter to the Mayor of the town, François Grosdidier.

Dear Mayor,

Our Association has been alerted to the holding of a ‘Macellum’ farmers’ market on 25 and 26 June 2022 in the Metz esplanade gardens.

In our capacity as an association whose main purpose is to protect and defend animals and the environment, we are asking with this letter if you would be willing to look into our arguments carefully.

Several domestic animals (rabbits, pigeons, cows, donkeys, hens) have been displayed to visitors in enclosures or cages. This set-up poses a problem not only concerning the welfare of the animals but also regarding the message that it conveys.

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This environment is totally unsuitable for the animals’ welfare. Displayed to be seen and touched by everyone, the animals have no way of escaping from the noise and bustle. Moreover, the animals kept in cages, such as rabbits, can be constantly bothered by visitors. The hens are kept in individual cages without a perch or any environmental enrichment.

Furthermore, this display, mainly aimed towards children, is the opposite of educational. What example does this give to young generations? The animals are considered as simple objects that we can touch and bother without worrying about their wishes and needs. This reification of animals conflicts, on numerous aspects, with the education of future generations to be more respectful of their environment and the individuals with which they share it.

Such a situation certainly tarnishes the image of Metz, which also has an undeniable cultural significance. The celebration of traditions and local products must not happen to the detriment of respect for animals. For all of these reasons, we are asking you to renounce the exhibition of animals in such conditions in future by making more educational displays a priority.

We thank you for your attention to this letter and ask that you accept our highest consideration, Mr Mayor.

Muriel Arnal
Founding President of One Voice

Translated from the French by Joely Justice