Author: Kristin Stone

Humane Society International / Global

  • The Humane Society of the United States – HumanePro.org, library of resources, includes Animal Sheltering magazine articles, publications, policies and guidelines, advice, and other resources to help those involved with animal sheltering and care.
  • WellBeing International Studies Repository, an open access collection of academic, archival, and assorted other materials related to various disciplines within the fields of animal studies and animal welfare science.
  • HABRI Central, resources for the study of the human-animal bond.
  • CARODog and CAROCat, information related to legislative, legal, social and scientific activities for the protection of companion animals in Europe.
  • ASPCAPro resource library, provides tools and resources for U.S. animal welfare professionals and volunteers at public and private agencies and rescue groups, as well as veterinarians, humane law enforcement and emergency responders.
  • Alley Cat Allies, resources to assist with policies and programs related to cats, including Trap-Neuter-Return. Alley Cat Allies resources in Spanish and French.
  • Maddie’s Fund resource library, online videos of veterinary and animal welfare experts in the U.S. presenting the latest information on best practices in shelter health, behavior and management.
  • Faunalytics, library of research about animal issues and animal advocacy.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wide variety of information and data on public health and safety. One Health video (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The One Health concept recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. This video provides a brief introduction to One Health and why it is important for public health professionals, veterinarians, ecologists, and environmental health professionals to work together.
  • Compassion in World Farming, has “Research” and “Education” sections on its website, containing reports on farm animal welfare issues and educational materials for students and adults.

Humane Society International / Global

WASHINGTON—From Latin America to Asia, 2018 brought enormous progress towards a global cage-free future for hens in egg production. Humane Society International’s unique approach to farm animal welfare means that we are working with companies on the adoption of cage-free egg procurement policies, and with their suppliers and other stakeholders throughout the supply chain to ensure successful implementation of policies that yield significant animal welfare improvements for millions of animals.

To support those efforts, HSI also works with national governments, financial institutions and intergovernmental bodies to align public policy and animal welfare science to help transition production practices to cage-free.

This year, the cage-free movement continued to expand, with food industry leaders across the globe joining hundreds of other companies that have already committed to going 100 percent cage-free. These commitments reflect the growing global consumer demand for better treatment of animals in the food industry, particularly regarding egg-laying hens, who should be raised in conditions where they can walk, lay eggs in nests, perch and forage, instead of suffering for their entire lives in cages. In response, we saw the egg industry take important steps to meet this growing demand, with more and more producers embracing higher welfare systems for egg-laying hens.

Some of the exciting improvements and advancements that HSI was proud to be a part of in 2018 include:

  • In India, a ruling by the High Courts of Delhi and Uttarakhand that directs the government of India, which is the third largest egg producer in the world, to ensure that no new battery-cage facilities are established in the country.
  • In Asia, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Andaz Singapore, The Privé Group and Asia’s leading healthy food chain SaladStop!—with locations in nine countries—committed to going cage-free in partnership with HSI, expanding this movement throughout Asia.
  • In Brazil, Carrefour, which is the country’s leading food retailer, announced a cage-free egg policy, making it the first supermarket chain in the country to commit to only selling cage-free eggs in all of its stores. Further, dozens of other companies, including Bauduco, Panco, and Casa Suíca, leading baked goods manufacturers in Brazil pledged to go cage-free.
  • In Mexico, three more companies announced cage-free egg commitments: Le Pain Quotidien, Grupo Fiesta Foods and Mr. Sushi.
  • In Colombia, eight food companies announced cage-free egg policies, including Mesofoods, with 400 operations; Crepes & Waffles, the country’s leading restaurant company; and Colombina, a leading Colombian food manufacturer. Servihoteles, a leading food service provider, also partnered with HSI to switch to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain.
  • In Argentina, Havanna, one of the largest coffee and baked good chains in Latin America, became the first company in Argentina to commit to going cage-free.
  • HSI organized the first cage-free egg technical workshops in Southeast Asia (Surabaya, Indonesia) and Latin America (Santiago, Chile), as well as Brazil’s second cage-free egg corporate workshop. These events brought together egg producers, food and hospitality corporations, veterinarians, academics, government institutions and poultry specialists to share their experiences and provide technical advice on successfully implementing higher welfare cage-free systems in these regions.
  • The movement towards crate-free group housing systems in the pig industry grew in 2018. The World Organization for Animal Health General Assembly, the world’s leading veterinary authority, adopted a new chapter on the welfare of pigs in May that acknowledges that pigs are social animals and should be housed in groups, validating and supporting HSI’s global efforts to end the use of gestation crates for breeding pigs. We also secured a crate-free pork commitment from BFFC, one of Brazil’s largest fast food operators.

HSI is committed to continued collaboration with the food industry in 2019, to help ensure a successful transition to production systems that provide greater welfare for egg-laying hens and breeding sows.

END

Humane Society International / India

Erin Van Voorhies Street dog in Maharashtra, India

Vadodara— Gujarati film actress Deeksha Joshi of “Sharata Lagu” fame launched an initiative by Humane Society International/India called “Abhay Sankalp,” a programme working with residential housing colonies to ensure peaceful coexistence between street dogs and people. Representatives of 52 resident welfare associations and societies from across Vadodara signed up to participate in the campaign.

Abhay Sankalp – Abhay Bano, Abhay Banao, is a campaign to work with neighbourhoods across the city to better understand their issues with street dogs and facilitate a better understanding of rabies, dog behaviour and other aspects of street dogs living in each neighbourhood. After signing up, the residential colonies also pledge to work with HSI/India to humanely manage street dogs in their areas and bring about more responsible pet ownership amongst its members.

HSI/India implements mass street dog sterilization and vaccination projects in Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nainital, Vadodara and Malappuram. It is launching this campaign in Dehradun, Jamnagar, Malappuram and Vadodara, as a pilot. The aim is to get 400 societies signed up and actively involved in humanely supporting the management of the dogs in the community within a period of six months.

Help dogs and other animals all over the world

“Abhay Sankalp is the next step to peacefully co-existing with street dogs. Currently animal birth control projects only focus on the dogs, but no one is engaging the people around the dogs, which can result in conflicts between them. By law a street dog cannot be relocated or killed, therefore it is imperative to help communities understand dog behaviour, rabies and the importance of rabies vaccinations, how to avoid dog bites and very importantly, proper waste management,” says Rahul Sehgal, senior director for HSI Companion Animals & Engagement program.

“Animals never intend to harm us. Let’s try to respect their existence and provide them with the warmth and love they deserve. Let’s try to coexist in the best way possible with our furry friends!” emphasizes Deeksha Joshi.

“Abhay Sankalp is an immensely commendable initiative by HSI/India in Vadodara. I have had a very informative and enlightening exchange of information with the HSI team in the meeting recently organised in Sai Sarjan Society at Sun Pharma – Bhayli Road,” says Mr. Vijay Pathak, a resident of the Sun Crest Society.

END

Media contact: Uma Biswas, 91 8758807223, ubiswas@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Europe

  • HSI

KATOWICE, Poland–At the United Nations’ global climate change conference, COP24, animal welfare charity Humane Society International and Israeli environmental organization Green Course held an official side event that brought together experts and policymakers to discuss pathways to incentivise plant-based diets and reduce reliance on meat, dairy and egg products from animals housed in intensive factory-farming environments. The Mitigation Potential of Plant-based Diets: From Science to Policy gave delegates a toolkit of policy recommendations and inspiration to see them implemented.

The focus of the panel was summed up by Florent Marcellesi MEP, “If we are what we eat, nowadays we are climate change. Around 15 percent of greenhouse emissions come from animal farming, almost as much as cars and planes. This is the result of our current unsustainable food system, based on the overproduction of low-cost meat. This means huge consequences over the climate, but it also impacts our health, the lives in rural areas and the animal welfare. Civil society is already organising to fight against the low-cost meat industry and its impacts, but we need policy measures. Let’s build an ecological food system that creates good quality jobs while protecting the climate, our health and the animals.”

With the key message that we must take action to ensure a sustainable future, Marie Persson of the Nordic Food Policy Lab said, “Governments play a key role in facilitating the necessary shift to healthy and low-climate impact diets. In the Nordic countries sustainable and healthy diets are moving up the agenda and while we are not seeing very harsh regulation, soft policy tools working in tandem with changing consumer preferences are proving to be a recipe for success.”

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Dr. Marco Springmann from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food at the University of Oxford highlighted the need for dietary changes to stay within planetary boundaries of the food system, saying, “Without large-scale dietary changes towards more plant-based diets, there is little chance to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Incentivising such dietary changes will require integrated, multi-component approaches that include providing information, access, and setting clear economic incentives. Important starting points would be to update national dietary guidelines to reflect the latest scientific evidence on healthy and sustainable diets, explore the use of full cost accounting of foods, and align agricultural policies with health and sustainability concerns.”

Dr. Cristina Tirado, director of International Climate Initiatives for the Center for Urban Resilience at Loyola Marymount University, said, “There are many opportunities to achieve co-benefits from actions that reduce emissions and at the same time improve health by shifting consumption away from animal products, especially from ruminant sources, in high-meat consumption societies, toward less emission intensive healthy more plant based diets, with more vegetables, fruits and pulses.”

Ifat Zur of Green Course said, “There is much policy discussion when it comes to sectors like transportation or energy, yet none relating to animal products. This is absurd, as the livestock industry is responsible for even higher greenhouse gasses than those other sectors, and livestock reduction involves several benefits on both individual and national levels. Policy should not only comply with research and public trends but also aim to take a leading role in the movement.”

The HSI/Green Course panel was the only event to directly address the implementation of national policies to shift towards more plant-based diets in order to combat climate change. And it was a message very much needed, as COP24’s meat- and dairy-focused menu options became the topic of much discussion amongst participants. HSI experts encouraged organizers of the massive two-week conference to replace its meat-dominated menus with more planet-friendly foods in the future, offering them culinary training on vegan cuisine from its Forward Food programme, which works with institutions and corporations to put more plants on plates.

Alexandra Clark, Humane Society International’s food policy consultant, said: “Industrial animal agriculture is a major cause of greenhouse gasses. While policies exist to reduce the climate impact of the energy and transport sector, Western governments have yet to adopt policies to reduce the climate impact of large-scale factory farming. Globally, 90 billion farm animals are raised for food each year – and the ramifications to the environment and animal welfare caused by the systems in which the majority of those animals are housed in are far too big to ignore. Governments must act. And with scientists warning that we are nowhere near on track to meet the 1.5 degrees necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change, it is critical that action is taken to move to more plant-based diets. COP24’s meaty menus symbolise the ostrich-like attitude of policy makers around the world. We hope they take us up on our offer of vegan culinary training to ensure that future climate change conferences offer more planet-friendly plant based food.”

Forward Food encourages universities, caterers, and other institutions to provide more plant-based options as the number of people wanting meat-free and dairy-free meals increases rapidly. In the UK, the programme is led by HSI’s Forward Food Chef, author and 2016 UN Special Ambassador for pulses, Jenny Chandler.

Speaking at the COP24 event, Chandler said “Everyone is seeing increased interest in meat-free eating and I love showing people that plant-based food can be really delicious and vibrant and not tasteless or worthy as is often assumed. HSI’s Forward Food programme is a fantastic way of getting chefs to embrace this trend and it feels great to be part of something that really can make a difference to people’s health, the environment and animal welfare.”

END

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, whiggins@hsi.org

A COP24 Side Event

Humane Society International

Animal agriculture has a massive environmental burden, including as a major greenhouse gas emitter. In nearly every step of meat, egg and dairy production, climate-changing gases are released into the atmosphere, potentially disrupting weather, temperature and ecosystem health. Hence food choices have a significant influence on climate change.

Shifting towards more climate-friendly plant-based diets should be a priority in developed countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs – climate action plans) in order to reduce animal agriculture’s climate impact. However, no governments are currently meaningfully addressing the farm animal sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by introducing policies to encourage a shift towards more plant-based diets.

This event discussed a toolkit of policy recommendations to encourage a shift towards more plant-based diets as a way to combat climate change.

13 December 2018, 11:30–13:00

Room Warmia, COP24 Katowice

Watch a recording of the livestreamed event.

Read the press release.

Organisers

Humane Society International

Green Course

Speakers

Florent Marcellesi MEP, Greens/EFA, European Parliament

Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission

Dr. Cristina Tirado, Loyola Marymount University

Marie Persson, Nordic Food Policy Lab

Dr. Marco Springmann, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford

Jenny Chandler, Forward Food, FAO Special Ambassador for Pulses 2016

Moderator

Alexandra Clark, Humane Society International/Europe

Speaker bios

Agenda

Watch a recording of the livestreamed event.

11:30 Seating and welcome

11:35 Dr. Marco Springmann, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford

11:42 Florent Marcellesi MEP, Greens/EFA, European Parliament

11:49 Marie Persson, Nordic Food Policy Lab

11:56 Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie, FOOD2030, European Commission

12:03 Jenny Chandler, Forward Food, FAO Special Ambassador for Pulses 2016

12:10 Dr. Cristina Tirado, Loyola Marymount University

12:17 Moderated Q&A session

13:00 END

HSI’s 2017 report, Addressing Unsustainable Animal Product Consumption in the European Union [PDF], offers policy recommendations that could serve as a model for UN Member States.

<< Back to Animal Agriculture and Climate Change

A COP24 Side Event

Humane Society International

Jenny Chandler

Alexandra Clark

Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie

Florent Marcellesi, MEP

Marie Persson

Dr. Marco Springmann

Cristina Tirado-von der Pahlen, DVM, MS, PhD

Jenny Chandler

Jenny Chandler is a freelance food writer and teacher based in Bristol, England. She has written a number of cook books including Pulse (2013). Jenny teaches at many cookery schools and London’s Borough Market and is particularly focused on getting both home cooks and chefs using more pulses and whole grains and reducing their animal protein consumption. During the UN FAO International Year of Pulses 2016, Jenny was the European Special Ambassador, spreading the word about the health and sustainability benefits of legumes. Nowadays Jenny runs workshops for the Humane Society International’s Forward Food campaign, training and inspiring chefs from all over the food sector to get more plants on plates.
Twitter: @jennychandleruk

Alexandra Clark

Alexandra Clark is a Consultant for Humane Society International, one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations. She works on sustainable food and farming issues with a focus on accelerating the transition towards more plant-based diets in the European Union. She has a background in health and nutrition and was the Head of the Office to the Vice President of the European Parliament for six years, during which time she was responsible for a number of initiatives to promote more sustainable production and consumption patterns in the EU.

Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie

A Research Policy Officer for the European Commission’s DG Research & Innovation, working on the FOOD 2030 strategy for tomorrow’s nutrition and food systems. Technical background combining sciences with engineering and economics, some 20 years working experience in programme, process and project management, international relations and policy development. Good knowledge of EU institutions, policies and processes, in particular on research and innovation, environment, agriculture, forestry, climate change, renewables, plant health, food safety. Working positions by date: European Commission, UNDP; national ministries responsible for agriculture, forestry, environment; research and education.

Florent Marcellesi MEP

Florent Marcellesi is a Spanish Member of the European Parliament for Equo, part of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance. He was elected to the European Parliament in October 2016. Currently, he leads the energy positions of the Greens in the European Parliament and he is the vice-president of EUFORES, the parliamentary network for the promotion of renewable energies. He holds a degree in civil engineering and urban planning and he is also a specialist in international cooperation. He is a member of the Spanish green think tank EcoPolítica. He has written among other books “Qué Europa queremos” (What Europe do we want?) (Icaria, 2014) and “Adiós al crecimiento. Vivir bien en un mundo solidario y sostenible” (Goodbye to growth. Living well in a world of solidarity and sustainability) (El Viejo Topo, 2013).
Twitter: @fmarcellesi

Marie Persson

Project officer of Nordic Food Policy Lab, Nordic Council of Ministers. Nordic Food Policy Lab is one of six flagship programmes under the joint Prime minister’s initiative “Nordic solutions to global challenges”. With the aim of accelerating action on Agenda 2030 the project disseminates examples of Nordic food policy solutions for health and sustainability and curates international policy dialogues. Previously Marie worked for the Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford, focusing on science communications and network building. She has previous experience from UNDP, Forum Syd and smallholder farmer network COCOCH-Honduras.
Twitter: @marieperssson @nordicfoodpol

Dr. Marco Springmann

Marco Springmann is a senior researcher in the Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention in the Nuffield Department of Population Health, and leads the Centre’s programme on environmental sustainability and public health. He is interested in the health, environmental, and economic dimensions of the global food systems. He often uses systems models to provide quantitative estimates on food-related questions.

Cristina Tirado-von der Pahlen, DVM, MS, PhD

Dr. Cristina Tirado works at the interface between science and policy related to climate, health, food and sustainability with the University, WHO, FAO, UNEP, governments, and NGOs worldwide. She is Director of Int’l Climate Initiatives at the Center for Urban Resilience at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and Faculty at the Environmental Sciences Program. She serves as Climate and Health policy adviser for several UN organizations and she is lead author of the IPCC AR6 Health chapter to be published in 2021. She moderates the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition group on Climate Change and chairs the Climate and Health group of the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Cities Climate Change Consortium (MC-4).

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L'industrie de la viande de chien est de plus en plus rejetée dans la société coréenne, déclare HSI/Corée

Humane Society International

MONTRÉAL – Humane Society International/Canada montre du doigt le lien entre les cruelles usines à chiots en Corée du Sud et l’industrie de la viande canine en aidant à secourir 200 chiens et chiots d’une terrible ferme de viande canine. Environ 160 chiens seront acheminés vers le Canada, où ils trouveront un refuge temporaire à Cambridge, en Ontario. Certains seront transportés vers Montréal où ils seront réhabilités au refuge d’urgence de HSI/Canada.

Il s’agit de la 14e fermeture de ferme de viande canine effectuée par HSI en Corée du Sud. L’établissement faisait également office d’usine à chiots. Les chiens étaient vendus comme animaux domestiques ou bien destinés à l’abattoir, selon ce qui rapportait le plus de bénéfices. Par conséquent, la plupart des chiens sont de races de petite taille (chihuahuas, corgis, Yorkshire terriers, caniches, poméraniens, shih tzus et bouledogues français).

Ewa Demianowicz, responsable de campagne pour HSI/Canada, a déclaré : « Ces chiens ont vécu dans des conditions déplorables, dans des cages crasseuses où ils n’avaient pas accès à une quantité de nourriture et d’eau suffisante et où ils ne recevaient que peu de soins vétérinaires ou de contact humain. Malheureusement, ils sont nombreux à n’avoir jamais quitté ces cages étroites dans lesquelles ils ont été confinés. Il est déchirant d’imaginer à quel point ils ont souffert durant leur existence. Notre équipe est impatiente de voir ces merveilleux chiens quitter cet endroit horrible pour venir au Canada où leurs nouveaux foyers les attendent. »

HSI travaille avec des fermiers qui souhaitent cesser de participer au commerce de la viande canine en les aidant à se tourner vers des secteurs plus humains, en secourant des chiens et en fermant des établissements. Les propriétaires signent des contrats par lesquels ils déclarent qu’ils ne retourneront pas vers le commerce de la viande canine. Le propriétaire de l’établissement est impatient de mettre fin à ses activités dans ce secteur, car sa famille désapprouve son travail et ses profits sont à la baisse.

La consommation de viande canine est en plein déclin en Corée du Sud, en particulier chez les jeunes, comme le montre un sondage réalisé par Gallup Korea en juin 2018. Selon ce sondage, 70 % de la population sud-coréenne affirme ne pas vouloir consommer de viande canine à l’avenir. Les actions récentes des autorités pour mettre un frein au commerce de la viande canine reflètent le sentiment d’inconfort croissant des Sud-coréens envers cette industrie. En novembre 2018, à Seongnam, HSI/Canada a participé à la fermeture de Taepyeong, le plus grand abattoir de chiens dans le pays. La volonté des politiciens et des citoyens de mettre fin au commerce de la viande canine s’accroît en Corée du Sud. HSI espère que son programme leur montrera un modèle de transition qui sera un jour adopté partout au pays et qui bénéficiera du soutien de l’État.

Les faits :

  • Plus de 2,5 millions de chiens sont élevés dans des milliers de fermes de viande canine en Corée du Sud chaque année.
  • La plupart des Sud-coréens ne mangent pas régulièrement de la viande de chien, mais cette pratique demeure populaire pendant les jours de Bok Nal, en juillet et août, où cette viande est cuisinée dans une soupe appelée bosintang.
  • La mise à mort des chiens se fait principalement par électrocution, la mort peut ainsi prendre jusqu’à cinq minutes. La pendaison est aussi pratiquée.
  • L’industrie de la viande canine est dans un vide juridique en Corée du Sud : ni légale ni illégale. Nombre de dispositions de la loi sur la protection des animaux sont systématiquement violées. C’est le cas par exemple de l’interdiction de tuer des animaux de manière brutale comme en les pendant par le cou, de les tuer dans des lieux publics ou devant d’autres animaux de la même espèce.

Téléchargez la vidéo et les photos du sauvetage en cliquant ici.

Contact média: Christopher Paré – b: 514 395-2914, c: 438 402-0643, cpare@hsi.org

Humane Society International

CALI—Colombina, a leading food manufacturer in Colombia, has published a new policy to improve animal welfare in its supply chain, with a commitment to source exclusively cage-free eggs in the making of all of its products. The company worked with Humane Society International, a leading global animal protection organization, on the adoption of this policy. Colombina, which produces the La Constancia brand of mayonnaise and other products (like the pastry Ponky) that contain egg, will transition to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain by 2025.

Elissa Lane, director of HSI Farm Animals, stated: “We applaud Colombina for adopting this commitment to improve the lives of millions of egg-laying hens in the country. By adopting a cage-free egg policy, Colombina is demonstrating its commitment to corporate social responsibility and at the same time responding to client demand for higher welfare products. We hope Colombina’s new policy sets an example for other companies to join this global movement.”

Colombina’s new animal welfare policy states: “Colombina recognizes the importance of ensuring compliance with the principles of animal welfare throughout its value chain…Therefore, Colombina is committed to…by 2025, exclusively supply cage-free eggs for the manufacture of their products.”

More than 30 companies have joined this cage-free egg initiative in Colombia, including OMA, Crepes & Waffles, Pan Pa’ Ya, Hoteles Estelar, IMC Colombia (J&C Delicias and R.A. Catering), McDonald’s, Grupo Bimbo, Burger King, Alsea (Archie’s and Domino’s), Nestlé, Compass Group and Sodexo.

Media contact (English only): Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337 (o), 202-596-0808 (c), nhwa@hsi.org

Humane Society International

  • HSI

SÃO PAULO—Last month, Humane Society International, together with FAI Brasil and with the support of the UK Embassy, hosted a second workshop on the corporate movement towards cage-free egg production in Brazil. This event, held in Jaboticabal, brought together egg producers, food retail leaders, technical specialists, veterinarians and government representatives to share their experiences and discuss successfully implementing cage-free egg production systems in Brazil.

Speakers from Humane Society International, FAI Brasil, Grupo Mantiqueira, the Brazilian Association for Alternative Poultry Production, Barilla and the British Embassy shared information on the technical aspects of cage-free egg production, the global movement towards these higher welfare production systems, and navigating supply chain transition to cage-free eggs. The second part of the workshop featured a visit to FAI Brasil’s cage-free egg production system, where FAI’s experts guided participants through key technical aspects and management practices of successful cage-free farms.

Sign the “no cages” pledge: Let them move!

Maria Fernanda Martin, HSI/Brazil’s animal welfare and behavior specialist, said: “We are very pleased with the positive feedback we received from this workshop, and look forward to continuing to foster open dialogue and collaboration among various stakeholders in the country. We want to ensure that egg producers and food companies in Brazil have the tools and resources necessary to successfully meet consumer demand for higher welfare products and ensure a cage-free future for laying hens.”

Murilo Quintiliano, executive director of FAI Brasil, stated: “I believe that the commitments made by large food companies to source cage-free eggs are very important but just a first step. Our focus now is no longer on what to do, but rather how to do it. This event brought together everyone involved in the egg production sector and practical solutions with respect to planning, execution, and selling were and will continue to be shared. I hope that everyone now understands that cage-free hens are already a reality in our country and that there are people willing to help anyone who wants to embrace these higher welfare systems.”

Animal welfare has become a priority corporate social responsibility issue for companies in Brazil, resulting in a major shift in the country’s food industry towards more ethical sourcing of animal products. Dozens of food industry leaders in Brazil, including Bunge, BFFC, Unilever, Nestlé, McDonald’s, and Giraffas have committed to sourcing exclusively cage-free eggs in their supply chains. Last year, the largest egg producer in Brazil and South America, Mantiqueira, launched its first cage-free egg line to meet this growing demand. In recent months, Carrefour, Brazil’s leading food retailer, announced it would only sale cage-free eggs at its approximately 650 stores in the country.

Egg-laying hens in Brazil are typically confined for their whole lives in wire cages so small that they cannot even fully stretch their wings. Cage-free production systems generally offer hens higher levels of welfare, allowing the birds to express more of their natural behaviors, including moving around, laying eggs in nests, perching, and fully spreading their wings.

END

Media contact: Maria Fernanda Martin, mfmartin@hsi.org, +55 (11) 9 5770 9922

150,000 British tourists a year - including Jodie Kidd and Pixie Lott - visit Mauritius

Humane Society International

MAURITIUS – Thousands of dogs and puppies on the popular paradise island of Mauritius are being spayed and neutered as part of animal charity Humane Society International’s mission to help the government humanely reduce the number of dogs roaming the streets, beaches and hotels.

There are an estimated quarter of a million dogs on Mauritius, most of them owned but free to roam the streets and beaches where they can sometimes be considered a nuisance to the island’s wealthy holiday makers. Almost 150,000 British tourists holiday in Mauritius each year, including stars such as Jodie Kidd, Pixie Lott, Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and Great British Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood. The luxury beach-side hotel LUX* Belle Mare – a favourite of interior designer Kelly Hoppen MBE – has also teamed up with HSI to facilitate a spay/neuter program for any dogs on hotel property as well continuing to support adoption programs, education and awareness talks and providing incentives for staff to send their dogs to HSI’s clinic.

Thousands of puppies are born on the streets of Mauritius each year because most dog owners don’t sterilise their dogs, which is something HSI intends to change. To reach its goal of sterilising up to 10,000 owned and roaming dogs, the charity has opened the island’s first dedicated spay and neuter clinic, run by HSI in conjunction with the Mauritian government’s Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, and with funding from International Animal Rescue and the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.

Rahul Sehgal, HSI’s senior director of companion animals, said: “The people of Mauritius love their dogs but many simply don’t have access to local veterinary care to prevent endless puppies being born, and responsible dog ownership has never been taught in communities. So we are really thrilled to have opened our free spay and neuter clinic here in Mauritius, specifically in Belle Mare, in the District of Flacq, plus our mobile clinic that will travel to more remote areas or bring our services to those without transport. Already we’re treating hundreds of gorgeous dogs who may otherwise have had an unhappy ending.”

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Street dog overpopulation occurs in many countries around the world, and too often local authorities implement sporadic mass culls where dogs are killed. As well as being cruel, culls are ultimately ineffective because although they produce immediate results, over time they simply provide a vacuum in the local dog population to be filled by more breeding and other dogs moving in to the area. It is a common issue that HSI’s Street Dog Defender team see and work to stop across Asia and Africa.

The HSI-staffed spay/neuter clinic will run initially for one year so that the HSI team can demonstrate how a well-run humane program can reduce dog numbers and be expanded to cover the entire island.

Alan Knight OBE, CEO of International Animal Rescue said: “The spay and neuter clinic will help thousands of dogs and we hope also lay the foundations for a new compassionate era on Mauritius.”
Les Ward MBE, from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust said: “We are confident that this project will clearly demonstrate an effective and ethical way to control dog populations. By supporting island communities to care for and interact with their dogs responsibly, HSI is giving both people and dogs the best chance for a peaceful and cruelty-free co-existence.”

HSI’s humane street dog teams work with governments around the world to provide spay/neuter and community education programmes across India, the Philippines, Guyana, Mexico, Bangladesh, Nepal and First Nations communities in Canada. A strong educational and human behaviour change component is central to HSI’s work, as is training local veterinarians in surgical skills.

Photos and b-roll video of the clinic can be downloaded here.

ENDS

Media contact: Carla Prayag, Humane Society International, Mauritius, cprayag@hsi.org, +230 5498 9514

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