Viva!USA Alert 11/4/05

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Viva!USA Alerts 11/4/05

1. Chicago: Foie Gras ban?

2. Foster Farms workers may strike again

3. Marine biologist says: Stop eating seafood!

Chicago is moving towards banning foie gras from city restaurants. Chicago Alderman Joe Moore proposed a ban that will prohibit the sale of foie gras within city limits after learning of the excessive cruelty involved in foie gras production. Foie gras requires force-feeding birds until their livers swell to ten times their normal size, causing the birds extreme physical and psychological distress. The proposal recently unanimously passed the Health Committee of the City Council and will next be up for a vote by the entire Chicago City Council.

Letters of support for the ban included one from longtime Viva! friend Paul McCartney, who was passing through the city on tour. You can read Paul's letter here: www.vivausa.org/paul.jpg

Thanks to Farm Sanctuary, Animal Protection & Rescue League and others for championing this issue! You can view updates on their campaigns learn more about what you can do at:

www.farmsanctuary.org/campaign/state_chicago.htm and

www.stopforcefeeding.com

2. Foster Farms workers may strike again

Last week, hundreds of Foster Farms workers went on strike at the company's San Joaquin Valley plant complaining of unfair labor practices. Union workers claim the company illegally harasses and suspends employees. Several union complaints with the National Labor Relations Board are still pending. "The company warned people to keep quiet, the company threatened people, the company discriminated against some people, the company suspended people," said union leader Ralph Meraz. The failure of contract negotiations led the union to strike, but workers returned to work this week. If negotiations do not improve, the union said that a second strike is possible.

For more information on the reality behind Foster Farms friendly commercial image, check out Viva!USA's "Foster Farms: Pure Honest Cruelty" factsheet.

www.vivausa.org/campaigns/chickens/fosterfarms.html

3. Marine biologist says: Stop eating seafood!

In a recent interview on The World Today, leading marine biologist Sylvia Earle warned that we should stop eating seafood. According to Earle, the world has seen a decrease by about 90% of the world's large predatory fish. Such a decline is all the more worrying in the face of the general degradation of the ocean environment from the destruction of coral reefs to the increase in mercury and pesticide residue in ocean systems. Once a seafood lover herself, Dr. Earle no longer eats fish: "I've eaten more than my share of fish over the years but in recent times I just know too much." She encourages others to stop eating fish as well for the sake of the fish, the ocean, and the world.

If you'd like to read the transcript of Dr. Earle's interview, it's available here: www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1490388.htm

You can help save billions of sea animals by ordering Viva!USA's fish leaflet to distribute. View the leaflet here: www.vivausa.org/pdf/fish_leaflet.pdf.

Orders should be sent to orders@vivausa.org with your name, address and quantity requested.

For ordering materials: orders@vivausa.org
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