Last week, the European Parliament voted in favour of ambitious plans to protect and restore nature. To increase biodiversity, protect oceans and forests and recognize ecocide – the destruction or large-scale damaging of ecosystems – as an international crime. By 2030, 30% of all land and sea areas must be protected, according to Parliament. A vital step, says MEP Anja Hazekamp of the Dutch Party ...
From 2027, the European Parliament will ban the use of cages for pigs, calves, rabbits, chickens, quails, ducks and geese in the livestock industry. In a historic vote last week, a majority of MEPs backed the 'End The Cage Age' citizens' initiative, which 1.4 million people in Europe signed last year.
Late last year, the Dutch Party for the Animals submitted an elaborate proposal to criminalise ecocide. This proposal, containing case studies from around the world and a 10-step plan with concrete measures, is now also available in English, French, and Arabic. The Dutch Party for the Animals is part of an international political movement that prioritises the protection of the planet and all of it...
There was a lot of good news last month for people, animals, and our planet! In one of my previous blogs I wrote that the world is at a tipping point. All over the world, people of all ages and backgrounds are taking to the streets or going to court to demand action to keep our earth inhabitable. More and more people are speaking up against injustice: injustices against people who are already stru...
Last Friday, the Committee on Agriculture of the European Parliament voted for a ban on keeping animals in cages in the food industry. Following the highly successful citizens’ initiative that was signed by 1.4 million people, the end of the ‘Cage Age’ is finally in sight. In the beginning of June, the entire European Parliament will vote on the matter, after which it will be up to the European Co...
Thanks to three proposals from the Dutch Party for the Animals, animals in livestock farming are protected better than ever by law. The legislative changes passed by the House of Representatives last week will ensure that the natural behaviour of animals becomes paramount. Animals should no longer be adapted to the system (for example, by cutting tails), and are finally protected from barn fires. ...
According to the international study that was published in Nature last Wednesday, there is still time to prevent a disastrous sea level rise. But in order to achieve this, governments have to work harder than ever before on meeting the Paris climate goals of 2015. The Dutch Party for the Animals and her sister parties around the world have been pleading for a courageous approach to the climate cri...
More and more people in Lebanon are opting for plant-based food and veganism. Recently, the Hayek hospital in Beirut became the first hospital in the world to switch to a completely plant-based (vegan) range of meals. Social initiatives such as Lebanese Vegans are also getting more and more people interested in plant-based food, animal rights and the environment. The interest of many Lebanese in a...
The world is in urgent need of governments that show courage to make the choices necessary to keep the earth livable, for all of its inhabitants. That’s what I wrote at the end of March, in the aftermath of the Dutch elections. During these elections, the Party for the Animals grew once again, and we didn’t waste a minute in getting down to business. We asked the outgoing Minister for Agriculture ...
The EU needs to introduce a legal ban on keeping animals in cages as a matter of urgency. This is the call MEP Anja Hazekamp of the Dutch Party for the Animals made during an official hearing in the European Parliament last Thursday, following the successful citizens' initiative 'End the Cage Age’', which was signed by 1.4 million citizens.
Last week the New Zealand government announced to stop the export of live animals by sea. A historic decision applauded by animal welfare organizations and political parties for animal rights across the globe. Parties for the animals worldwide now urge the European Commission to follow New Zealand’s example in a joint letter. In European Parliament, MEP Anja Hazekamp has intensively campaigned for...
Scientific research points to a possible connection between the lifelong consumption of dairy products and a heightened risk of Parkinson’s disease. This connection might be caused by remnants of pesticides, consumed by cows in their fodder and subsequently finding their way into cow milk. The Dutch Party for the Animals has submitted written questions and pleads for stricter regulations on the ad...
A historic win was achieved last week by the Portuguese political party PAN – Pessoas-Animais-Natureza (People-Animals-Nature), when it’s bill on banning live pigeon-shooting competitions was passed in Portuguese Parliament. “This bill puts an end to an anachronistic and cruel activity that violated the Portuguese Protection of Animals Law”, the party states: “Yet another victory for animal welfar...
Spanish animal activists sound the alarm over unnecessary massacre of 12,000 parrots in Madrid. The city council plans to kill all registered specimen, claiming they pose a threat to residents, biodiversity and public health. All false allegations according to local animal welfare groups, who demand an ethical management of the parrot population in a petition that has already been signed almost 50...
Last week, MEP Anja Hazekamp of the Dutch Party for the Animals travelled to Spain to monitor what happened to thousands of calves stranded and being killed in the harbour of Cartagena after spending over three months at sea in horrific circumstances. As vice-chair of the European Commission of Inquiry on animal transport, she reprimanded Romanian authorities for denying abuse despite clear eviden...
“I'm voting for the Party for the Animals. An election programme that consists of realistic ideals and protects that which is vulnerable. I regret those times that I decided to vote strategically. So this time I'm voting with my heart. Fundamental, positive changes: who could be against that?” That’s what a well known Dutch actor posted on social media last week, a day before the elections for th...
A special police unit for animal cruelty cases, tougher penalties on animal abuse and the imminent end of the usage of dolphins for entertainment: big steps ahead were recently achieved in the promotion of animal welfare by the Animal Party Cyprus and the Animal Justice Party in Australia.
After an exciting election campaign, which largely had to be run online due to the lockdown, the Dutch Party for the Animals won six seats in the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament last week. A 20% growth compared to the parliamentary elections four years ago. Party leader Ouwehand: "The Party for the Animals is the only party that advocates for a radical system change, and more and more voters h...