Working together to make New Zealand SAFE for animals 2017 Spring Update
Join the campaign to ban cruel farrowing crates! Together with Farmwatch we have released a brand new investigation into pig farming in New Zealand. Using both hidden camera footage and virtual reality technology, we ve created a ground-breaking and New Zealand first look at what life is like for pigs who are confined to a cage. The footage was obtained by Farmwatch at a pig factory farm in the Waikato, using both hidden and hand-held cameras. It shows mother pigs (sows) confined in farrowing crates, in which they are unable to turn around for weeks on end and can even struggle to lie down. Their extreme boredom causes them to repeatedly bite at the bars and one sow is shown desperately trying to escape. The unique immersive experience of viewing this footage obtained by 360 degree-cameras through virtual reality allows a powerful insight into what life is like for sows imprisoned in farrowing crates. The footage shows a farrowing crate from inside and the interior can be viewed from all angles. Check out this powerful 360 degree footage at: www.safe.org.nz
Suffering of animals on New Zealand pig farms is sadly common place. Despite continual public outcries over the years, sows are still confined in metal cages little wider than themselves, living a life of misery, says SAFE campaigns director Mandy Carter. Virtual reality will allow the public to experience what NZ Pork would rather they did not see. Now, with the 360-degree footage, people can see for themselves and understand the desperation and boredom these animals experience every day. Following our earlier campaign, sow stalls (in which pigs were held throughout their pregnancies), were banned on cruelty grounds in 2010. Farrowing crates subject sows to the same mental deprivation and emotional stress. It is time for the current government to take action to uphold the law in New Zealand and ban these inhumane crates, as the pork industry has shown it is not going to change without pressure. We are calling for an immediate ban on farrowing crates and have launched a petition calling on the government to ensure mother pigs stop being confined in cages. You can help! Get in touch with us at safe@safe.org.nz and we ll send you copies of the petition so you can help spread the word in your area.
Join SAFE s campaign to ban farrowing crates and make NZ a better place for pigs!
Plant a native tree for Conservation Week this October Safe concerned about possum drowning at school fundraiser In June, news coverage of baby possums being drowned as part of a fundraiser at a South Auckland school sparked national and international condemnation on the grounds of animal cruelty. With domestic abuse being a major social concern in New Zealand, teaching our children to be cruel to animals is the last thing we should be doing. SAFE has therefore expressed concern with the Ministry of Education and the South Auckland school. Possums are an introduced species within New Zealand, and it is accepted they compete with native birds for food, such as berries. It is important to remember, however, that possums are simply trying to fulfill their natural urges to survive and reproduce. They can feel pain, suffering and positive emotions, and are sentient animals. We must not lose sight of possums as animals when we are considering how to manage or phase out introduced species in New Zealand. Encouraging children to inhumanely kill possums and in fact framing it as a family-friendly activity is something we should not accept. It may pose the risk of desensitising children to violence. Studies have shown that early animal abuse in children may increase the risk of them engaging in later abuse of women, children and other vulnerable people. The issues around introduced species are extensive, however, a compassionate approach to individual animals should always come first. SAFE s education programmes teach respect and kindness to all animals.
SAFE and the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand: A partnership for animals SAFE is very pleased to be partnering with the new Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand. Nichola Kriek, Head of Education, and Jasmijn de Boo, CEO, met with Dr Jane Goodall on Wednesday 28 June. The famous primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace was on a speaking tour around New Zealand, and kindly made time available to talk about matters of shared interest. We spoke with Dr. Goodall about New Zealand specific issues, including conservation, agriculture, vegetarianism, and the need to be sensitive to different views, while respectfully and collaboratively helping to change the world to become a better place for animals, people and the environment. It was an immense privilege to meet Dr. Jane Goodall on her recent trip to New Zealand. Within minutes of meeting her I realised that she is a quiet observer and a listener (as you would expect from a world-famous ethologist). Dr. Goodall could have regaled us with stories about her incredible life but she wanted to learn about what we are doing to help animals. Her ceaseless determination and motivation to encourage others to care is an inspiration. I can only hope I will still be making a difference for animals when I m 80 years old. - Nichola Kriek, Head of Education
Let s make kindness part of our future SAFE Animal Squad goes live! We are excited to announce that the launch of the SAFE Animal Squad website is just around the corner. To celebrate, we are running a special Animal Tales story telling competition where children can create their own animal storybook and go into the draw to win some amazing prizes. The new website and competition will go live in mid-october - so be sure to check it out and join in the fun at safeanimalsquad.org.nz. SAFE Animal Squad is a group for Kiwi kids aged 8-14 who are passionate about animals and care about how we treat them. The new website is a place where members can find information on important animal issues, and learn how to make New Zealand a better place for all animals. Members will learn about these issues and key facts while having fun though interactive games and videos. SAFE Animal Squad now has over 400 members and is growing everyday! To sign up and become part of the squad, just visit safe.org.nz/safe-youth Thanks to all our amazing supporters who helped make kindness and compassion part of our future.
The fight for hens continues! SAFE is still working very hard to free all hens from cages. We are currently in productive dialogue with five other large companies and hope to be able to make announcements about these soon. We re excited about the potential for this work, especially the enthusiasm and engagement from SAFE supporters your support has already made a difference for hundreds of thousands of hens, and we are not giving up the fight! The choices you make every day can help shape a kinder world for animals. So, why not get in touch with your local café, favourite restaurant or even larger companies to ask them to put an end to the cage age and stop selling cage-eggs. As a loyal customer, I hope [name of company] will join the growing global trend of going cage-free with your eggs. Many cafés, restaurants, supermarkets and food service companies all over the world, including many here in NZ, are making the compassionate choice to be cage-free. Please make a similar commitment to end the use of cage eggs as soon as you can. I would love to hear about it when you do.
Leaving a lasting impact for animals Leaving a gift to SAFE in your Will is an easy way to ensure your passion for animals lives on. Wills are not something that New Zealanders like to talk about in fact, half of all Kiwi adults don t even have one. However, a Will allows you to provide for your family after you die, and ensures that the people you care about are looked after. Leaving a gift in your Will is also a great way to support the vital work of charities that you ve always wanted to help or continue to support a charity you ve supported all your life. It s sometimes thought that only wealthy people can leave a gift to charity in their Will, but most gifts are from ordinary, hard-working people just like you. The simple fact is that without the generous gifts that people leave in Wills to SAFE, our work for animals could not continue. As a not-for-profit organisation, SAFE is 100% reliant on the support of people like you to carry out our work. By leaving a gift to SAFE in your Will, you can help us achieve lasting change for all animals, and ensure that your love of animals has a lasting impact long beyond the many years you supported SAFE during your life. SAFE gives voice to the voiceless. It throws light on human-induced animal suffering caused by practices that have no place in a civilised society. It s campaigns have yielded results: animal advocacy works. That is why I have left a gift to SAFE in my Will. - Patricia Callis, SAFE Supporter
Make your vote count for animals! In the run up to the election, SAFE asked all registered political parties about their policies to help animals. Would they work to end factory farming? Would rodeo be banned? What about greyhound racing? Animal testing? The decisions of politicians can have a major impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of animals, for better or worse. Voters may be surprised about party policies on animal welfare, with political parties holding very different views about the animal issues Kiwis care about. In SAFE s Vote for Lucy campaign, National is given an overall score of -11, whilst the Green Party, Labour and Mana receive 23, 14, and 14 respectively. This is out of a possible total score of 26. While SAFE would like to see improvements for many animals, our main ask of political candidates in the general election is a pledge to ban sow farrowing crates. The Green Party and Labour will support this, and National is the only party actively opposed. The other parties in Parliament have said they would support farrowing crate improvements, or minimise their use. National and ACT are the only parties that won t support at least a phase out of some factory farming practices, or work towards an end to factory farming, including for layer hens. You can help! Check out our special elections website for more details about individual party policies at www.voteforlucy.nz. Please make your vote count on 23 September. The animals are counting on you.
Introducing Professor Knight SAFE s Director of Research and Education In July, we welcomed Professor Andrew Knight to the SAFE team. We are very excited to have Andrew on board. As a veterinary specialist in animal welfare science and animal ethics, Andrew strongly believes in helping SAFE make a difference to New Zealand animals and supporting initiatives to save the environment. Although originally an Aussie from Perth, Andrew is a Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, and Founding Director of the Centre for Animal Welfare at England s University of Winchester, where he established a new MSc in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law. He is a European Veterinary Diplomate, Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and American Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare. The knowledge and credibility he brings will strengthen and add impact to SAFE s work and campaigns, helping us to create real change for animals suffering in factory farms, and to decrease or end their exploitation. When Andrew is not researching, publishing articles or delivering presentations on animal issues, you will find him exploring the unique New Zealand wilderness, watching cheeky kea up in the mountains, navigating our snowy heights, and generally adventuring through our amazing wilderness. The latter also inspires Andrew to promote sustainable living and a vegan lifestyle, to ensure these beautiful areas are protected from the detrimental effects of factory farming and pollution. www.andrewknight.info/
SAFE calls on World Health Organisation for change Every year millions of animals suffer on farms, during transport and at the slaughterhouse. Intensive animal agriculture and the overconsumption of animal products is arguably the most pressing issue facing human health and the environment. That is why SAFE along with some of our partners wrote to the Regional Director of the World Health Organization, Western Pacific Region asking them for leadership on this issue. Intensive farming has become big business in New Zealand, with well over one hundred million animals confined in factory farms each year. These industries, and those they influence, place profits above New Zealanders health. The commodification of animals where they are bred to grow unnaturally fast, produce products in such large volumes that their health is compromised, and kept in such large numbers and conditions that the they have to receive daily doses of antibiotics is of grave concern. Jasmijn de Boo, CEO, SAFE We believe time is of the essence. We call on the World Health Organisation to prioritise better nutrition strategies aimed at health and wellness by promoting a whole food, plant-based diet as the preferred diet. An increasing number of New Zealanders are showing an interest in vegan living, as cruelty-free products grow in popularity. SAFE s 100% Vegetarian starter guide is available for anyone interested in transitioning to a plantbased lifestyle. Sign up at: www.safe.org.nz/eat-with-care
Marathon effort for animals! Spring is here! Time to get active! From being cooped in a cage for the Caged-Being Experiment (as featured in our last Supporter Update) to running marathons, our awesome supporters have been actively out and about fundraising for animals. Clare ran her first half-marathon this June alongside SAFE CEO, Jasmijn and Board Chair, Mark, to help raise money towards animals suffering in factory farms. Despite the awful weather the team put on their animal hats, and braved the elements. Apprehensive, but excited, Clare was amazed at the support from the crowds of people at the event. From the moment people saw the SAFE logo, they were cheering her on, saying nice things which inspired her to keep on running. Over $800 was raised on this occasion. The team can t wait to do it again and are looking for races across the country, with the Auckland Marathon next on the list! Mark, Jasmijn and Andrew have formed Team Vegan Runners and are looking for more keen souls to join them. SAFE Good Sorts celebrating our volunteers! Helping pigs out Out come the pig costumes again! Volunteers across the country have been getting behind our petition to ban farrowing crates in many different ways. We ve seen street signings, library displays, petitions in shops and waiting areas. you name it, we ve probably seen it! In August, our amazing volunteer team in Christchurch set up a stall at the Go Green Expo. At the event, they filled over 27 pages with signatures for our petition (that s over 400 caring people who want to see pigs out of cages!), and 8 pages of Eat Kind sign ups. Every petition sheet counts, so keep them coming! Visit www.safe.org.nz to download your own fundraising toolkit and set up your online fundraising page! Every dollar raised makes a difference for animals. We need as many signatures on paper as possible, so get in touch with laura@safe.org.nz if you would like to help.
Meet our amazing volunteer, Fee! In this new section we celebrate our supporters! Let us know if you d like to nominate your favourite volunteer. Fee O Shea is the local volunteer coordinator for the Tauranga SAFE group. She came on board in early 2014 and her passion, energy and enthusiasm for the cause remains strong! Fee organises stalls, meetings, potlucks and collections for the local Tauranga SAFE group, and has done a fantastic job of helping them go from strength to strength. We believe her dedication along with her bubbly and warm personality is a key part of that success! We are so incredibly grateful to have someone like Fee on our volunteer team. I love talking to people and hopefully opening their eyes to the beauty of animals as well as the wonderful healthy benefits of plant-based food - to me it s a win/win. My passion comes from my heart as I believe we should be compassionate to all animals including humans. There are many ways you can volunteer with SAFE and help make NZ a kinder place for animals sign up at community.safe.org.nz/volunteer
Animals Need You! From exposing the appalling conditions on colony battery cage farms to campaigning for an end to rodeo cruelty and producing educational resources for young people, our work on behalf of animals would not be possible without the support of compassionate New Zealanders like you. Giving regularly is one of the most effective ways you can support our work to help animals. You will be a vital part of our work making New Zealand safe for animals. Please visit safe.org.nz and click Donate, or call Lauren on: 04 472 9311 to set up your regular gift today. Thank you. follow us: Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Instagram: SAFEnewzealand YouTube: SAFEAnimalAdvocacy safe.org.nz