Foot and Mouth Disease

Alert at 05:30 a.m. on Saturday 4th August 2007

Foot and Mouth has been identified on a farm near Guildford. An ill animal at an abattoir was investigated on Thursday and confirmation of the virus was made overnight on Friday 3rd August / Saturday 4th August 2007. We shall not know for a while whether the infection has spread, as the incubation period is about a week. The AVMC will again offer its services, to the relevant authorities, to provide homeopathic expertise and to design, fund and perform a clinical trial should the outbreak take hold, to establish for certain whether homeopathy could help prevent the spread.

Until more is known, the AVMC will not be making non-vital visits to premises that contain cloven-hoofed livestock. If this affects visits to horse patients, we regret this but feel it is a necessary precaution.

We shall keep up with events on Chris Day's Blog, at http://chris-day.blogware.com

As of the end of August, it looks like this outbreak may have come to an end.
Will they ever track down the real source and mechanism of the bio-security leak? - "Wasn't me, boss!"
 

Save the Albatross

The race is on to save the albatross from extinction. 19 of the 21 species of this magnificent and noble bird are under immediate threat. 100,000 are killed each year. These losses are obscene and unsustainable and are due to modern fishing methods, an avoidable problem. Refer to the link: http://www.savethealbatross.net/ for informati06:00 on Saturday 4th August

on, details of schemes to save the species and how to make a donation. The RSPB and BirdLife International have combined to implement practical solutions to this desperately urgent issue. Donations are urgently needed.

Safety Question

A client has posed a question about the safety of Chondroitin/Glucosamine supplementation - please read and submit comment.
 

Homeopathy Awareness Week (14th - 21st June 2007)

The AVMC is willing to answer questions on any aspect of homeopathy.

Just ring 01367 710324 or fax 01367 718243 or e-mail cd@alternativevet.org
 

Human-Animal Hybrids

Hybrid Human-Animal Embryos to be allowed in the UK

The UK government gave way to scientists, today (17th May 2007), in allowing the creation of human-animal hybrids in the laboratory. It is hard to imagine anything more crazily dangerous; it almost seems to be a parody of science fiction.

The ostensible motivation is to allow better research into diseases such as Parkinsons. The argument is that such monsters will be more similar to humans, thus making research valid. This is, of course, an admission of our long-held contention that animal experiments will not, can not and are not providing the answers. However, these obscene creations will still not be human, rendering the work futile.

Scientists argue that this technology will be more 'ethical' than working on human embryos.

These hybrids will be uniquely placed to act as a 'bridge' for transmission, from animals to humans, of animal infectious diseases, hitherto not seen in humans.

With science's record on bio-security, how long will it be before one of these embryos is permitted to grow into an adult, assuming that it will be viable?

It is not unprecedented for scientists to say "we only made the bomb, we didn't drop it!"
 

Tesco China

Tesco is "putting the 'gross' into grocery shopping", according to Care for the Wild (Spring 2007). Live turtles, frogs and fish are on open sale on the shelves of Tesco's new stores in China. Care for the Wild explains the welfare situation very clearly. Tesco pleads that its stores and its sale of animals are strictly adhering to Chinese welfare standards. There are none!

Tesco is quoted as saying that "We are aware that this may be one of a number of habits and tastes that do not translate easily to Western culture, and that some people in this country may find them hard to accept. We believe, however, that it would be wrong to impose our values on other countries, regardless of local feelings, attitudes and traditions."

Fine words indeed but why do they need to cash in on such practices? A Western company should surely adhere to its own standards.  Of course, Tesco does - money-making at almost any cost!

Your buyer power is all that really influences a commercial giant like Tesco. Do you really need to visit their stores or fuel stations? Do you need their pet insurance policies or any of their other services?

Write to Tesco and make your feelings clear:

Tesco Corporate Responsibility Department
Tesco House
P.O. Box 44
Delamere Road
Cheshunt
Herts EN8 9SL
Telephone: 01992 646790

customer.service@tesco.co.uk
Telephone: 0845 600 4411

Care for the Wild has a petition, which you should also sign if you wish to do your bit for animal welfare in China.
 

Seal Hunt in Canada

This is an 'old' alert but the annual atrocity goes on, with upwards of 350,000 baby seals killed (many inhumanely) in 2006.

(due to start again in April 2002)

 The Canadian Government has called for 275,000 seals to be ‘culled’ this Spring, despite scientists saying that numbers are dwindling and that all welfare codes are being smashed. Vets estimate that 40% of last year’s cull may have been skinned alive. Of course, the fishing community is a powerful lobby and of course there is still demand for seal pelts for fur coats and hats. Don't buy!

IFAW is doing its best to prevent this senseless and heartless waste. They will accept and desperately need donations at ‘Seal Emergency Fund’, International Fund for Animal Welfare, P.O. Box 138, Moulton House, Pondwood Close, Northampton NN3 6WB

 You can help with money and by writing a personal letter of protest to the Canadian High Commissioner, The Hon. Jeremy K B Kinsman, Macdonald House, 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB, expressing your outrage.

Chemicals in Food

(Government Announcement)

 The Government announced, on 26th March, that there was no longer any need to wash fruit and vegetables, to remove residues of agro-chemicals!

 Did they really mean to say that there was 'no point in doing so', as that would not remove the systemically-absorbed residues?

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