Worldlog Marianne Thieme 12. lipnja 2018


18 lipnja 2018

We have had another wonderful party congress! At this congress, the list of candidates for the municipal elections in the Dutch municipality of Groningen was established. Niko Koffeman, senator and founder of the Party for the Animals, discussed the work of the party’s scientific bureau, NGPF. Politics should be more about the power of the idea and less about the idea of power, Niko said.

Political scientist and author of De Voedselparadox (the food paradox) Herman Lelieveldt was a guest speaker at the congress. He talked about how politicians pass on all responsibility for food that is friendly to the environment, people and animals, to consumers, even though consumers cannot possibly compete with the powerful and massive companies. Instead of using national regulations to support major polluters, we should deploy these regulations to protect our planet and all its inhabitants.


Party for the Animals Congress

I concluded the congress with a speech in which I announced that at the start of 2019, we will launch a new documentary on the consumption of animal products as the leading cause of many major problems. But it will also offer solutions to these problems. In 2007, our documentary Meat the Truth already caused quite a stir in the political sphere and the agricultural sector. The facts presented in the documentary about the devastating effects of the agricultural system on our planet were met with disbelief.

Today, these facts are common knowledge and even an important advisory council for the government is calling for a radical change in farming policy. With our new documentary, we want to show the world that the problems caused by the meat and dairy industry have only increased since 2007. The livestock lobby is one of the most powerful lobby groups in the world and it is only trying to increase its influence on the existing system. You can count on us to not shy away from uncomfortable truths in our new documentary. The conclusions will be at least as shocking as those in our last documentary.


Meat the Truth documentary

There is a great need for change, and this change needs to come from the bottom up, from advocates such as the Party for the Animals. And it has already begun. Since 2006, the number of vegans in England have increased by 350%. Vegan food has become fashionable. We are part of a major social movement, a movement that is on the winning side. A movement with radical criticism of our current system, but which also provides real sustainable solutions. We raise awareness of a new, higher interest that is planet-wide and transcends the divisions of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and social class.

Between 20 and 24 June, delegations of our sister parties from all over the world – from Australia to Canada – will travel to Brussels and The Hague. Some organisations from e.g. Morocco and Turkey will also be present. Together, we will discuss how to address the issues in the livestock industry, live transports and all those other atrocities. On 22 June, I will give a lecture as part of this meeting at Leiden University in The Hague. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public, but the number of tickets still available is limited. You can book your tickets here. With respect to our international guests, my lecture will be in English. I hope to see you on the 22nd!

A great success for our European group: a majority of the European Parliament has supported the Party for the Animals’ proposal to stop subsidising bullfighting via the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It is estimated that currently, millions of euros end up with breeders of fighting bulls each year.

Lastly, a success in the Dutch parliament: thanks to a widely supported motion of the Party for the Animals, the government must show how it endeavours to eliminate palm oil as a fuel. The Netherlands is Europe’s largest importer of palm oil and this has to stop. After all, the production of palm oil involves widespread destruction of habitats, rainforests and bogs. An area of rainforest the size of a million football pitches is cleared each year to produce palm oil, causing the orangutan and Sumatran tiger to be at significant risk of extinction. We will do everything in our power to halt the import of palm oil as soon as possible.

Until next time!

Marianne

Imali smo ponovo prekrasnu konferenciju! Na ovom kongresu osnovana je lista kandidata za općinske izbore u nizozemskoj općini Groningen. Senator i osnivač stranke Niko Koffeman razgovarao je o radu NGPF-a, znanstvenom uredu Stranke za životinje. U politici se mora više raditi o snazi ideje, umjesto o ideji moći, kazao je Niko.

Herman Lelieveldt, politički znanstvenik i autor knjige Paradoks Hrane, gostovao je na kongresu. Objasnio je kako politika prebacuje svu odgovornost hrane koja je prihvatljiva za okoliš ljude i životinje na potrošača, dok se potrošač ne može natjecati s moćnim monstruoznim firmama. Ne trebamo koristiti propise kako bismo podržali velike onečišćivače, nego zaštititi naš planet i sve njegove stanovnike.

Kongres Stranke za životinje

Kongres sam dovršila govorom. U njemu sam najavila da ćemo početkom 2019. objaviti novi dokumentarac o potrošnji životinjskih proizvoda kao uzroku mnogih velikih problema, ali i o rješenjima tih problema. Godine 2007. naš dokumentarni film Meat the Truth izazvao je promjenu u politici i poljoprivrednom sektoru. Činjenice koje smo prikazali u tom dokumentarnom filmu o katastrofalnim učincima našeg poljoprivrednog sustava na planet, primili su s nevjericom.

U međuvremenu, ove su činjenice dobro poznate i čak važan vladin savjetodavni odbor poziva na upravljanje stočarskom industrijom. U novom dokumentarcu želimo pokazati da problemi koji nastaju od mesne i mliječne industrije od 2007. godine nisu postali manji, već su postali veći. Lobi stočarske industrije jedan je od najmoćnijih na svijetu i sada samo još više teži zadržavanju postojećeg sustava. Očekuj da u našem novom dokumentarcu neugodnosti nećemo izbjegavati. Zaključci tog dokumentarca bit će barem jednako spektakularni kao i naši prethodni dokumentarci.

Dokumentarac Meat the Truth

Promjena je jako potrebna. Ona mora dolaziti odozdo i od pokretača poput Stranke za životinje. A ta je promjena u zraku. Od 2006. godine broj vegana u Engleskoj porastao je za 350%. Biljna ishrana postaje trendi. Mi smo dio velikog društvenog pokreta koji pobjeđuje. Pokret s radikalnom sustavnom kritikom, ali i pokret koji nudi stvarna, održiva rješenja. Mi ukazujemo na novi, sveobuhvatni, opći interes širom svijeta koji nadilazi linije razdvajanja spola, etničke pripadnosti, vjere, seksualnih preferencija, dobi i klase.

Između 20. i 24. lipnja primamo izaslanstva u Briselu i Hagu naših sestrinskih stranaka iz cijelog svijeta: od Australije do Kanade. Osim toga, neke će organizacije iz Maroka i Turske biti prisutne. Zajedno ćemo pogledati kako možemo voditi borbu protiv stočarske industrije, prijevoz životinja i svih onih drugih groznosti. Kao dio ovog sastanka, održat ću predavanje na Sveučilištu Leiden, Campus Den Haag, 22. lipnja. Predavanje je besplatno za sve, ali postoji samo nekoliko ulaznica na raspolaganju. Možete ih ovdje rezervirati. Budući da imamo i međunarodne goste, moje predavanje će biti na engleskom jeziku. Nadam se da ću te vidjeti 22.!

Lijep uspjeh naše europske skupine. Većina Europskog parlamenta podržala je prijedlog Stranke za životinje da izmijeni poljoprivredna pravila Europske unije (EU) na takav način da nikakav novac subvencioniranja ne završi u borbi s bikovima. Procjenjuje se da se godišnje plaćaju milijuni eura EU subvencija za uzgoj bikova za borbe.
Konačno, uspjeh u nizozemskom parlamentu: zahvaljujući široko podržanom prijedlogu Stranke za životinje, vlada mora pokazati kako će se potruditi spriječiti gorivo od palminog ulja. Nizozemska je najveći uvoznik palminog ulja u Europi i mora se zaustaviti. Proizvodnja palminog ulja popraćena je velikim razaranjem polja, prašuma i treset područja. Za proizvodnju palminog ulja, veličine milijun nogometnih polja kišne šume su godišnje posjećene. Kao rezultat toga, orangutani i sumatranski tigar ozbiljno su ugroženi izumiranjem. Učinit ćemo sve kako bismo zaustavili uvoz palminog ulja što je brže moguće.

Do sljedećeg puta!

Marianne