http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk for vegans and vegetarians en Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:12:59 GMT 0124567891011121314151617181920212223 1 daily 1970-01-01T03:20+00:00 1440 admin@makessense.co.uk http://www.interglacial.com/rss/about.html http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3271.html The law governing animal experiments across the whole of the EU is being completely revised. The draft Directive has already passed from the European Commission to the Parliament. The next stage is for ministers of the Member States – the UK included – to offer their views. The relevant ministerial department in this country is the Home Office. The Home Office has launched a public consultation, involving numerous questions relating to the draft Directive. You can read and complete the consultation at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-animals-research/cons-2009-animals-research?view=Binary Animal Aid have made it easy for us by selecting the most relevant questions, and providing background to each of them and proposed answers. You can alter their text and add your own thoughts. This is an extremely important consultation and it is vital that we all participate. With Animal Aid's explanatory text and proposed answers, it is much easier to take part! Read Animal Aid's notes and proposed answers at www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_experiments//2145// Fill out your questionnaire NOW, by downloading the Excel spreadsheet response form, at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-animals-research/ - then email it to the Home Office (email address given on consultation web-page). The deadline for the consultation is the 3rd July. http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3314.html On the 27th-28th June, we had a very successful stall at the Colchester food and drink festival. There were crowds of people at the festival, and our free vegan food samples were very popular - and people were very friendly and interested in what we had to say. We tried to show that vegan food is varied and delicious, whether you buy it or make it yourself, and that vegans are very nice, as well! We had home-made chocolate torte, lemon cup cakes, spicy carrot cake, banana cake, cherry cookies, syrup biscuits, mushroom vol-au-vents, sausage rolls, pate pastries, stuffed pasta shells, and mixed bean salad; and, off the shelf, we had vegan sausages, nut roast, smoked tofu, vegan cheese, soft soya cheese on oatmeal biscuits, and strawberries and soya cream. Many thanks to David, Annette, Louise, and Mary for all their hard work; to Rose for all her support; to Elias and Mervyn for their help; and to the festival organisers. We are putting the recipes for our festival food up on this web-site, by popular demand! - go to * NESX articles on the navigation bar, and then * our food festival recipes The photo. shows the Saturday team, and was taken by David. http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3313.html On the 15th June, 'The Independent' printed an article about the launch of a campaign for 'meat-free Monday' (MFM) in the UK, led by Paul McCartney. This aims to encourage everyone to abstain from eating meat on at least one day every week, to help the environment, because the global livestock industry is so damaging to the planet. The MFM web-site is at meatfreemondays.co.uk/ The city of Ghent in Belgium has already set up a meat-free day scheme. Read the article online at www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/mccartney-urges-meatfree-days-to-tackle-climate-change-1705289.html 'The Independent' also published a related item of comments by public figures in support of 'meat-free Monday'. To read the item and add your comment online, go to www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/meat-free-monday-what-its-supporters-say-1705467.html On the 17th June, an item was posted online titled 'Hindus back Beatle Paul McCartney's meat-free day'. Read this item at www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0906/S00256.htm The United Nations suggested that people have a meat-free day every week, and then should reduce their meat consumption even more, in 2008. Read an article about this online, published on the 7th September 2008 in 'The Observer', at www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink Vegans say abandon the production and consumption of all animal products. http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3287.html Today (22nd June), Viva! posted a media release about 'humane slaughter', and calling for an urgent enquiry. Viva! contributed to the recent report by the government’s own welfare advisory body – the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) – on the annual slaughter of 853 million poultry in the UK. This report has revelaed the brutal failings of UK slaughterhouses. It states that 'A wide variety of stunning and killing systems are used for poultry, and none is ideal', which Viva! believe supports their claim that there is no such thing as humane slaughter. Read the media release at www.viva.org.uk/mediareleases/display.php?articlepid=187 Read the FAWC report at www.fawc.org.uk/ http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3286.html Today (22nd June), 'The Independent' published an article on the religious slaughter of animals in the UK. A scientific assessment from the government's animal welfare advisers, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), says that religious slaughter without stunning causes distress to the animals. FAWC, which includes scientific, agricultural and veterinary experts, is calling for the Government to launch a debate with religious communities about religious slaughter. To read the article, go to www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/end-cruel-religious-slaughter-say-scientists-1712241.html Read the FAWC assessment online at www.fawc.org.uk/ http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3284.html Five years after banning live exports, the New Zealand government is considering resuming the live export of sheep to Saudi Arabia. If allowed to resume, many thousands of sheep will be subjected to a 20-day journey packed into cramped, filthy containers. Thousands will die on the journey from starvation, dehydration and disease. Those who survive will suffer fear and injury, only to be inhumanely slaughtered at their destination. WSPA ask you to add your name to a letter to the Hon. John Key, PM of New Zealand, to ask him to stand against the cruelty of live export and maintain New Zealand’s reputation as a world leader in animal welfare - go to e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=24&ea.campaign.id=3309 http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3283.html Yesterday (21st June), the 'Sunday Times' published an article titled 'British sea bed "trawled into a wasteland"', about the results of two recent reports on the state of the marine environment. To read the article and add your comment online, go to www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6545630.ece http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3282.html On the 19th June, the 'Essex County Standard' published an article on Transition Wivenhoe, a group of people who want the community to make Wivenhoe a 'transition town'. This involves changing food production so that we can cope with the impact of falling oil production. Vegans say that abandoning animal products and the livestock industry is the best way to help the environment and avoid future food crises. Transition Colchester is also being set up, and the group invite anyone who wants to get involved to contact them. Read the article at www.essexcountystandard.co.uk/search/4432240.Wivenhoe__Transition_group_wants_residents_to_get_involved The Transition Colchester web-site is at www.transitioncolchester.org.uk/index.html The Transition Wivenhoe web-site is at transitionwivenhoe.co.uk/default.aspx The transition towns web-site is at www.transitiontowns.org/ http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3270.html The Marine Bill for England and Wales has its second reading at Westminster next Tuesday, the 23rd June. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill completed its progress through the House of Lords on the 8th June 2009; it was introduced to the House of Commons on the 9th June. DEFRA statement: '... The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will ensure clean healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas, by putting in place better systems for delivering sustainable development of marine and coastal environment ...' Read an Environment Agency statement on the Bill at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/position/41177.aspx Read more on the DEFRA web-site at www.defra.gov.uk/marine/legislation/index.htm Email your MP now and ask that they try to ensure that the Marine Bill includes a total ban on the killing of healthy seals - and also ask them to support other important things in the Bill, such as marine nature conservation and fisheries management. http://www.nesxvegans.makessense.co.uk/news/3256.html WSPA (the World Society for the Protection of Animals) have set up an online petition against bullfighting in Catalonia, Spain. Please sign the e-petition NOW. 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