Last week, we closed the Dutch parliamentary year. It was an eventful year in which we were able to achieve a lot. Among other things, the Party for the Animals has put forward legislation to tax the slaughter of animals, we have again achieved success in the fight against agricultural poison, we have put reforming the livestock industry on the EU's agenda as an important solution to the climate c...
The Dutch Party for the Animals’ proposal to ban mink farming was adopted by the Dutch parliament last week. This will put a stop to the Dutch mink farming industry: the world's fourth largest after China, Denmark and Poland. This spring, COVID-19 broke out in 17 mink farms in the Netherlands. Almost 600,000 minks were gassed to death prematurely to prevent further spreading. Although the governme...
Last Friday, a majority of the European Parliament voted in favour of the Dutch Party for the Animals’ request to establish an inquiry committee to investigate serious abuses during animal transports. It is the first time in history that a European parliamentary inquiry will be held into animal welfare. “This committee can put a stop to the cruel suffering of millions of live animals that are tran...
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences. It is not difference that immobilises, it is silence.”These words of author and civil rights activist Audre Lorde give us inspiration and support in our fight for a better world. Last month, millions of people from all over the world took to the streets with a clear message: racism...
The trade agreement between the EU and the South American Mercosur countries is voted down. A motion by the Dutch Party for the Animals passed last week by the Lower House, forces the government to withdraw its support for the agreement. After strong protests against the CETA and TTIP trade agreements, a majority of the Lower House has now for the first time turned its back on a large free trade a...
The European Commission has launched a worldwide public consultation in order to evaluate its Animal Welfare Strategy. EU- as well as non-EU citizens are invited to share their views on animal welfare through a short online questionnaire before the 15th of June. Party for the Animals calls upon all people concerned with animal welfare, food safety, the prevention of zoonotic diseases like corona, ...
All over the world, businesses are losing money as a result of the coronavirus and governments are allocating hundreds of billions to support them. The Dutch Party for the Animals is in favor of aid packages to combat the economic crisis and to keep people employed, but opposes unconditional support to polluting sectors. "Financial injections should be used to protect people and nature, not to kee...
Not only China, but also the Netherlands with the densest livestock population in the world has become like a ticking time bomb: a hotbed for infectious diseases such as corona, which can be transmitted from animals to humans (zoonosis). First, we had to deal with bird flu occurring in the poultry sector and then we were confronted with “Q fever”, which spread from goat farms in particular and mad...
An official audit by the European Commission confirms that far too little is done to prevent serious animal suffering in long-distance sea transport, particularly in Romania. "This check confirms what we have known for a long time: animal transports by sea that Romania facilitates are unacceptable," said MEP Anja Hazekamp. Last year she called on the European Commission to take action, but it deci...
Fifteen animal rights parties across the world call on governments around the globe to take urgent action to create a safer, more sustainable and compassionate food system. In order to achieve this, the parties propose eight measures and have launched an online petition that will be delivered to different governments around the world. "The Covid-19 pandemic is another warning: the way we treat ani...
Large numbers of laboratory animals are used worldwide in the search for a vaccine against the coronavirus. Because animal testing is seen as a crucial part of medical research according to stubborn assumptions. But the idea that "animal research could get us out of the lockdown at an accelerated pace is a false reassurance for which there is no indication whatsoever", said member of parliament fo...
In my previous blog I already wrote: a safer world for animals is a safer world for people. The ruthless exploitation of animals and nature by humans has significantly increased the risk of pandemics over the past decades. The United National Environmental Programme (UNEP) warns that the risk of diseases being transmitted from animals to humans is increased by large-scale and intensive livestock f...
This month, the Dutch capital of Amsterdam formally embraced the doughnut economy model developed by economist Kate Raworth as the starting point for public policy decisions. Amsterdam is the first city in the world to make such a commitment. To the Dutch Party for the Animals this is a strong sign that its ideals are gaining ground: "Kate Raworth's model of the doughnut perfectly reflects our vie...
With the adoption of 'Lucy’s Law' last week, third party puppy and kitten sales are officially banned in England. UK’s Animal Welfare Party welcomes the new legislation as an important first step to end puppy farm cruelty and advocates additional measures to prevent the suffering, abandonment and disposal of pets.