VIVA! EMAIL NEWS ALERT

May 2005

Viva!

8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH, UK

Tel: +44 (0)117 944 1000 Email: info@... <mailto:info@...>

Web: www.viva.org.uk <http://www.viva.org.uk/> www.factoryfarming.org.uk
<http://www.factoryfarming.org.uk/> www.savethekangaroo.com
<http://www.savethekangaroo.com/>





Please do not reply to this email. Contact us at: info@...
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In This Viva!City: You Did It For the Ducks!: Day of Action Against the Co-op
Ducks out of water (2005) - Viva!'s report on the UK
duck industry

Incredible Veggie Roadshow comes to Southampton and
Newcastle!

Chocolate lovers rejoice!

Animal Rights Exchange in Germany

Earthwatch talk in London

Your Viva!City





You Did It For the Ducks!: Day of Action Against the Co-op



Despite less than clement weather (!), once again, Britain saw the full force of
consumer power as hundreds of Viva! supporters took to the streets on Saturday
May 21st, informing thousands of shoppers exactly what is happening at the
Co-op's duck suppliers. The response from the public was phenomenal. Many were
so shocked by the conditions that Viva! has exposed that they vowed never to eat
duck meat again - and some people turned vegetarian on the spot!



A huge thank you to everyone who took part and made the day such a success
(we'll be in touch with you all very soon). The phone was ringing off the hook
at the Viva! offices, with local media clamouring to cover the story.



Despite their claims to be an ethical trader, at the Co-op's suppliers we found
ducks crammed into dirty, stinking sheds in their thousands; countless dying
birds thrashing around on their backs in distress, unable to right themselves;
insufficient clean water to bathe or preen properly; a duckling trapped behind a
pipe, left to die; and ducks incapable of walking, dragging themselves along by
their wings. It is these conditions which shocked Saturday shoppers up and down
the country.



On the day, the Co-op continued to try and justify being neck deep in the
factory-farming system. With the usual supermarket speak they tried to paint an
idyllic scene, but there's no two ways about it: whilst their ducks are still
kept crammed in their thousands in to industrial sheds, where they have no
access to the outside nor water for swimming, this is 100% factory-farming. For
a so-called 'ethical' supermarket this is wholly unacceptable. To read our
response to the Co-op's standard reply go here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/ducks/coopresponse.html> .



We are still assessing all the media and reports from those who took past. We
will shortly be deciding what is the best way to take the campaign forward, but
you can still help us keep the pressure on the Co-op:



Complain to the Co-op and speak up for the ducks!:



Free phone customer services on 0800 0686 727



Send a virtual postcard here <http://66.175.52.253/coop/postcard01.php> (it
only takes a second and every single one counts!)



If you bank with the Co-op find out what you can do here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/ducks/coopbank.html> (updated with a response
from the Co-op Bank).



Find out more about our investigations into the duck suppliers to the Co-op here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/ducks/coop.html> .





Ducks Out of Water (2005):
Viva!'s updated report on the UK duck industry



Ahead of the publication of Viva!'s fully updated and referenced, explosive
exposé of the UK duck industry be one of the first to read it on-line
<http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/ducks/report01.html> now!





Incredible Veggie Roadshow comes to Southampton and Newcastle!



There's just no stopping it! Viva!'s Incredible Veggie Roadshow will be rolling
into Southampton on Saturday 11 June 2005. We are absolutely delighted that
Hampshire based celebrity cook, Rose Elliot, author of more than 50 vegetarian
recipe books, will open the show at 10am by helping us tuck into a delicious and
decadent tray of strawberries dipped in dark chocolate! Then we hit Newcastle
on Saturday 25 June, where Heather Mills McCartney has given the show her
personal stamp of approval. She told us, "Newcastle is one of Britain's most
vibrant cities - and it can soon be one of its healthiest. Congratulations Viva!
for bringing their fun, upbeat Incredible Veggie Roadshow to my home city. It's
the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of healthier, cruelty-free,
environment-saving, people-protecting vegetarian living!"



Bristol, Brighton, Solihull, Manchester and Edinburgh have already had a taste
of veggie magic. Our last show, in Cardiff, attracted an amazing 2,000 people!
There's simply no stopping this positive, upbeat veggie bonanza! The Roadshows
are designed to bring the vegetarian message to people right where they live -
and the feedback is now rolling in, with many people telling us how the shows
have helped them dump meat and ditch dairy.



Find out more about it and see the full list of shows here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/roadshows/southampton.html> . If you can offer us help
for any shows - we would especially like to hear from you if you can help
publicise the event locally by putting up posters or handing out invites, or if
you can help out on the day itself - please get in touch
<mailto:angie@...> . It's incredibly rewarding to see so many people
interested in vegetarianism and the shows have proved so busy so far that we
really need all the help we can get!





Chocolate lovers rejoice!



Think chocolate decadence is just for the kitchen? Think again! Those clever
people at Funk Bubble have bought out The Little Chocolate Funk Bubble Bag,
which makes bath time all that more delcious! Viva! is proud to offer you access
to this exclusive range of pure, organic, and vegan products from Funk Bubble.
This bright, little bag is packed full of surprises. You get a delicious
looking soap in its own wooden dish; a 250ml bottle of bubble bath; a 250ml
bottle of shampoo; and a bath bomb - all loaded with organic cocoa to lend a
luscious, chocolate smell to your ablution ritual.



Find out how you can order this slice of heaven here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/shop/> .





Let's all band together!



Show the world where your heart lies with one of our new stylish Viva! Silicone
Wristbands! These red-and-black bands read 'Proud to Be Veggie' on one side and
sport the Viva! logo on the other.



Check them out here <http://www.viva.org.uk/shop/> .





Animal Rights Exchange in Germany



Do you fancy joining in one of the largest animal rights meetings in Europe?
Organised by the Federation of Young European Greens <http://www.fyeg.org/> the
event is taking place between the 24th June and the 1st July 2005 in Brandenburg
(near Berlin). The week will involve talks by experts, workshops, discussions,
debates and excursions. If that sounds great, but you are not feeling very flush
at the moment then the best news is that the week is almost completely free!



For more information and application forms (which must be in by the 10th June)
contact Chris Williams <mailto:international@...> of Young
Greens.




Earthwatch talk in London



From the stunning bird biodiversity of Ecuador's Loma Alta cloud forests to the
beautiful and highly prized macaws in the Tambopata region of Peru - how best
can local communities conserve their environmental heritage?



Earthwatch Lecture at the Royal Geographical Society, I Kensington Gore, London.



Thursday 23rd June, 7.00pm - 8.30pm.



Admission is free but by ticket only.



Contact Earthwatch on (01865) 318856; events@...





Your Viva!City



This email alert reaches thousands of people but we'd like your help to make it
even better. At the moment, we have just one list of addresses which means that
we have to send the same email to everyone. From time to time we'd like to let
people know about things happening in their area or get in contact with our
younger supporters but we don't want to fill everyone else's mailboxes with
information that isn't relevant to them. What we'd like to do is compile email
lists separated into different regions so that if we do have something we'd like
to tell people in Scotland or Yorkshire about, we can send them the information
without bothering anyone else.



The simplest way for us to identify which area you live in is to know your
postcode and so we'd be grateful if you could take a minute to fill in our
online questionnaire <http://www.timetogoveggie.com/emailconfirm01.php> . We'd
also really like to know your age if you're under 18 - you can fill in your date
of birth on the form. You won't receive any postal mailings (unless you want
them and fill in your other details) and the information will be used only to
sort your email addresses. You don't even have to give us your name if you don't
want to.



As ever, if you would like any more information about any of our campaigns,
check out our website www.viva.org.uk <http://www.viva.org.uk/> or get in touch
with us directly - contact details at the top of this email. Please don't click
"reply", however - your email won't be seen at that address.



Thanks again for all your support.





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