Compassion in World Farming are campaigning to ban live exports and stop animal suffering.  And they have a donation match underway.

In their email with news of this match fund (which is up to £30,000), they remind us of three terrible events which took place fairly recently:

• In the Suez Canal in March 2021 when the Ever Given, a 400 metre container ship, got stuck.  She blocked a busy transport route – and that meant long delays for about 200,000 on the 16 livestock ships waiting to pass through the Suez Canal.
  
  
• In February 2021, two ships carrying 2,600 young cattle going from Spain to Libya got stranded at sea after an outbreak of bluetongue.  They were refused entry at one port after another – and food and water for the animals started running out.  Dozens of young calves apparently died on board.  The ships had to go back to Spain and the rest of the animals faced being enthunised.
  
  
• And in November 2019, a ship carrying 14,000 sheep from Romania to Saudi Arabia overturned and sank.  All but 180 of the animals on board died, either from drowning or of exhaustion and injuries.  The salvage company reported secret decks that were loaded with more sheep than the cargo plan had actually declared – and that could have caused the ship to capsize.

We need to ban live export.  

And with this match, every pound you give could be doubled.

CIWF say that 2021 could be the y ear live animal exports for slaughter and fattening from England and Wales come to an end.  But they need to be banned from or via Scotland and Northern Ireland as well – this loophole needs to be closed.

CIWF has a battle plan and I quote from their website:

"STEP 1: 
Push the UK Government to honour its Brexit promises and ban live animal exports in England and Wales.

STEP 2: 
Persuade Scotland to follow suit and ban all live animal exports, closing the loophole to Northern Ireland and Europe.

STEP 3: 
Convince the European Union to follow our good example on animal welfare and ban live exports from the EU and long journeys within the EU.

STEP 4: 
Leverage this success to persuade other countries around the world to ban cruel live exports for farm animals."

I do not know how long this match fund is going on for – it goes up to £30,000 – but every penny counts and will help CIFW campaign hard to stop live exports. 

PLEASE DONATE HERE – THANK YOU

Visit Compassion in World Farming to find out more about their work and how you can get involved and help.

Other ways to help stop ban live export

1. The 10^th to 16^th May is National Vegetarian Week and a good opportunity to take a step in that direction, however small a step we all take.  Look at the Vegan Society's website too for help with vegan meals.
   
   
2. If you do eat meat, look carefully at the package to see where it has come from.  Buy meat that has been locally produced.
   
   
3. If you eat out, ask where the meat on the menu has come from.   Show you care.
   
   
4. Visit Ban Live Export’s website to find out more about live export and the world trade – it is incredible how far these animals have to travel when they are alive and packed in to transport, many without water or food.
   
   
5. Spread the word – many people don’t think about animals travelling long distances like this, only to be slaughtered when they reach land.
   
   
6. Put the date of 14 June 2021 in your diary – it’s Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day
   
   
7. Support CIWF by giving a gift of compassion to celebrate a special occasion, perhaps a birthday or anniversary.   Make a donation of at least £15 to Compassion in World Farming, and your nominated friend or relative will receive a gift certificate, a compassionate pen, a hand-written card from CIWF, and a copy of the latest Farm Animal Voice magazine.

 Celebrate a birthday or anniversary with a gift of compassion

We need to put the pressure on!

New Zealand have announced that live animal exports are to be phased out over a two year periods to uphold high standards of animal welfare.  Other countries need to follow suit.  Read all about New Zealand’s news here.

#BanLiveExports 

There’s a charity caring for lost and abandoned pets who urgently need all our help.  

It’s based in Lebanon, and it’s the Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA). The charity has six staff and it relies on volunteers and international donations.  Today, it featured in the Mail on Sunday who ran an article about it and the help it needs.

It houses 850 dogs, 250 cats, three horses, two vervet monkeys and a pelican.

Not only that, the charity’s volunteers give food and medical care to all the strays roaming Beirut.

Dogs and cats in Beirut need help

As you know, there was a huge blast in Beirut in August when 2,700 tons of combustible chemicals stored at the port exploded.

The result was that 200 people were killed.  Thousands more were made homeless.  And BETA’s teams are searching for dogs and cats who were very distressed and ran away from the explosion area.  At the same time, many cats and dogs have been abandoned because of the financial crisis.  BETA estimate there are about 150,000 strays in the city of Beirut. 

BETA has a Crowdfunder

BETA has issued an urgent appeal – they need to complete a new rescue centre.  

With everything that’s going on – the explosion, the economic crisis and COVID-19, progress on the building has been slow.  The fully equipped stable and a monkey enclosure have been built.  Work is going on to finish the dog kennels – and the area for seniors.

£150,000 is urgently needed to finish it for the rescue dogs, cats and other animals before Christmas because they are being evicted from the current shelter.   And there is a need to provide for the animals’ basic needs such as food and medical care and to carry out their daily tasks. 

Please help provide these animals with the safe haven they deserve.  They have been through enough and need help.

If you have a cat or a dog, why not make a donation on their behalf and give cats and dogs in Lebanon a safe haven!

BETA is now a 501(c)3 charity organization registered in the USA. Tax identification number: 83-2075807

Please donate to the crowdfunder with GoFundMe

There’s also a wishlist on BETA’s website and you can find out more about the charity here.