Despite the very misty conditions our intrepid adventurers had an absolute blast as they descended 165ft SAS style free-fall from the bridge onto the beach below. Well done guys!

For those of you that missed out, we still have places available for the October 27 Abseil. More information here.

Craigiebuckler Church hosts its 22nd Animal Blessing Service on 9th June this year.  Animal Blessing Services are rare in Scotland as they are not part of the tradition of the Scottish Presbyterian Church.

The Services were introduced to our Church in 1992 when I approached my minister to ask if he would be prepared to allow one. Happily he was. A Scottish Episcopalian minister, the Revd James Thompson, who had conducted many such services in his own churches, conducted the first few at Craigiebuckler before retiring and moving from the area.

It was particularly pleasing when, in 1996, the first Presbyterian minister, the Revd Hugh Kerr, expressed his willingness to take the Services, succeeded five years later by the new minister at Craigiebuckler Church, the Revd Kenneth Petrie, who has since established the tradition.

The animals attending the Service are mainly dogs, with cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils making an occasional appearance.  Two tortoises, a diminutive frog, a snail and stick insects are among the rarer creatures which have joined us; a horse is the largest.

The therapeutic value of animals is now well recorded – children raised with pets are more sociable; pets act as ‘ice breakers’ in difficult situations and help us make new friends; they can compensate for childlessness and for the ‘empty nest’ syndrome; they can ease the pain of bereavement; the elderly and housebound who live with pets suffer less from depression; disruptive children in schools can be calmed by their presence, withdrawn children brought out of themselves; residents in care homes welcome visits from Pets As Therapy dogs – in fact, so beneficial are animals to our mental and physical well-being it has been suggested that they be supplied on prescription by the NHS!

The Services provide us with an opportunity to: give thanks for the companionship, loyalty and unconditional love our pets give us; to promote kindness and respect for all living creatures; and to pray for those less fortunate animals which are exploited and abused.

By extending the circle of care to encompass animals it would be gratifying to see more Churches throughout Scotland holding Animal Blessing Services.

Jeanne Marchig excelled internationally and with great distinction within the field of animal welfare and protection.  As a result, she held world-wide recognition and respect for her compassion and concern as a philanthropist, who through her selfless voluntary service and personal generosity dedicatedly and tirelessly worked in every continent of the world to alleviate the pain and suffering endured by animals, as well as seeking to end the abuse and cruelty inflicted upon them. 

The Marchig Trust gave generously to hundreds of projects around the world, and was particularly supportive of animal shelters and spay/neutering projects which offered practical help   Another key focus was the development of alternative methods to the use of animals in experimental procedures. The Trust also supported campaigns such as the hard-hitting Hanging is Still Legal campaign, run jointly in Scotland by OneKind and the League Against Cruel Sports in 2008.

In May 2011, the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE) opened as part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The Centre provides a hub of expertise on animal welfare education, collaborating with international partners to advance understanding of animal welfare issues.

OneKind pays tribute to this extraordinary champion of the animals.

On Thursday last week (25 April), the European General Court rejected an action by seal hunters and traders seeking to overturn the regulation prohibiting the importation of seal products to the EU.

Animal welfare organisations and supportive MEPs campaigned long and hard to stop the importation of sealskin products – the end result of the notorious seal hunts on the Canadian ice floes – to the EU. Legal challenges came as no surprise and are likely to continue both in this court and at the World Trade Organisation. However, as of last week, the importing and selling of seal products remains illegal within the European Union.

The General Court has jurisdiction to hear actions brought against acts of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the European Union. In this case a number of seal-hunting organisations, mainly from Canada, manufacturers and traders of seal products of various nationalities, and a single Scottish sporran-maker had challenged the measures implementing Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of 16 September 2009 on trade in seal products. In particular, they claimed that the principal objective of the Regulation was the protection of animal welfare and that such an objective did not fall within the exclusive competence of the EU.

Rejecting the action, however, the General Court confirmed that the objective of the basic Regulation was the improvement of the conditions of functioning of the internal market, taking into account the protection of animal welfare. This could not be satisfactorily achieved by action undertaken only in the Member States, and had therefore required action at EU level.

OneKind’s Honorary Vice-President David Martin MEP, member of the International Trade Committee and Vice-President of the European Parliament Animal Welfare Intergroup, said:

“This is a great result and I, along with numerous others, had been hoping for such an outcome."

“In September 2009 we in the European Parliament and Council adopted a regulation banning the marketing and importing of seal products. I and many of my colleagues have been urging the EU to stand strong in defence of the EU seal regulation. This stance has proved to be the right one.”

David concluded:

“Scientific evidence has concluded that it is inherently impossible to kill seals in a humane manner. Only a trade ban can ensure that this concern is addressed properly. The court has agreed with the outrage of millions of Europeans as well as their right to reject products which are the result of animal suffering.”

Court decision here. 

I am writing to inform you that today the European Parliament voted to end the cruel practice of shark finning.

As you may know, shark finning had been banned by the EU for almost a decade.  However thanks to a legal loophole, in practice special technical exemptions remained, making the ban difficult to enforce and too easy for the horrific practice to go unnoticed.

I have long supported the campaign to tighten up legislation and finally bring an end to shark finning.  I signed a written declaration calling for the regulation to be tightened up and thanks to the today’s vote, this goal has been achieved.  The legislation was passed with 566 MEPs voting for closing the loophole and 47 voting against it.

Thanks to today’s legislation all vessels fishing in EU waters and all EU vessels fishing anywhere in the world will have to land sharks with their fins still attached.  This law will help the EU contribute to global efforts to eradicate the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning.  As the EU’s global shark catches rank second in the world, this change is a big step in the protection of sharks.

Further information on shark finning and my views can be found on my website.

As Vice-President of the parliament’s intergroup on Animal Welfare, I follow all animal welfare legislation closely. I will look to inform OneKind on any news and any legislation that I believe is relevant. However I also want to hear from OneKind supporters with any concerns that you have about animal welfare at the European level. You can always contact my office at david@martinmep.com.

David Martin MEP

Throughout history, man has taken animals to war with him - from Celtic tribal war hounds to Hannibal’s elephants, from trained medieval war horses to carrier pigeons, from mules in the Burmese jungle to IED bomb sniffer dogs in Afghanistan; they have been there, serving faithfully. The British, Commonwealth and Allied forces have enlisted many millions of animals to serve and often die alongside their armies. These animals were chosen for their natural instincts and vast numbers were killed, often suffering agonising deaths from wounds, starvation, thirst, exhaustion, disease and exposure.

Maria Dickin, founder of PDSA – the UK’s leading veterinary charity – instituted the PDSA Dickin Medal in 1943. Aware of the bravery of animals serving alongside Allied Forces during the Second World War, she created the medal to recognise life-saving acts of heroism on the scale of the ‘human’ Victoria Cross. Just last month the medal was awarded to Springer spaniel ‘Theo’ at Wellington Barracks, London. Theo died of a broken heart shortly after his Scots handler Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was shot by insurgents in March last year in Helmand province. Liam, from Tayport, Fife, and Theo detected a record 14 Taliban roadside bombs and weapons caches in five months and are believed to have saved countless lives. It was reported that man and dog were inseparable and Liam's family believe the fit was brought on by the soldier's death. A touching example of the extraordinary bond between human and animal, sentient beings sharing the most intense experiences.

In November 2004 a memorial was unveiled at Brook Gate, Park Lane, on the edge of London’s Hyde Park. The Animals in War Memorial, inspired by Jilly Cooper’s book Animals in War commemorates the millions of conscripted animals that served, suffered and died alongside British, Commonwealth, and American forces in 20th century wars and conflicts.
The Memorial bears two inscriptions: “This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time.”

A second, smaller inscription reads: “They had no choice.”

We also remember those casualties hidden from public view: the hundreds of thousands of primates and domesticated animals used for experiments connected with war; their isolation, indignity and agony, unseen and unheard.

OneKind salutes the compassion of our colleagues at Animal Aid, who have issued a purple poppy in memory of the animals, which can be worn alongside the traditional red one. This Remembrance Day, please remember all humans and all creatures great and small and wear your poppies with pride, for them all.

“For a long time, animal protectionists have been calling for stricter penalties for those convicted of animal abuse. And the usual measures, including fines and community orders, seem a pretty weak-kneed response to those who deliberately inflict cruelty. That is why some are now calling for automatic prison sentences for cruelty and long ones at that. But prison, it seems to me, is not the answer. We know that around 40% of prisoners reoffend and prison frequently dehumanises people. We have to find a way in which the seriousness of animal cruelty can be registered, offenders effectively treated, and animals saved from cruelty. This requires a radical rethink”, argues Linzey.

“Compulsory empathy training for offenders would not be a soft option. Over a period of months, even years, people who are cruel would need to attend classes that require them to confront their own proclivities toward violence and learn to empathise with the suffering of animals.”

“Animal protectionists should step up to the plate and embrace this opportunity to lead empathy training courses. They should help fund them, run them, and staff them with professionals. It is too easy just to condemn; animal protectionists need to invest in the change they want to see in the world.”

“For those who cannot or will not undergo empathy training, or those who do not successfully complete the course, or those who reoffend, then their name needs to be placed on a national register. Those on the register would be forbidden from keeping an animal, or working with them. This register could be consulted by individuals and employers and it would become an offence to sell an animal to such a person or employ them in animal-related work.”

Professor Linzey argues that the low priority given to animal cruelty in the criminal justice system is reflective of a much deeper blindness: “Our society hasn’t yet appreciated what is at stake for human beings. Cruelty is not just a vice; it is a social vice. There is a well-established link between animal abuse and human violence supported by hundreds of psychological, medical, sociological, and statistical studies. A world in which animal cruelty goes unchecked is bound to be a less morally safe world for human beings.”

OneKind agrees wholeheartedly that “it is too easy just to condemn”. Sharing information is one practical way of improving enforcement and prevention, and a database of offences was proposed at the time of the Animal Welfare Acts in England and Scotland. Providing empathy training for offenders, to help them understand the sentience and the moral value of animals and change their behaviour towards them, would certainly be another.  

Arguably, however – and we are sure Professor Linzey would agree – this is too late. OneKind believes that more programmes should be available to show even the youngest children that hurting animals is wrong. Lifelong behaviours are established in the early years and giving young children a positive message about kindness to animals is one of the best things we can do to help humans and animals together. As animal protectionists, that is another opportunity we should embrace.

While snares are set to catch “pest” species such as foxes, rabbits and hares, these indiscriminate traps also regularly capture non-target species, including pets.

The OneKind SnareWatch website www.snarewatch.org, which asks members of the public to document their concerns about snaring incidents, shows just how often pets fall victim to snares.  Out of 34 reports currently published on the site, four are about dogs and no less than 14 are about cats. 

In one typical incident, reported on SnareWatch in April, a cat returned home with a snare around her back legs, so tight that her owner could not remove it. She had obviously managed to set herself free but was in a lot of pain and extremely frightened.  Her owners said they had no idea where she could have been caught in the trap.

Many people don’t realise that snares are still legal, both in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. People are horrified to learn that the law still allows the setting of primitive wire traps that cause great suffering to wild creatures, and capture many other non-target animals as well, including our much loved dogs and cats.  We hope that visitors to the Love Pets show will come to our stand and sign up to our campaign against cruel snares, for the sake of all animals.

The OneKind team will be manning Stand No. 4 at the Love Pets show and asking visitors to support the campaign to have snares banned outright, across the UK.

The OneKind stand will also offer vegan treats for dogs and handmade organic catnip mice for cats, animal-themed Christmas cards and cuddly toys, plus information and ideas about animal welfare.

The Love Pets show is in the Highland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8NB on Saturday and Sunday 1 – 2 September 2012.

Despite a pledge by the UK’s coalition government to reduce the number of experiments on animals, and to ban them altogether for testing household products, last year’s figures are the highest for almost 25 years.  A total of 3,710, 621 animals were used in 3,792,857 procedures. This represents a 2% rise over 2010.

More than 3.79m procedures, which range from breeding GM mice to mimicking neurological diseases in animals, were carried out, marking a rise of 68,100, or two percentage points, on 2010 figures.

The longer term trend continues to be upwards - there were 1.08 million more procedures than in 2000 (+40%) mostly accounted for by breeding to produce GM and HM animals (+918,000, of which mice +795,000). Excluding such breeding, the total number of procedures was slightly higher than in 2000 (+8% or +159,900).

There were increases in numbers of procedures for several species, such as cats (+26%), pigs (+37%), birds (+14%) and fish (+15%). There were falls for several species, such as rats (-11%), guinea pigs (-16%), dogs (-21%) and non-human primates (-47% with new world monkeys -68% and old world monkeys -41%).

There was an increase (+2%) in the numbers of procedures for safety testing (toxicology) to 399,000, due to increased use of fish in regulatory toxicology, with a higher proportion carried out to meet more than one legislative/regulatory requirement (75% compared with 72% in 2010). Most toxicology procedures are carried out in the commercial sector where the number of procedures also rose (+1%).

The number of non-toxicology procedures increased 2 per cent to 3.39 million, reflecting the higher numbers of procedures carried out in universities (+7%), particularly fundamental research. The increase for non-toxicology included increases in physiology (+115,100), immunology (+62,000) and parasitology (+22,000) whilst ecology (-30,300), anatomy (-27,000), biochemistry (-11,900) and cancer research (-10,200) fell.

The Home Office categorises animal research projects as mild, moderate or substantial, according to the severity of the procedures carried out. A blood test ranks as a mild procedure, while procedures used to model diseases in animals are typically ranked as severe. In the latest figures, 61% of procedures were moderate and 36% classified as mild.

Animal welfare organisations are disappointed and critical of the failure to reduce overall numbers in testing.  OneKind – while working to end all animal experiments as soon as possible – believes that the government should commit immediately to ending severe animal suffering and that scientists should focus on changing these procedures so they cause as little pain and psychological suffering as possible.

The Home Office annual report on the use of animals in science is also published today, revealing that government inspectors dealt with 39 licence infringements in 2011, more than they had handled in any of the previous five years. In one case, 208 mice drowned when a water dispenser malfunctioned and flooded their cages. A week later, at the same establishment, eight rats drowned when a leaky roof caused more cages to flood. The laboratory upgraded its facilities and was required to submit a formal report to the Home Office.

The Home Office reports are available at

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/other-science-research/spanimals11/

Separate figures for Scotland are not published but OneKind has asked Cathy Jamieson MP to lodge a series of written parliamentary questions so that this information is made available as soon as possible.  We will also publish more detail from the statistical report in the next few days.

The resolution called for animal welfare rules to be pulled together in a single EU-wide animal welfare law, with new rules for all farmed animals, including dairy cows, as well as stray cats and dogs and other domestic pets.

Mrs Paulsen also recommended an "early intervention" system to allow the European Commission to check that member states are making progress towards the implementation of new legislation.  In some areas, the lack of “legal milestones” during long transitional periods has led to a lack of compliance.  Most recently, even a 13-year lead-in could not ensure that all member states implemented Council Directive 1999/74/EC on the protection of laying hens in time.  Barren battery cages continued in use well after the deadline for replacement. Not only was this bad for animal welfare, it placed burdens on those states where producer compliance was good and where producers, as well as the public, then had to be protected from the trade in “illegal eggs”.

There is now a real risk that the same thing will happen with Council Directive 2008/120/EC on the protection of pigs, and the Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC. 

The Paulsen report highlighted further compliance issues to do with the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing.  At present, poorly applied and enforced legislation allows consumers to be misled into buying meat without knowing whether animals have been slaughtered without pre-stunning – a horrific and unnecessary way to end an animal’s life.  Responding to continued complaints from EU citizens, MEPs asked the Commission to consider creating a "slaughter without stunning" label for meat to help consumers to make more informed choices.

The Parliament called for member states to employ more trained animal welfare inspectors and for the EU Food and Veterinary Office to have more resources for its inspection work; and stressed that equivalent welfare standards should apply to all imported animals and products.

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published following an evaluation of 20 years of animal welfare policy which concluded that current rules needed to be better enforced and that some animal groups currently outside the scope of EU protection – such as dairy cows and pets – could benefit from harmonised EU laws.  Regrettably, the original Strategy did not address these concerns.  It opened the door to better welfare provision for companion animals, but other high profile issues such as live animal transport, the cloning of animals for food and animal testing for cosmetics were not even mentioned. 

Fortunately the animals have a doughty champion in Mrs Paulsen, who compiled a robust report and did not hesitate to point out that the EU has legal obligations towards animals:

“... policy coherence follows from Article 7 of the Treaty, and is not really a matter of political choice. Since Article 13 of the Treaty obliges the EU and Member States to pay full regard to the welfare of animals, it is compulsory to consider activities in other policy areas which could promote animal welfare and prevent any negative impact of other policies on animals.” 

The Strategy is stronger and more focused as a result.

OneKind wrote to all UK MEPs asking them to support the Paulsen report.  First to respond was our Vice-President David Martin MEP, who confirmed that he had voted for the European Parliament resolution. To see the resolution, click here