The Hidden Costs of Factory Farming
Pig Business : Time for Change
Screening and Debate
European Parliament, Brussels,
9 February, 2011
As I am sure you are aware, changes to the Common Agricultural Policy are currently being debated. Your help is urgently needed to ensure that the decisions taken in the coming months will shift our food and farming economy from agri-industry to agri-culture; from factories to farms.
In order to increase MEP support for amendments to CAP that would improve the livelihoods of small farmers and their animals, three sympathetic MEPs from across the political divide have sponsored our Event at the European Parliament. They have asked for a screening of the film followed by presentations and a debate to raise awareness of the true costs of factory farming.
The more MEPs attending, the greater the understanding of the issues and so the greater the support for the legislative changes needed.
At the Event MEPs will hear our ‘6 Big Asks’:
Recognise that the profitability of factory farming depends on externalising its true costs onto the broader community.
Ensure the Common Agricultural Policy post 2013 moves European agriculture away from industrial livestock production to sustainable, humane and autonomous forms of animal husbandry.
Ensure better enforcement and strengthening of the existing EU Directive on the welfare of pigs.
Introduce mandatory method of production labelling.
Introduce ‘a ban on routine prophylactic use of antibiotics’.
Ensure national and EU public bodies source only locally or nationally produced high welfare pork.
Details:
Date: 9 February, 2011
Time: 15:00 – Pig Business film screening
16:00 – 18:00 Presentations and debate
Location: Paul-Henri Spaak building, Room P1A002
Sponsoring MEPs: José Bové MEP (Greens – France), Dan Jorgensen MEP (Socialists & Democrats – Denmark) and Janusz Wojciechowski MEP (European Conservative & Reformists – Poland)
Agenda: (see the EU Parliament event poster)
Introduction: Tracy Worcester, director and producer of the film Pig Business
Screening of Pig Business: 15:00 – 16:00
Presentations and debates: 16:00 – 18:00
Speakers:
Economic and social costs: MEP José Bové / René Louail – Farmer
Environmental costs: MEP Dan Jorgensen / Mute Schimpf – FOE Europe / Antje Koelling – IFOAM EU Group
Human and animal health: MEP Janusz Wojciechowski / Peter Stevenson – Compassion in World Farming / Human health speaker Coilin Nunan – Antibiotics adviser to the Soil Association / Prof.dr.hab. Robert Karczmarczyk, Department of Epizootiology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life sciences
The event will have interpreters in the following languages:  French, German, Dutch, English, Danish, Czech and Polish.
The film Pig Business is available to watch on our website in the following languages:
Chinese (Cantonese); Danish; Dutch; French; German; Italian; Polish; Portuguese; Romanian; Slovenian; Spanish; Ukrainian & English. US & Canadian versions of the film also available.
Online Resources:
Celebrity trailer of the film Pig Business: Click here
Act as a consumer, buy local and sustainable: Click here
Screening toolkit and other resources: Click here
20 facts on the true cost of factory farming: Click here
The latest expose on the cruelty inside Smithfield’s sow factories in America: Click here Help the Soil Association’s Not in my Banger Campaign. Click here
Additional Information:
The recent headlines reporting disasters to hit the pig industry confirm a fundamentally flawed factory farming system – see below:
Oil contaminated with toxic dioxin has been mixed with pig and poultry feed.
Deadly superbugs are being spread from animals to humans by flies and cockroaches.
Factory farm company threatens libel action against the Soil Association unless it withdraws objections to plans to build the UK’s biggest pig factory.
Pig farmers face closure as they are squeezed between high feed prices and cost cutting retain outlets.
Contact Us:
Please share your thoughts with us after watching Pig Business.
To order a DVD or find out more about how to embed Pig Business into your consumer education campaign, please contact a member of the team at info@pigbusiness.co.uk.
For more information about the film visit www.pigbusiness.co.uk

Pig Business : Time for Change

Screening and Debate European Parliament, Brussels, 9 February, 2011

As I am sure you are aware, changes to the Common Agricultural Policy are currently being debated. Your help is urgently needed to ensure that the decisions taken in the coming months will shift our food and farming economy from agri-industry to agri-culture; from factories to farms.In order to increase MEP support for amendments to CAP that would improve the livelihoods of small farmers and their animals, three sympathetic MEPs from across the political divide have sponsored our Event at the European Parliament. They have asked for a screening of the film followed by presentations and a debate to raise awareness of the true costs of factory farming.The more MEPs attending, the greater the understanding of the issues and so the greater the support for the legislative changes needed.At the Event MEPs will hear our ‘6 Big Asks’:

  1. Recognise that the profitability of factory farming depends on externalising its true costs onto the broader community.
  2. Ensure the Common Agricultural Policy post 2013 moves European agriculture away from industrial livestock production to sustainable, humane and autonomous forms of animal husbandry.
  3. Ensure better enforcement and strengthening of the existing EU Directive on the welfare of pigs.
  4. Introduce mandatory method of production labelling.
  5. Introduce ‘a ban on routine prophylactic use of antibiotics’.
  6. Ensure national and EU public bodies source only locally or nationally produced high welfare pork.

Details:

  • Date: 9 February, 2011
  • Time: 15:00 – Pig Business film screening
  • 16:00 – 18:00 Presentations and debate
  • Location: Paul-Henri Spaak building, Room P1A002
  • Sponsoring MEPs: José Bové MEP (Greens – France), Dan Jorgensen MEP (Socialists & Democrats – Denmark) and Janusz Wojciechowski MEP (European Conservative & Reformists – Poland)

Agenda: (see the EU Parliament event poster)

  • Introduction: Tracy Worcester, director and producer of the film Pig Business
  • Screening of Pig Business: 15:00 – 16:00
  • Presentations and debates: 16:00 – 18:00

Speakers:

  • Economic and social costs: MEP José Bové / René Louail – Farmer
  • Environmental costs: MEP Dan Jorgensen / Mute Schimpf – FOE Europe / Antje Koelling – IFOAM EU Group
  • Human and animal health: MEP Janusz Wojciechowski / Peter Stevenson – Compassion in World Farming / Human health speaker Coilin Nunan – Antibiotics adviser to the Soil Association / Prof.dr.hab. Robert Karczmarczyk, Department of Epizootiology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life sciences

The event will have interpreters in the following languages: French, German, Dutch, English, Danish, Czech and Polish.The film Pig Business is available to watch on our website in the following languages:Chinese (Cantonese); Danish; Dutch; French; German; Italian; Polish; Portuguese; Romanian; Slovenian; Spanish; Ukrainian & English. US & Canadian versions of the film also available.Online Resources:Celebrity trailer of the film Pig Business: Click hereAct as a consumer, buy local and sustainable: Click hereScreening toolkit and other resources: Click here20 facts on the true cost of factory farming: Click hereThe latest expose on the cruelty inside Smithfield’s sow factories in America: Click here Help the Soil Association’s Not in my Banger Campaign. Click hereAdditional Information:The recent headlines reporting disasters to hit the pig industry confirm a fundamentally flawed factory farming system – see below:

  • Oil contaminated with toxic dioxin has been mixed with pig and poultry feed.
  • Deadly superbugs are being spread from animals to humans by flies and cockroaches.
  • Factory farm company threatens libel action against the Soil Association unless it withdraws objections to plans to build the UK’s biggest pig factory.
  • Pig farmers face closure as they are squeezed between high feed prices and cost cutting retain outlets.

Contact Us:Please share your thoughts with us after watching Pig Business.To order a DVD or find out more about how to embed Pig Business into your consumer education campaign, please contact a member of the team at info@pigbusiness.co.uk.For more information about the film visit www.pigbusiness.co.uk