Farm animal Voice 198 summer 2017

Issue 198 – summer 2017

RABBIT SUCCESS!

Together, we will End the Cage Age

STOP THE MACHINE

Meet the hidden victims of factory farming THE FOOD BRANDS THAT ARE MAKING HISTORY

Dead zone: where the wild things were Inside: Our latest groundbreaking investigation

I S S U E 19 8

FARM ANIMAL VOICE CONTENTS

UPDATE 4 News 6 CAMPAIGN SUCCESS! A step closer to ending caged rabbit farming 18 ENDING THE CAGE AGE FOR QUAIL Signs of hope 20 BIG BRANDS PLEDGE TO DITCH THE CAGE How millions of lives can be changed

ACTION 10 AGAINST LIVE TRANSPORT Our Campaign Needs YOU!

MEET THE HIDDEN VICTIMS OF FACTORY FARMING 12

12 THE HIDDEN VICTIMS Together we must end factory farming 15 WHERE THE WILD THINGS WERE Our latest groundbreaking investigation 16 FARMAGEDDON ILLUSTRATED

Pictures tell the story of factory farming 26 FARM ANIMALS NEED YOU! How to get involved

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION A LEGACY OF COMPASSION 19 Remembering Frances White MBE 24 THE POWER OF GRASS Pasture for Life

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Editor Richard Brooks • Production Manager Sarah Bryan • Design Neo weareneo.com Farm Animal Voice is published twice a year by Compassion in World Farming.

Compassion in World Farming is a registered charity in England and Wales, registered charity number 1095050; and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, registered company number 4590804. The registered office is at River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1EZ, UK. Enquiries: Tel +44 (0)1483 521 950 (lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm) • Email supporters@ciwf.org Our Patrons Professor Joy Carter, Jilly Cooper OBE, Peter Egan, Rose Elliot MBE, Princess Alia Al Hussein of Jordan, Dame Penelope Keith DBE, Bruce Kent, Joanna Lumley OBE, Evanna Lynch, Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE, The Duchess of Richmond, Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO, Professor John Webster Front cover: © Shutterstock

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WELCOME

W

elcome to the summer edition of Farm Animal Voice, which brings news of some landmark successes in our work, all of which were made possible by you.

©Anita Jeram

Despite an ever-changing playing field, we have stood firm to our core mission, to end factory farming and change the lives of millions of animals in the UK, Europe and around the world.

Alongside this, we are exposing the hidden impacts of factory farming on wildlife, the environment and human health. In doing so, we are forming alliances with new people and organisations, strengthening and uniting our message, to end the suffering of farm animals.

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RABBIT SUCCESS! TOGETHER WE WILL END THE CAGE AGE

This all began with you. What happens next is down to you, to Compassion’s dedicated team, and to a world that we are waking up to the horror of factory farming.

Together we can create global solutions for a truly global problem.

I can’t wait to find out what the rest of 2017 will bring, and hope you enjoy reading about all the progress we have made so far.

VE IT’S TIME TO EVOL

Thank you.

Philip Lymbery Chief Executive, Compassion in World Farming

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U P DATE

COMPASSION’S CHIEF POLICY ADVISOR PRAISED

BY AGRICULTURE MINISTER During a Westminster debate in January, Agriculture Minister George Eustice praised Peter Stevenson (pictured right), our Chief Policy Advisor, for his extraordinary contribution to animal welfare.

The Defra Minister said:

EU bans on veal crates, battery cages and sow stalls, as well as helping to secure recognition in EU law that animals are sentient beings.

Peter has been lobbying for Compassion for over two decades and played a leading role in winning the

STOP THE TRUCKS

The results were shocking: horrific mishandling of European animals, including cattle and sheep, during their European journey; and inhumane slaughter at their final destinations, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt.

Six EU governments have already called upon the European Commission to revise the European Transport Regulation and well over 800,000 European citizens have already shown support for the campaign. We will keep you updated as the campaign progresses.

Turn to page 10 to find out about our International Awareness Day: STOP LIVE TRANSPORT.

Footage showed transport and slaughter methods that are routine for such importing countries, yet breach European regulations and international standards.

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We are delighted that, in March, Asda became the first major UK retailer to sell ‘Pasture Promise’ milk.

The Free Range Dairy Pasture Promise logo indicates that milk has been produced by cows who have the freedom to graze. Farmers must commit to grazing their cows for at least 180 days a year to make their milk eligible to display this label, and it also comes with a set of standards that the producers must comply with.

“I also pay tribute to individuals such as Peter Stevenson of Compassion in World Farming, who for the best part of 20 years has been a calm and cogent voice of reason in this debate and provided really incisive analysis on some of these issues.”

Our friends at Animals International, Tierschutzbund Zurich and Eurogroup for Animals conducted a landmark 8-month investigation between June 2016 and February 2017.

ASDA – FIRST UK SUPERMARKET TO STOCK ‘FREE-RANGE’ MILK

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It is incredibly encouraging that increased consumer demand for organic and freerange products prompted Asda to stock the Pasture Promise milk. Following an initial trial in 109 stores, high demand for the milk has led to more than 300 stores now stocking it.

This positive step comes after Waitrose’s public commitment last year to only stock milk and cream from cows who are able to graze on pasture. We hope other leading UK supermarkets will follow suit in future.

U P DATE

THE ALLIANCE TO SAVE OUR ANTIBIOTICS WINS AWARD In February, The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics – a coalition of organisations including Compassion – was awarded second prize in the EU Health Award: NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance.

ANTIBIOTICS RESISTANCE KNOWS NO BORDERS.

The Award recognises outstanding initiatives by NGOs to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health.

The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is working to stop the over-use of antibiotics in farming, which threatens to reverse decades of medical advancement and is propping up inhumane, unhealthy factory farming systems.

On collecting the award on behalf of The Alliance, Emma Slawinski, our Director of Campaigns said: “ The recognition is of course fantastic, however, more importantly, the monetary prize will allow us to continue this important work.’’

FRENCH ASSEMBLY VOTES FOR MANDATORY CCTV In January, the French Assembly voted for the compulsory installation of surveillance cameras in slaughterhouses from 2018. This measure must still be adopted by the Senate, following a trial period, but this is an extremely positive initial step.

Emma Slawinski, our Director of Campaigns says: “It is exciting to see France taking positive steps to help improve animal welfare in slaughterhouses. Huge congratulations to our colleagues at CIWF France for their hard work and determination which has helped to achieve this result.”

STAFFORDSHIRE RABBIT FARM APPEAL DISMISSED In summer 2016, an application for a rabbit farm in Staffordshire was submitted. Local Compassion supporters mobilised to object to this proposal for, what we believe to be, the UK’s first caged rabbit farm, and contacted Stafford Borough Council in their hundreds to urge them to reject the application.

The application was refused, but the applicant then appealed the decision to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. In April, we were thrilled to learn that the appeal was dismissed.

“I hope this will be the catalyst for the UK and other European governments to introduce compulsory CCTV in abattoirs, preventing the suffering we have seen exposed in recent investigations.”

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A huge thank you to everyone who contacted the Planning Inspectorate to object to this application to help ensure that caged rabbit farming does not become established in the UK. Please turn over for more good news for rabbits!

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U P DATE

E V L O V E O T IT’S TIME

CAMPAIGN SUCCESS! When Compassion undertook an investigation into caged rabbit farming in 2012, few people had any idea of the scale of the industry, nor the number of rabbits farmed.

Visiting farms in Italy, France and Spain – the top three rabbit-producing nations in Europe – we uncovered the biggest secret of the cage age.

A

second investigation in 2014, visiting farms in Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Poland and Cyprus, confirmed that this was not a system limited to a few farms in a couple of countries, but one that was confining rabbits in tiny barren cages across Europe.

Every year, an estimated 320 million* rabbits in the EU are farmed for meat in cages.

Now, because of you, this issue is fixed firmly in the minds of the EU’s policy makers. Years of campaigning and lobbying culminated in a landmark moment. In March 2017 in the European Parliament, MEPs backed a key report to End the Cage Age for Europe’s rabbits, and called on the European Commission to introduce legislation to protect these vulnerable animals.

This called for something big, and heralded the launch of Compassion’s hard-hitting campaign, End the Cage Age. It was absolutely vital to push the issue of caged farming up the political agenda to improve the welfare of Europe’s rabbits, and other caged animals.

We now have the best chance of securing legislation to improve farm animal welfare in over a decade.

*Estimated from FAOStat 2010-2013.

And all of this is because of you!

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U P DATE

ŠAnita Jeram

THANK YOU! This has been a truly international campaign, drawing support from across Europe. Thanks to you, we now have an opportunity to End the Cage Age for 320 million* rabbits in Europe, every year.

Together we will end the cage age!

WHAT NEXT? Having secured the support of the European Parliament, we now need to ensure that the European Commission introduces legislation to protect rabbits, and that all countries support this. We will be calling on you to guarantee that this is an issue that stays on the political agenda until we End the Cage Age. Forever.

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2012

CELEBRITY SUPPORT: In 2015 the Easter bunny, with assistance from celebrity supporters, Pauline McLynn (left), Peter Egan (right), Evanna Lynch, Kate Nash and images from Anita Jeram, caused a storm on social media – whipping up further support for the campaign.

WE EXPOSE THE TRUTH: Our undercover investigations reveal a secret industry consigning millions of rabbits to life in a cage.

CAMPAIGN LAUNCH We launch the END THE CAGE AGE campaign, urging Europe’s Agriculture Ministers and Members of the European Parliament to ban these farm cages.

Polish activists join the fray: Our Warsaw team hid paper rabbits in spots across the country for people to find, photograph and then share on social media. This created a new wave of awareness of caged rabbit farming within Poland.

How it all - because Voices that cannot be ignored: Compassion in World Farming delivered our biggest ever online petition, 601,435 signatures, to Europe’s Agriculture Ministers.

Our call for change was heard! MEPs received a bumper mailbox ahead of the crucial vote in the European Parliament, with drawings from children across the continent, along with scientific reports extolling the virtues of cage-free systems.

London

Confining cages to history: Cages belong in museums. So we took cages to the Natural History Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, France, and the Museum of Torture in Lucca, Italy, as well as museums in Prague, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Berlin.

Paris

UK MEPs received as many as 20,000 emails EACH from concerned citizens, with one MEP saying they had received more correspondence on this issue than TTIP, which has been the hottest issue in Brussels for almost four years.

Our children speak out: Hundreds of children across Europe joined our campaign by sending in drawings of how rabbits should live – running free. Sometimes children really do know best.

Lovelocks in the Netherlands: Our Dutch team invited the public to put a lovelock on a human-sized rabbit cage and to join the campaign.

l happened e of you!

Billboards to challenge thinking: Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters in the Netherlands, 100 posters were displayed at 30 train stations across the country.

Billboards in Brussels: Thanks to the generosity of Compassion supporters, billboards were placed in strategic locations outside the Parliament and Commission buildings in Brussels to remind the EU’s decision makers of the vote and urging them to protect farmed rabbits. Whether on their way to work, in their post-box, their email or their twitter accounts, MEPs could not avoid the public outcry for better protection of rabbits!

2017

VICTORY! On 14th March 2017, MEPs voted 410-205 (with 59 abstentions) to back the report by Stefan Eck MEP which called for the banning of cages and the Commission to bring forward legislation to End the Cage Age for Europe’s farmed rabbits.

victory for rabbits!

ACTION

R T: O P S N A R T E V I L P S TO YO U NEEDS O U R C A M PA IG N

13/09/17

In September 2017, Compassion is collaborating with the global animal protection movement to galvanise action against the cruel long distance transportation of farm animals.

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ong distance transport causes immense and completely unnecessary suffering to farm animals. The longer the distance, the greater the torment. In response to this global problem, we launched our ‘Animals Are Not Freight’ campaign.

Last year, over 96 events took place across 34 countries.

In 2017, we are determined to achieve an even greater cry for change worldwide. On Wednesday 13th September, we will be uniting with organisations around the world as part of an International Awareness Day to Stop Live Transport.

With your support, the UK has driven down live exports from 2.5 million sheep and calves in the 1990s to tens of thousands per year. But we must not stop here.

In a recent debate in the UK Parliament, when talking about banning live exports, Agriculture Minister, George Eustice MP made it clear that the UK now has a clear opportunity to end this vile trade from British shores:

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ANIMAL TRANSPORT IN NUMBERS

2,000,000

Total number of farm animals exported from the EU every year

8 hours

The time after which experts say animals in transport start to suffer

67,488

The number of sheep who died when the transport ship, MV Uniceb, caught fire in 1996

144 hours

Time needed for sheep to recover after a 14-hour journey

“ While we are in the EU, it would be against free movement rules to place an ethical ban on the export of live animals, but once we leave the EU, we will be free to do so, if that is the decision of the UK Government; there will be nothing to stand in our way…”

George Eustice, Agriculture Minister This is very encouraging language from the Minister – so on your behalf, Compassion will work harder than ever to ensure the new British government knows the strength of public feeling to ban live exports.

With your support we must galvanise a public movement as quickly as possible: culminating in the International Awareness Day on Wednesday 13th September 2017.

3,000,000 Annual live exports of cows and sheep from Australia

Countless

Animals suffering worldwide as a result of long distance transport

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It’s time to stop this cruel trade, worldwide.

SAVE THE DATE International Awareness Day: STOP LIVE TRANSPORT

13/09/17 Wherever you are in the world, you can join the campaign against the long distance live transport of farm animals. On 13th September, why not take part in an event in your country, or even organise your own?

To register your interest and to see events as they are confirmed, keep an eye on www.stoplivetransport.org Could you join us in London?

As part of the International Awareness Day, Compassion will be staging a flagship event in London to call on the new UK government to ban live exports. To be kept informed about this event, please tick the box on the response form of your Farm Animal Voice letter and send back to us.

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MEET THE HIDDEN VICTIMS OF FACTORY FARMING 12

ACTION

Our new two-year global investigation finds that, as farm animals are being caged and confined, wildlife is being pushed to the edge of extinction.

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HELP US STOP THE FACTORY FARMING MACHINE

n the past 40 years, half of our wild animal and plant life has been lost, as rainforests, savannah and pasture are destroyed. Two thirds of this devastation has been driven by food production. As a result, species are disappearing at a rate 1,000 times higher than they would in the natural world.

The connection between factory farming and wildlife is little known or understood. It is not just jaguars who are under threat, but also other species, including elephants, marine animals and numerous species of birds. All are impacted by habitat loss or by pollution from the pesticidedrenched monocultures of soya and palm trees.

Agriculture and the way farm animals are reared are at the heart of the problem. Today at least one third of the global cereal harvest, and nearly all of the world’s soya is fed to livestock that includes intensively farmed animals – food enough for more than 4 billion extra people.

As animal feed crops move in, wildlife is pushed out.

CASE STUDY: JAGUAR 95% of jaguars gone in 50 years. There are now only 15,000 jaguars left in the wild, with half of the world’s population remaining in Brazil. Now their numbers are shrinking as their habitat is deforested to make way for soya plantations. Brazil is second only to the US in soya production, and is the world leader in soya exports.

So far, the EU alone is to blame for 13 million hectares of South American land being hijacked to grow soya – largely to feed farm animals trapped in crowded cages and sheds.

Factory farming not only causes immense suffering to farm animals, it is decimating the world’s wildlife.

As their habitat disappears, jaguars are forced into open land, where they come into contact with human settlements and cattle ranches. They are seen as pests and are often shot on sight.

But we can make a difference. Together we’ll give wildlife a future, and farm animals a life worth living.

To find out how you can help support this campaign, please read on overleaf.

BRAZIL

MOSTLY TO FEED

ABOUT

ONE THIRD

95%

OF BRAZIL’S SOYA IS EXPORTED TO THE EU

INDUSTRIALLY REARED ANIMALS

TO EUROPE

When you deforest the land, clear out everything and remove their prey... you are wiping out the species.

of jaguars gone in 50 years

LEANDRO SILVEIRA JAGUAR CONSERVATION FUND

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Together we can protect farm animals from ACTIO N the misery of factory farming, take the pressure off natural habitats around the world, and restore wildlife to its rightful place.

HOW CAN WE STOP THE MACHINE? • Thanks to your support, we’ve now launched our campaign for a new Good Food Act in the UK. With Brexit negotiations underway, we must ensure there is no backsliding on your hard-fought legal victories for hens, pigs and dairy calves, and the UK must take the lead on animal welfare. Find out more and take action here: ciwf.org.uk/GoodFoodAct • In Europe, we are focusing on reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to build a sustainable food system that prioritises animal welfare. Thank you to everyone who recently made their views known to the European Commission on this vital issue.

• We’re thrilled to confirm that WWF has joined Compassion as event partner to stage the first ever International Extinction and Livestock Conference.

This high-profile event, on 5th and 6th October 2017, is targeting environmental organisations, wildlife experts,

top academics and policy makers. The aim: to persuade them to use their skills and influence to fight factory farming. Visit www.extinctionconference.com for more details.

• With your support, we have created an exciting new touring exhibition to spread the truth about the impact of factory farming. On 22nd May, environmentalists Simon King and Tony Juniper helped to launch our new campaign, STOPTHEMACHINE at the Natural History Museum in London. The exhibition is set to visit a host of European countries in the coming year.

It’s urgent that we wake the world up to the devastation factory farming causes.

Together, we can protect farm animals from the misery of factory farming, take the pressure off natural habitats around the world, and restore wildlife to its rightful place.

HOW YOU CAN STOP THE MACHINE? If you haven’t already done so and would like to support the campaign, then please visit: ciwf.org.uk/victims If you eat meat, dairy products or eggs, the simplest thing you can do to help is ‘eat better, eat less’. Choose free-range, especially pasture-reared, food that is kinder to farm animals and has a host of environmental benefits – from reducing water pollution, to protecting our soils, to providing habitats for rare and endangered wildlife.

Buy a copy of Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were 14

ACTION

DEAD ZONE: WHERE THE WILD THINGS WERE The findings of Compassion’s investigation have now been published in Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were.

This powerful follow-up to 2014’s Farmageddon contains the simple message: factory farming harms wildlife too.

The campaign trail takes us on a journey around the world, travelling from the rainforests of the Amazon to the Midwest plains of America; the palm plantations of Sumatra to the volcanic diversity of the Galapagos; the grasslands of England to the Malaysian jungle.

Thanks to your support, Dead Zone makes a powerful call for farming to work with nature, and not against it. It reveals the benefits of farming in a way that is good for animal welfare, the environment and wildlife.

COME AND JOIN US! Philip Lymbery, Compassion CEO and author of Dead Zone will be speaking at the following events in 2017:

In a global expedition focusing on some of the world’s most endangered species, it exposes the brutal truth: as farm animals are caged and confined, wildlife is being pushed to the edge of extinction.

18th June 2017 York Festival of Ideas, York, UK 21st/22nd June 2017 Eurogroup for Animals AGM, Brussels, Belgium

Dead Zone retails at £12.99 (RRP) and is available to buy from all good book stores – online and in the high street.

Dead Zone was officially launched in London on 9th March. The event was hosted by Compassion patron, Joanna Lumley, and attended by numerous supporters including actor Evanna Lynch and conservationist, Bill Oddie. The book has also been launched in Italy and the Czech Republic to impressive reviews.

27th June 2017 Bloomsbury Institute, London, UK 10th-14th July 2017 Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa 5th August 2017 Wilderness Festival, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, UK

The Italian edition includes an additional chapter that delves under the surface of the country’s pristine image to reveal the truth: despite the country’s reputation for gastronomy and high quality food, factory farming has Italy in a stranglehold.

26-27th August 2017 River Cottage Festival, Axminster, Devon, UK For the full list of dates and details, please visit: ciwf.org/deadzone

The good news is that there is a solution – for Italy, and for the world.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR COMPASSION SUPPORTERS As a Compassion supporter, you can receive a 30% discount on Dead Zone if you buy directly online from Bloomsbury. Simply go to www.bloomsbury.com and enter the discount code DEADZONE at the checkout.

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FARMAGEDDON IN PICTURES The True Cost of Cheap Meat

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armageddon in Pictures: The True Cost of Cheap Meat is the new, illustrated edition of our bestselling book Farmageddon; depicting the global impact that factory farming is having on farm animals, people and the environment.

GHOST ACRES

90 hectares (220 acres) of arable land are needed to produce the cereal to feed the chickens in one 892m2 (9,600 sq ft) shed

Colourful, accessible and illustrated with photographs from around the world, Farmageddon in Pictures is helping us to reach new audiences with the call for an end to factory farming.

This investigation was only made possible because of the generosity of supporters like you.

Graphics copyright Š Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd

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CONSUMPTION

On average, over their lifetime, each person in the UK will consume...

24 pigs

1,400 chickens

17 ducks

the life’s work of a dairy cow

sheep

27

HALF

turkeys

4

19 The life’s work of

50

laying hens

cows

A DEVASTATING INDICTMENT OF CHEAP MEAT AND FACTORY FARMING. DON'T TURN AWAY: IT DEMANDS READING AND DESERVES THE WIDEST POSSIBLE AUDIENCE. (Joanna Lumley)

SPECIAL OFFER FOR COMPASSION SUPPORTERS As a Compassion supporter, you’ll receive a 30% discount on Farmageddon in Pictures if you buy directly online from Bloomsbury. Simply go to www.bloomsbury.com and enter the discount code FARMAGEDDON at the checkout.

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U AP CD T IAO TN E

ENDING THE CAGE AGE FOR QUAIL SIGNS OF HOPE AND POSSIBILITY

During 2015/16, Compassion supporters funded a groundbreaking exposé of the quail industry and revealed that these shy and wary birds are the third most caged farm animal in Europe. But the good news is, pioneering companies are proving that a better future is possible for quail.

O

ver 700,000 quail are farmed every year in the EU for their eggs, with more than 90% of them spending their entire lives in tiny barren cages, where they have little space to move and express their natural behaviours. The ban on barren battery cages, which was introduced throughout the EU to improve the welfare of laying hens, unfortunately, does not extend to quail.

But there is hope on the horizon: higher welfare quail egg farming does exist, and two UK companies are leading the way.

LEADERS IN QUAIL EGG PRODUCTION

Natural light, fresh air and straw bales are all provided to keep the birds stimulated, active and busy – allowing them to forage and dustbathe. They even have radios with music to keep them on their toes! “ Animal welfare is set firmly at the heart of our brand – Clarence Court is a family run, British business that employs traditional farming methods.

We are proud of the ‘free to fly’ system we have developed for our laying quail and are very pleased to have our efforts recognised by Compassion.”

Richard Kempsey, Technical Director at Clarence Court

In 2016, Compassion was delighted to recognise two companies that have developed higher welfare quail egg farming, for which they each received a Good Egg Award.

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In the wild, quail tend to live in grasslands and meadows and the Traditional Free Range Egg Company system seeks to mimic these conditions.

The birds are housed in sheds connected to netted aviaries, where they have access to the outdoors for up to 12 hours a day so they can sleep or rest in the grass and dustbathe.

This system provides a near-to-natural environment for the birds, whilst protecting them from the elements and predators.

Both these companies have shown that cage-free quail egg farming is a viable option; that this ‘luxury’ product can, and should, be farmed in a much better environment than cages.

Clarence Court, part of Stonegate and supplier of speciality eggs to Waitrose, has taken the initiative to develop its own indoor barn system.

At their 10,000-quail operation in Devon, small flocks are housed in roomy sheds, giving the birds space to express their natural behaviours.

The Traditional Free Range Egg Company operates a free-range quail farm in Somerset, with 1,000 birds split into three separate flocks.

The Traditional Free Range Egg Company system seeks to mimic grasslands and meadows.

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Your help has been vital in helping us research, identify and promote these higher welfare alternatives to caged quail farming. With your support we will continue to fight to End the Cage Age for all farm animals.

I N S P I R AT I O N

A LEGACY OF COMPASSION:

FRANCES WHITE MBE Frances White was a wonderful and devoted friend to Compassion for over 25 years.

Determined to make the world a kinder place for both farm animals and adults with learning disabilities, Frances was awarded an MBE in 2013 for her selfless dedication and humanity.

Generously supporting our work throughout her lifetime, we are honoured that Frances also chose to make Compassion a beneficiary in her will.

Frances with her MBE after her Investiture at Buckingham Palace in May 2014.

“Frances was hugely committed to your cause and full of admiration for the work you do. She spoke often of Compassion and was determined that she should make provision in her will.”

Peter Gill, brother of Frances.

We had the pleasure of getting to know Frances at our events and of hearing her special interest in our campaign to end the live export and long distance transport of farm animals. Moved by a quotation that our Chief Policy Advisor, Peter Stevenson, featured in his 2015 presentation on the subject, Frances incorporated the quote about animals into the Order of Service which she herself planned and designed for her funeral.

“May we realise that they live not for us alone, but for themselves and for thee and that they love the sweetness of life even as we, and serve thee better in their place than we in ours” St. Basil of Caesarea (329 – 379 AD).

Frances chose these beautiful patchwork animals for the cover of the Order of Service and requested donations be made to her two favoured causes in lieu of flowers. We are privileged that Compassion was one of these charities.

We are immensely grateful to Frances and her family for their support for our important work to ensure farm animals live better lives.

If you too would like to leave a gift to help our work continue long into the future, please visit ciwf.org.uk/legacy or contact Hannah Child at legacy@ciwf.org.uk 19

INSIGHT

THE FOOD BRANDS MAKING HISTORY Farm animal cages are the ultimate symbol of factory farming but following decades of campaigning, the past year has seen unprecedented progress as a host of leading food companies across the globe finally woke up to the cage-free message. And it’s having a ripple effect on the whole food industry.

THE FUTURE IS CAGE-FREE

Astonishingly, this means that all the UK’s major supermarket chains have now either ditched the battery cage or have pledged to do so1.

It started in 2015, when McDonald’s announced its decision to eliminate cages for laying hens across the US and Canada. This created a domino effect, with around 200 US companies, including Walmart – the largest grocer in the US – following suit. The US Department of Agriculture has estimated that around 225 million animals will be affected by these changes each year once they come into force – roughly equivalent to 70% of the US nonorganic laying hen flock!

WORLDWIDE IMPACT French retailers, Monoprix, Carrefour and Système U, and Italian companies Carrefour and Camst, also recently pledged to go cage-free.

Further to this, food service giants Sodexo, Compass Group, Aramark and Elior Group have all joined the move, with global cage-free commitments on both whole and liquid eggs.

In the UK, further pledges came in rapid succession as Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Morrison’s, Iceland, and Lidl all announced their commitment to stop selling whole eggs from caged systems by 2025. (Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative, Waitrose and M&S all banished caged whole eggs from their shelves long ago.)

The stunning progress over the past year is a signal that, thanks to you, the cage-free movement is gathering pace across the globe. The end of the cage is now truly in our sights!

UK CAGE-FREE HIGH STREET CAMPAIGN UPDATE Thanks to your letters, tweets and emails spreading the word about cage cruelty in our town centres, Frankie & Bennie’s, Caffè Nero, Café Rouge, Pizza Express, Krispy Kreme, Wagamama and TGI Fridays have all now publicised their cage-free policies or commitments to go completely cage-free on eggs.

Starbucks has also publicly confirmed that it already sourced whole eggs and egg ingredients from cage-free hens.

1

whole, shell eggs

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INSIGHT

GOOD NEWS ON THE HORIZON FOR BROILER CHICKENS? It’s all too easy to visualise the terrible confinement of laying hens in cages, yet the most farmed animal on the planet – the meat chicken – exists in a ‘physiological cage’. These animals are typically raised in dimlylit, overcrowded sheds and too often suffer pain and lameness due to fast growth and oversized bodies.

Again, signals for large-scale global corporate change have begun in the US. Early in 2016, Whole Foods Market became the first major food company to commit to slowergrowing breeds and better living conditions for chickens by 2024. By the end of 2016, the top five food service management companies in the US (Compass Group, Aramark, Sodexo, Centreplate and Delaware North), as well as restaurant chains Pret, Panera Bread®, Chipotle, TGI

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: WELL-KNOWN FOOD BRANDS COMMIT TO DITCHING THE CAGE (2015 – TODAY)

Fridays, Shake Shack, Noodles and Company and Red Robin had all made similar pledges, signalling a revolution in higher welfare chicken. On your behalf, Compassion’s expert team in the US has been instrumental in the campaign that led to these breakthroughs.

On Friday 28th April, Subway, the largest fast food restaurant chain in the world, announced a policy to improve the lives of chickens raised for meat across their supply chain in the US. Compassion is proud to have worked with them on this hugely significant change. In short, Subway has committed to implement the following changes by 2024: · Source only chicken breeds that are approved by Global Animal Partnership (GAP) as having higher welfare outcomes; · S ource only chickens that are given more space, per GAP’s standards; · E nsure all chickens have an improved environment, including litter, lighting and enrichment, per GAP’s standards; and

US

Global

UK

EU

· S ource only chickens that are more humanely processed, through a multistep, controlled-atmosphere system.

TURNING PLEDGES INTO REALITY FOR ANIMALS guidance to ensure that the changes really do benefit as many animals as quickly as possible. Your support is changing the world.

The speed with which these announcements were made demonstrates the power of the market when forward thinking brands lead the way and act as a catalyst for change. But our work doesn’t stop there. Not by a long shot!

Because of you, Compassion has been able to work directly with powerful food companies to push the animal welfare message across the globe. We still have a long way to go. As of June 2016, our work is set to influence the lives of over 720 million animals a year. Look out for our 2017 figure on ciwf.org.uk/our-impact

It’s vital that the promises these companies make are kept and that animal lives really are improved as a result. With your support, Compassion will now work relentlessly to hold these companies to account. More than that, our expert team will offer support and

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WHEN MONEY SPEAKS, COMPANIES LISTEN

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ne of the ways we measure and hold companies to account for their treatment of animals is through the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW). This groundbreaking tool publically ranks the world’s leading food businesses on their policies, practices and performance, encouraging year-on-year improvement.

Our engagement with the investor community in this way is having a major impact. So far, 23 institutional investors with over £1.83 trillion in assets under management have now signed the Global Investor Statement on Farm Animal Welfare – effectively using their financial muscle to call on food companies to put animal welfare at the top of their agendas.

Put simply, it is hard for the boardrooms of major food companies to ignore probing questions from influential investors about poor performance in such rankings. Few brands enjoy languishing at the bottom of a league table compared to their competitors!

For more details and to download the full Benchmark report, please visit bbfaw.com In the latest Benchmark, of the 26 companies that improved their rankings, Compassion had worked in depth with 15 of them – thanks to you!

RANKINGS OF SOME WELL KNOWN BRANDS

Extracts taken from the 2017 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare.

Retailers

Food outlets

Tier 1 – Showing leadership on animal welfare

Waitrose Marks & Spencer

Tier 2 – Animal welfare is integral to business strategy

Co-op (UK) Tesco

Greggs McDonald’s

Tier 3 – Animal welfare established but more work to be done

Sainsbury’s Morrisons

Subway Mitchells & Butlers

Tier 4 – Making progress on implementation

Lidl

Chipotle Whitbread

Tier 5 – Animal welfare on business agenda but limited evidence of implementation

Starbucks Yum! Brands (KFC)

Tier 6 – No evidence that animal welfare is on the business agenda

Domino’s Pizza JD Wetherspoon

Moved down a ranking from last year

Moved up a ranking from last year

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No change

BBFAW is supported by Compassion in World Farming, Coller Capital and World Animal Protection.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT FACTORY FARMED CHICKEN For the past decade, Americans have been eating less meat overall – but chicken consumption is actually on the rise. To meet the inflated demand for white breast meat, chickens have been genetically selected to grow too big, too fast, while living sedentary lives on crowded, dirty factory farm floors. The chickens have changed – and the meat has, too.

Nina Farley reports from our US office.

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any people think of chicken as a lean, healthy meat, but new studies show that today’s intensively farmed chicken may have significantly more fat and less protein. A new video released by our Compassion USA team has gone viral, exposing the true story of factory farmed chicken. The story was covered by major media outlets including BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, and The Mirror, reaching more than 175 million total viewers. You can watch our film online here: ciwf.org/StripeyChicken New research shows that more and more of today's chickens suffer from muscle tissue disorders, caused by fast-growth genetics and factory farm living conditions. The two most common disorders are known as "woody breast" and "white striping", and they carry serious implications for animals and consumers alike.

These conditions severely impact the quality of meat, resulting in up to 224% more fat, as well as less protein

and a tough, gummy texture that can be difficult to chew. Even worse, these muscle disorders in chickens are similar to muscular dystrophy in humans, which, sadly, means that affected chickens experience chronic pain and suffering for most of their lives.

Fortunately, thanks to your support, American companies are beginning to acknowledge consumer demand for better treatment of chickens.

In just the past few months, numerous major food brands in the US have announced significant policy changes. See page 21 to see who’s switched to better chicken.

And it doesn’t stop there – all five of the top food service companies in the US have also announced commitments to improve the lives of chickens. The majority of these pledges should take effect by or before 2024, and the policies announced so far will positively impact over 360 million birds.

Aren’t those stripes just natural marbling? No. While a lot of chicken meat contains a negligible amount of fat on the outside, white stripes (as seen in this photo) are actually indicative of a muscular disorder in the animal.

All thanks to you.

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INSIGHT

The power of grass! Animals raised on pasture are more likely to express their natural behaviours, be healthier and less stressed.

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INSIGHT

PASTURE FOR LIFE Dr John Meadley, Pasture Fed Livestock Association Chairman, introduces the work of the PFLA, which with support from Compassion in World Farming, is bringing together British farmers committed to rearing their animals on grass – as nature intended.

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“Reducing sheep numbers has resulted in a lower impact on the environment, improved sheep health and better quality of family life”.

wo thirds of farmland, globally and in the UK, is pasture. Throughout history, grazing animals have been an important part of a well-functioning ecosystem. In 2010, we founded the Pasture Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) to celebrate and encourage the raising of ruminant animals wholly on fresh and conserved pasture and forage.

Stephen Garnett @hilltopfarmgirl

Our production standards have a strong focus on animal welfare and our Pasture for Life certification mark captures the many benefits of rearing animals on pasture; for human health, for the environment and for animal health and welfare. We now have 325 members, mostly farmers – of which 72 are formally certified to Pasture for Life standards – and membership continues to grow. Our farmers are showing how raising animals wholly on pasture is not only better for animals and the environment but also for farming livelihoods.

PFLA farmer, Neil Heseltine, with his cows on Hill Top Farm. Readers can find follow their journey on Twitter and Instagram via @hilltopfarmgirl

Neil Heseltine and his partner Leigh raise cattle and sheep at 1,100-acre Hill Top Farm in the North Yorkshire dales.

The sheep were once fed significant quantities of grain to supplement their diet – with the aim of increasing output.

Stories like this are being repeated across the country – lower costs, more natural animal behaviour, greater biodiversity, more carbon sequestered and more income for the families involved.

In 2012, Neil and Leigh joined the PFLA and decided to try farming without grain entirely. This meant halving the sheep numbers – from 400 to 200. The results were dramatic. In 2012, the 400 sheep contributed £478 to the family’s income. In 2016, half the number of sheep (200) contributed £17,779 – an increase of £17,301! How was this possible? Because the cost of feed, labour and veterinary costs were largely removed and the animals could grow more naturally – whilst the pastures benefitted through being under less pressure. As Neil noted:

We’re grateful for the support from Compassion in World Farming, which has played a vital role in our development.

For example, supporting us to build a website and the development of wholly pasture-fed milk.

If meat or milk is in your diet, you can encourage our farmers by buying their certified produce. Details are available at pastureforlife.org/where-to-buy or ask for it when shopping. You can also read more about Pasture for Life, including a longer article celebrating the benefits of pasture at ciwf.org/pasture

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ACTION

FARM ANIMALS

NEED YOU! HOW TO GET INVOLVED WANTED! WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS Quiz nights, collections at supermarkets and train stations, stalls at summer fêtes and fayres are just a few of the ways Compassion supporters build awareness and fundraise for farm animals. Do something individually, join one of our amazing local groups, or even start one of your own!

CONTACT US today!

“Meeting like-minded people, pulling together to effect change for farm animals is hugely rewarding, and we have fun doing it!”

LOOKING FOR A HOME We have 20 Compassion collection tins all waiting for the ‘clink’ of spare change. Do you know a post office, veterinary surgery, florist or other business that might give them a good home? Please CONTACT US.

Adrian and Rachel Creed - Norfolk Local Group leaders - pictured third and sixth from left

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GOLDEN RAFFLE WINNERS

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1ST - F. Lovick, E. Sussex

SELLER - R. Taylor, London

2ND - B. Tinto, Perthshire

20 X RUNNERS UP M. Shreeve, Oxon K. Hoolahan, Hants

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P. Brown, West Midlands C. Briginshaw, Herts E. McIntyre, Lothian A. Simon, Kent

ACTION

SPONSORED SUPERSTARS!

ORDER YOUR COMPASSIONATE CHRISTMAS CARDS

“Compassion works on a global scale to help improve the quality of life of billions of farm animals. So this Easter, we walked 100 miles to raise money for them.”

When American artist, Kelly O’Brien, moved to a tiny village in the English countryside, she was captivated by the farm animals that surrounded her home, seeking to acknowledge them as ‘individual living beings with presence and personalities’.

Annabel and Morgan are two truly inspirational young people. We are overwhelmed by all they have done to increase awareness of factory farming and to raise a staggering £2,294.12 through their extraordinary effort! A huge and heart-felt thank you from all here at Compassion!

Feeling inspired to do something fabulous for farm animals?

CONTACT US today!

Kelly has generously adapted two of her beautiful hand painted photographs especially for our Compassionate Christmas cards this year.

We know it’s early but we couldn’t wait to share these with you.

© 2017 Kelly M. O’Brien

Each pack of 10 cards (5 of each design) cost just £5, including UK P&P. To pre-order, CONTACT US on 01483 521 953 or visit ciwf.org.uk/christmas Delivery from September.

BAKING HOT SUMMER? Planning a summer party, picnic or coffee morning? Even if the sun doesn’t shine, your homemade higher-welfare or vegan treats will surely be hot stuff! CONTACT US and we can send you ideas about fundraising whilst you Bake With Compassion!

CONTACT US Compassion in World Farming, River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1EZ, UK

C. Bunting, South Yorkshire V. Stephenson, Derbyshire K. Wilkinson, Northants B. Allison, Devon

Tel: +44 (0)1483 521 953 (9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday).

Email: supporters@ciwf.org Web: ciwf.org.uk/contact-us

I. Jones, Avon S. Mellery-Pratt, Dorset S. Rennie, Worcs J. Green, Cornwall

S. Hilling, E. Sussex J. Bell, Suffolk R. Morris, Merseyside C. Howitt, Cheshire

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J. Edwards, Devon T. Woodgate, Essex

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THANK YOU.

You are making the world of difference for millions of farm animals.

Compassion in World Farming, River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1EZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1483 521 953 Email: supporters@ciwf.org Web: ciwf.org Compassion in World Farming is a registered charity (England and Wales), registered number 1095050.