Death Trucks to Ride Again!!
								posted 8-3-06
During the 1990`s, there were mass protests at ports across the country, when greedy farmers were exporting `their` baby calves to the veal crates of Europe. The sight of these sentient creatures crammed into death trucks, in which they would suffer a hellish journey for many hours, sickened a huge proportion of the British public, and they took to the streets in their 1,000`s!! Blockades & huge demonstrations took place at Dover, Shoreham, Brightlingsea & several other ports. Here in the Midlands, calves began to fly out from Coventry`s Baginton Airport and a campaign erupted to stop them. On February 1st 1995, Coventry campaigner Jill Phipps was crushed to death under the wheels of a cattle truck as it sped through the airport gates!!! You can read more about Jill`s life and untimely death on a special commemorative wbsite here
Exports of British beef & cattle were banned 10 years ago because of BSE, but that ban has today been lifted. Very soon, we could see calves being exported once more. Mass protests are inevitable, and here in the Midlands, protesters will be organising transport to attend as many as possible. We urge you to keep an eye on this website, particularly the Forthcoming Events page, and be ready to join us. In an article published today in the Coventry Telegraph, Jill Phipps mother, Nancy, talks about her devestation that live exports are to resume. Click here to read the article
				National campaigning group Viva!, Vegetarians International Voice for Animals, have released the following press release, urging the public to stop drinking cows milk. This is the only certain way to ensure that the live export trade can be halted once and for all.
	"Dump Your Pinta to End Calf Exports", says Viva! The impending resumption of live calf exports from the UK to fuel the European veal trade has been condemned by Britain’s largest vegan campaign group. Viva! cautioned that the mass public demonstrations which closed ports such as Brightlingsea and Shoreham are almost certain to be seen again. Viva! has also turned its attention to milk drinkers, advising them that their pintas, yoghurt and cheese are directly responsible for this trade in new-born animals. It has warned that because of the Government’s refusal to act to ban live exports, the only certain way to end the cruelty is for people to change their diet.    “Seventy-five per cent of the British public claim to be against live exports,” says Viva! campaigner, Toni Vernelli, “yet every pint of milk they buy contributes to it. Every pot of yoghurt and piece of cheese they eat helps condemn these little animals to imprisonment in crates so small they can’t even turn around. Only when people stop consuming dairy products will this heartless trade end.” Up to 500,000 newborn male dairy calves are currently shot every year in the UK. Unable to produce milk and too scrawny for beef, they are the unwanted by-products of milk production. Due to relentless pressure from Britain’s dairy farmers, Europe’s ban on British beef and calf imports is to be lifted and, after a 10 year hiatus, dairy calves will once again be transported to the veal farms of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. “We are constantly hearing the claim that British farmers care deeply about their animals. Their eagerness to condemn some of them to one of the most barbaric and cruel systems ever devised gives the lie to that,” adds Ms Vernelli. “The Government’s refusal to act, despite early pledges to ban the trade, leaves the solution in the hands of ordinary people – by changing their diet”. For more information contact Toni Vernelli on 0117 944 1000 or 0797 069 0468 or visit www.milkmyths.org.uk
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