EFOE News
December 2010
|
Christmas Social
At La Siesta Tapas Bar,
If you
haven’t been to this restaurant before, you can see menus/prices at http://www.lasiestabardetapas.com/
Guests
are welcome. It would be useful (though not essential) to let We’ll
probably be meeting for a pre-dinner drink at one of the nearby pubs, to be
decided after a little market research (tough job but someone has to do it) –
will confirm later |
The
Sustainable Livestock Bill
The Bill had its Second Reading in earlier this
month, and was debated for five hours. Unfortunately it fell short of the 100
yes votes that were needed for it to proceed to Committee stage.
Campaigning had persuaded more than enough MPs to
support the Bill. However, as the debate wore on, and hostile MPs made it
impossible to start the voting, some supportive MPs were obliged to leave for
other commitments. (Ealing North MP Steve Pound was there and voted in favour.
The other two Ealing MPs did not vote.)
The Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill received
neither debating time nor a vote.
Both Bills will be allocated new Second Reading dates
in the New Year, but neither will be guaranteed debating time.
While this is disappointing, it isn’t all bad news:
the Government has conceded that action is needed to tackle the environmental
aspects of factory farming, although they did not want to be pinned down to a
legal commitment. They agree that the destruction caused to South American
habitat by growing soy for animal feed is a problem.
In the coming months they plan to bring forward some
of the policy changes that FoE wants – new rules for buying the food served in
schools, and hospitals, and new labelling to make it clear when food is
British.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has proposed that the issue of sustainable
farming should be discussed further at a conference in the New Year.
It’s a start, anyway. Now the task is to build on the
support of those MPs who were in favour of the Bill and to work with the many
organisations who joined in with the call for a new
Law. These include the RSPB, War on Want, Compassion in World Farming, the
National Heart Forum, Sustain and numerous others. Even the National Farmers’
October Meeting (AGM)
No
change of officers: Jules Tennick continues at Co-ordinator, Catharine Browne
as Treasurer, and Virginia Fassnidge as Chair.
We reviewed our activities since the previous AGM.
- In
March, Nic Ferriday gave evidence on behalf of Ealing FoE at the public
enquiry into the proposed Blue NG biofuels plant in Southall. Jules also
spoke against the development. (Subsequently, Blue NG’s plans were turned
down on grounds of unacceptable air pollution.)
- Nic
also prepared statements on behalf of West London FoE for the London Plan
Examination in Public on the subjects of Climate Change and Green
Infrastructure.
- Otherwise,
our year’s activities were dominated by work on the Food Chain campaign
(see above) and we took every opportunity to get members of the public to
sign postcards asking their MP to support the Sustainable Livestock Bill,
including a couple of mornings at the West Ealing Farmers’ Market – one
wearing cow suits!
- We had
stalls at the Animal Welfare Bazaar, London Borough of Ealing Recycling
Roadshow, Perivale Wood Open Day, Ealing Community Network Conference,
Litten Nature Reserve Open Day, Hanwell Carnival, Northolt Green Living
Fair, Blondin Park Summer Event, and Ealing Homes Residents’ Fun Day.
Besides the Food Chain campaigning, we had a range of information leaflets
and various activities, such as demonstration of compost-making, feelie
bags, and the Lifestyle Tip Lucky Dip, and we sold second-hand books at
the Hanwell Carnival.
- We also
joined Hounslow and Brentford FoE group at the Brentford St George’s Day
celebrations, Osterley Day, and the Brentford Festival.
- We
accepted an invitation from the Southall-based Christian environmental
organization A Rocha to take part in their International Day of Climate
Action. We put together a short dramatic presentation about the effects of
clearing rainforests and converting farmland to biofuel production.
- Prior to the
- EFoE helped to inaugurate Ealing Green Drinks, an informal monthly
get-together for anyone interested in environmental issues.
- We joined Ealing Transition for a showing of the film “Food Inc”,
an exposé of the food industry.
- Aidan Stowe of Cumberland Energy gave an interesting presentation
on home electricity generation and the new Feed-In Tariffs.
- Several of us went to FoE events, including the Local Groups
Conference.
- We had two enjoyable social evenings, one at Christmas in La Siesta
Tapas Bar and the other in the summer, starting with a short walk along
the River Brent, followed by a meal at the Afghan Khayber Restaurant in
Hanwell.
Planning
applications
Ealing’s local website www.ealingtoday.co.uk now lists recent planning applications in the
Ealing and Hanwell areas (can be found under the Property section on the home
page). Would anyone be prepared to scan this regularly and report on anything
that looks as though it might raise environmental concerns?
Mega Dairies? No
Thanks!
It is also encouraging to know that
a number of MPs across all parties have expressed concern at the plans by
Nocton Dairies to build a vast factory complex housing up to 8000 cows. The
cows would be kept indoors for most of their lives: “zero grazing”. This “farm”
would be the first of its kind in
This reduces cows to the level of
machines, and deprives them of opportunity for any kind of normal behaviour.
Cows bred for very high milk yields (more than 10,000 litres per annum compared
with around 7,000 in conventional dairy farms) are at risk from mastitis,
lameness, and bacterial infections. They are exhausted after three or four
lactations and are slaughtered when they are about 5 years old.
Quite apart from the animal welfare
issue, such mega-dairies are likely to drive small farmers out of business by
driving down dairy prices to a level that they aren’t able to compete with.
Many are already struggling. As Compassion in World Farming points out, a litre
of orange juice costs £2.20, and a litre of milk 74p; a pint of beer is £3.50
while a pint of milk is 45p. The appeal of cheap milk seems obvious, and yet a
recent (June 2010) survey conducted by MORI for the World Society for the
Protection of Animals (WSPA) found that three in five adults questioned said
they would not buy milk produced in huge dairy sheds.
To date 74 MPs have signed Early Day
Motion 942 (Not in My Cuppa and Cows Belong in Fields campaigns).
For more information on Nocton’s proposal,
and on welfare of farm animals in general, see:
Compassion in World Farming’s
website www.ciwf.org.uk
WSPA’s website http://notinmycuppa.com
Friends of the Earth have produced a
briefing, Factory farming’s hidden impacts, which you can download:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/factory_farming.pdf
Helping people change the way they think and act on
energy
The Centre for Sustainable Energy
has produced a series of advice leaflets telling people how they can cut their
fuel bills and keep their homes warm.
They are aimed at helping the
general public and are written in easily understandable, non-technical
language.
There are 10 leaflets in the range – loft insulation,
cavity wall insulation, solid-wall insulation, the new feed-in tariff, damp and
condensation, using your storage heater, using Economy 7, reading your gas or
electricity meter, understanding your gas bill, and understanding your
electricity bill – and more are planned.
The leaflets also include a list of 15 simple, handy
household tips to help cut household fuel bills and improve people’s quality of
living.
They are available to download free from http://www.cse.org.uk/pages/skills/advice/energy-advice-leaflets
Feed the Birds
Over half the
adults in
For instance, fat
from cooking is bad for birds, because the meat juices have blended with the
fat and when allowed to set, this consistency makes it prone to smearing which
is not good for birds’ feathers. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and so it
potentially bad for birds’ health. Lard and beef suet on their own are fine,
though, since they re-solidify after warming, and as they are pure fat they are
not so suitable for bacteria to breed on.
This advice comes from the RSPB website, where you
can find more advice on what food to give the birds in your garden. Don’t forget to provide water for them in
freezing conditions.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/
To the Woods!
The
Woodland Trust has launched an interactive website to encourage people to go
out and explore the woods in their area. The site will include searchable maps,
inspiring ideas, free activities and space to upload your photos and tips.
Just
go to http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/visit-woods/Pages/visitwoods.aspx
and enter your postcode to get information on woodlands within a radius of 20
miles.
Send an e-card
If
you want to save on paper and postage this Christmas, consider sending a Friends of the Earth e-card. They have some excellent
designs, including one of the Aurora Borealis.
You’ll
find them here: http://www.foe.co.uk/living/cards.html
Attention Bookworms!
Friends of the Earth has
launched an affiliate scheme with the
https://www.foe.co.uk/book_depository_25734.html
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
From
Newsletter Editor: