VIVA! EMAIL NEWS ALERT: December 2006



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/>





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In This Viva!City: Viva! Double Duck Victory!

Meat and Dairy Causes More Global Warming Than Cars

The Gift of Life!
Tell Nigella to Get Stuffed This Christmas!

Calling All Successful Slimmers
Your Viva!City




Viva! Double Duck Victory!

Lidl Dumps Foie-gras 'Torture in a Tin'!



Thanks to keen-eyed Viva! supporters we were alerted that supermarket chain
Lidl was stocking foie-gras. We immediately got on the case and supplied them
with disturbing information showing the inherent cruelty behind this 'torture in
a tin'. The good news is that Lidl have agreed never to stock it again!



Foie-gras is produced by force feeding ducks or geese large amounts of food so
that their livers swell to up to 10 times the normal size. A pipe is shoved down
the bird's oesophagus and food is forced into the stomach. The process is
repeated two or three times daily for two to three weeks until the birds develop
fatty liver disease. The birds are then slaughtered. 90 per cent of birds used
in foie-gras production are ducks.



For more information on this important victory read our press release
<http://www.viva.org.uk/mediareleases/pr2006/06-34lidl.htm> .



This latest success follows Viva! persuading Waitrose to allow all of their
ducks access to water for swimming
<http://www.viva.org.uk/mediareleases/pr2006/06-29waitrose.htm> - and we have
been actively encouraging all other supermarkets to follow suit.





Meat and Dairy Causes More Global Warming Than Cars

We've been saying it for years, and now even the United Nations has come out and
admitted that animals raised for meat and dairy are more damaging to the
environment than all the world's cars put together. This new UN report also
states that livestock production is responsible for 70 per cent of the Amazon
deforestation; 64 per cent of all the acid rain-producing ammonia; and that 15
out of the 24 vast global ecosystems that are in decline can blame livestock.



Unbelievably the UN has suggested the best way to combat this is to find ways of
stopping cows farting so much. It all sounds like a bad Monty Python sketch!
Viva! will be working hard in the New Year to convince government, (so-called)
environmental groups and the public that the only real way to save the planet
(and end the suffering of animals) is to advocate a vegan diet.



Read our press release here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/mediareleases/pr2006/06-33global.htm> .





The Gift of Life!

Hurry for the chance to give friends and family this unique Christmas gift.
Viva! has teamed up with the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) and Farm Animal
Sanctuary in Evesham, Worcestershire for our brand new Adopt a Farm Animal
scheme. Give one (or more!) of eight adorable rescued farm animals the gift of
life, for a minimum donation of £18 a year (or £2 a month by standing order).
Choose from: Bluebell the pig, Buttercup the cow, Timmy the pony, Musky the
duck, Gloria the chicken, ET the sheep, Pauline the goose and Stan the turkey.

Half of your donation is given directly to Farm Animal Sanctuary, an 80 acre
haven for farmed animals saved from slaughter, to help care for your adoptee.
You'll receive two updates over the year as well as a photo and a certificate!
The other half of your donation is divided between Viva! and the VVF, whose
endless campaigns mean you're helping save even more lives - animal and human!
Get your orders in by December 12th and we'll do our best to get them to you for
Christmas. To order, go to: www.adoptafarmanimal.org.uk
<http://www.adoptafarmanimal.org.uk/> or call 0117 944 1000





Tell Nigella to Get Stuffed This Christmas!

Many of you may have caught the recent BBC TV advert that has been running to
promote Nigella's Christmas Kitchen. This trailer shows a turkey walking through
the countryside to Nigella's house with the voice over saying along the lines
of, "If you're going to die this Christmas wouldn't you rather be cooked by
Nigella?"



This advert is offensive for a number of reasons. Firstly, no animal willingly
chooses to go to slaughter - and to suggest that ones does (even in jest) is
both distasteful and heartless. Secondly, the turkey has obviously been debeaked
- a painful process common on factory farms (where the vast majority of the 20
million killed in the UK each year spend their short and tragic lives crammed
together). So, the trailer is also misleading - as no factory farmed turkey will
ever find its way outside, let alone get a chance to wander freely.



Please join Viva! in giving two feathers up to the BBC and Nigella by making a
polite complaint. You might also like to take this opportunity to ask why the
BBC has - as it does every single year - failed to even attempt to cater for
Britain's three million plus vegetarians and vegans (most of whom are licence
fee payers) this Christmas?



Complain to the BBC on 08700 100 222 or use their webform
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml> . For more
information on Viva!'s campaign against turkey farming visit here
<http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/turkeys/index.htm> .





Viva!'s New Christmas Site



On a more positive note: thanks to everyone who has door-dropped our ever
popular turkey leaflets. The orders for our fabulous Celebration Feast recipes
have been flooding in - and helping making an army of new veggies!



If you haven't already, do check out our new Christmas site
<http://www.viva.org.uk/christmas> for loads or veggie Christmas goodies - and
send your friends and family our turkey friendly e-cards!




Calling All Successful Slimmers

Have you lost weight or otherwise boosted your health by going veggie - or know
of someone who has? Do you have an inspirational slimming story you're itching
to share with people in your town? Do you want to save thousands of animals just
by telling your tale?



Viva!'s sister group, the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) will be issuing a
nationwide V-Plan Diet challenge in 2007. The VVF is looking for veggies across
the UK who'd make an interesting and inspiring story for - and be happy to be
interviewed by - the local press. Alongside your story, they'll offer your local
newspaper a great free competition prize and provide resources for, and throw
down the gauntlet to, other people in your area to try the V-Plan Diet for
veggie vitality and VICTORY! Please email your story as soon as possible to
amanda@....







Get Involved: Local Events



Saturday 9th December, 12.00 - 6.00pm
Caledonian Christmas without Cruelty
MONO, Kings Court, 10 King Street, Glasgow G1 5QP
(very near bus and train stations)
A Scottish Compassionate Christmas Fayre.
More details contact Lynda on 08454 082385 or email
scotland@...

Saturday 9th December, 11.00 - 5.00pm
East Midlands Vegan Festival
The YMCA, Shakespeare St, Nottingham, NG1 4FG (off Mansfield Rd, opposite
Victoria Centre Clock Tower)
A wide range of stalls, activities and information to show how exciting and easy
a vegan lifestyle can be. Please note: this is a rescheduled event.
More details email veganfestival@... or see the website
http://www.eastmidlandsveganfestival.co.uk/

Saturday 9th December, 2pm - 6pm
International Animal Rights day
Protest and vigil outside Dalehead Foods Slaughterhouse
Cambridge Road, Linton, Cambridgeshire
Peaceful protesters will be gathering outside Dalehead Foods Slaughterhouse in
Linton where almost 2000 animals are brutally slaughtered every day. A recent
expose described how pigs were thrown into the scalding tank whilst still alive.
There will be a candlelit vigil to remember all the animals who have suffered
and died there. This is a RSPCA Freedom Food accredited slaughterhouse which
supplies Waitrose with pork.
For more info contact: Joan Court - 01223 311828

Sunday 10th December
March Against Animal Cruelty
Dublin, Ireland
Organised by Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN). More information available at
www.aran.ie

Saturday 23rd December, 10-4
Christmas Without Cruelty Fayre
St Stephen's Church, High St, Exeter
Free Entry
Veggie café, cruelty-free shopping and food tastings
Organised by Exeter Friends for Animals
For more info contact: Sharon 01395 579 353 or Martin 01803 605 009



For more details on these and other events happening in December (and beyond)
check out Viva!'s online events diary here <http://www.viva.org.uk/events.html>
.



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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