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Animal Concern Advice Line News 2022

Please note some documents are reproduced in plain text rather than in PDF format which would take up a great deal of memory when using a mobile device.

May 2022

May 11^th 2022: Animal Concern has campaigned against Xenotransplantation since the 1980s. As well as the millions of animals killed in research over the decades, AC also highlighted the very real risk of a new disease crossing to humans from animals which have been genetically modified to make their organs more compatible with human tissue. GM Watch has published a very scary article about the first pig to human heart transplant which was carried out earlier this year. You can read it on the GM Watch website here:

May 6^th 2022: The Artisan Food Company ignored friendly advice from Animal Concern to stop describing their salmon farmed in Scotland as “sustainable”. Animal Concern complained to the Advertising Standards Authority who have ordered The Artisan Food Company to stop describing the salmon as sustainable. Animal Concern has further challenges against The Artisan Food Company regarding some rather dubious descriptions of other farmed fish they sell. Incidentally, they are selling 1.25 kilo Scottish farmed salmon fillets at £41.80 each plus £8.95 delivery which comes to £50.75. Similar salmon fillets retail in ASDA for £16.75.

I suppose if you're daft enough to eat farmed salmon you might be daft enough to pay three times more than you have to...

May 3^rd 2022: This afternoon a handful of MSPs turned up at Holyrood and wasted several hours debating the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill. Not long out of hospital Animal Concern's now part–time consultant wrote to all MSPs to remind them Animal Concern had dismissed this proposed new legislation over a year ago when it was first put forward as an ill thought out knee jerk response to serious firework misuse in the constituency of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Read more on the Animal Concern website here:

April 2022

April 28^th 2022: A proposed puppy farm in Ayrshire which Animal Concern objected to has been refused planning permission. Read Animal Concerns original objection from March 12^th 2022 here:

March 2022

March 14^th 2022: On the 18th February (see below) Animal Concern asked the Scottish Government about the proposed new Scottish Veterinary Service. In particular AC wanted to know if this new Government Department would be equipped to make unannounced inspections of the myriad of filthy floating factory fish pharms which blight our West Coast and islands. You might find the reply to that question disturbing. Another question was about having responsibility for policing the welfare of animals in laboratories transferred from the Home Office in London to the Scottish Government. That's a political matter but the inadequate reply received was from a civil Servant, not a politician. Once again we must ask why the hell we pay Government Cabinet Secretaries an extra £50,097 and Government Ministers an extra £31,383 on top of their MSP salary of £66,662 when it's the Civil Servants that seem to do all the work£ You can read the inadequate reply received on the AC website:

March 12^th 2022: Animal Concern has objected to a planning application for a commercial dog breeding establishment in Ayrshire. Several aspects of this application raise serious concerns as to whether the applicants are best suited to the dog breeding business. You can read what Animal Concern thought of it on their website here:

March 12^th 2022: Animal Concern was puzzled to see a Planning Application involving the building of commercial “Yelping Kennels” in East Ayrshire. We are also stumped as to what a Yelping Kennel is. Animal Concern lodged an objection and also asked the Council if the applicant already has a commercial dog breeding license as other objections to the application suggest dogs are already being bred on the site. You'll find their objection via the “comments” link on the East Ayrshire Council Planning Department website here:

Link leads to east-ayrshire.gov.uk Checked and working as of March 12^th 2022

March 10^th 2022: Animal Concern has made a scathing submission to the latest Scottish Government consultation on controlling fireworks. You can read it on the Animal Concern website here:

March 8^th 2022: A month ago Animal Concern used Freedom of Information laws to ask the Home Secretary how many laboratories in the UK are working on genetic modification of animals for organs to be transplanted into humans. She was also asked where those labs are. As such laboratories run a very real risk of creating a pandemic with the potential to make Covid seem cuddly, Animal Concern thought it might be difficult to get a response. Wrong! A reply arrived just within the specified FOI time limits. Only problem is that the Home Office don't know the answer because they don't keep that information. You can read that very worrying reply on the Animal Concern website here:

March 5^th 2022: Tesco are in a flap over their alleged treatment of birds at their North Berwick store. It's pigeons, Swallows and House Martins under attack and Robins trying to protect them. More here:

March 4^th 2022: Animal Concern has had more responses to the email they sent to all MSPs on the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill. An identical reply was sent by three Conservative MSPs. You can read the advice Animal Concern sent them here:

March 1^st 2022: Animal Concern has been getting some responses to the email they sent to all MSPs on the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill. One MSP is going to seek advice from the Countryside Alliance. The advice given to that MSP can be found on the Animal Concern website here:

February 2022

February 27^th 2022: Old semi–retired Robins must be off his meds. He's ranting again. This time he is extremely angry that the Scottish Government is once again proposing new animal protection legislation with a built–in get out clause. The Government is going to stop fox hunters using more than two dogs. Hooray! The Government is also going to issue licences to allow fox hunter to use more than two dogs. Boo! Please lobby the Scottish Government after you read the full details on the Animal Concern website here:

February 18^th 2022: Animal Concern has asked the Scottish Government to ensure the proposed new Scottish Veterinary Service (SVS) is equipped with a boat to allow unannounced visits at salmon farms. Animal Concern also wants to know who is involved in setting up the SVS and has asked that it be empowered to police animal welfare in research laboratories in Scotland, something currently reserved to the Home Office in London. More on the Animal Concern website here:

February 6^th 2022: Animal Concern is concerned that Glasgow City Council might sell off a motorway embankment to a developer. Why is that of concern? Find out on the Animal Concern website here:

February 5^th 2022: John Robins first got involved in the xenotransplant controversy when scientists were still thinking of stealing organs from genetically modified sheep. After the pig to human heart transplant in the USA last month, John is trying to find out how many of these potential pandemic producing projects are currently in progress in the UK. The Home Secretary is responsible for licensing these labs, so John has asked her to tell him where they are. You can read his email on the Animal Concern website here:

January 2022

January 31^st 2022: Broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband club owner Nick Jones have bought an island in Loch Lomond. The island has been described as “uninhabited” but no doubt the resident wallaby colony would disagree. The new owners of Inchconnachan Island plan to create a luxury holiday home for themselves and to “manage” the wallabies and other animals on the island. We campaigned against plans to cull the wallabies by the previous owner of Inchconnachan and we have asked Ms Young and Mr. Jones to take a more enlightened approach and avoid lethal means of “managing” the wallaby and deer whose home they have bought. More info here:

January 30^th 2022: Animal Concern Advice Line have advised the MOD that an animal conservation project on MOD land may have the opposite effect to that intended. Find out more here:

January 28^th 2022: Animal Concern is urging MPs for Scottish constituencies to support moves to properly ban fox hunting in England and Wales. You can read more about it on the Animal Concern website here:

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