NZAVS has sent submissions to the Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries and the Minister of Science & Technology (the latter a self-confessed animal experimenter for 15 years, whose doctorate was achieved by researching reproductive physiology in pigs) expressing concern over the proposed Code for the Conduct of Experiments Care and Use of Animals in Research - which coupled with ethics committees at all laboratories, is designed to replace exemption (1) (d) of the Animal Protection Act 1960 which currently exempts bona fide research workers from prosecution under the law.

MacIntyre's manoeuvre seeks to entrench, consolidate and legalise vivisection. It is founded on the assumption that vivisection is an ongoing institution. It will tidy up the statute book but far from protecting animals will protect those with a vested interest in keeping vivisection a flourishing industry.

No anti-vivisectionist will be satisfied with controls and restrictions of vivisection but seeks only abolition... and abolition would provide not only an effective and total incentive to the development of humane methods of research, but to the implementation of those alternatives already available and being suppressed because of: (a) apathy and (b) the high cost of changing systems.

More manoeuvring

Despite the fact that battery hens have more room when dead in the freezer than when alive in the battery Mr McIntyre claims no cruelty in imprisoning them for life in space no bigger than an A4 page of Mobilise! (http://www.nzavs.org.nz/mobilise/index.html)

No cruelty

Debeaking with a red hot blade he tells us is necessary to prevent fighting and feather-pecking - indicating that the beaks for pecking, wings for flying and legs for walking are unnecessary appendages. Could he be obsessed with thoughts of production and profits?

Mr MacIntyre is blind to the facts. His attitude reinforces once and for all that the campaign for animals cannot consist of writing polite letters to politicians made fat at the expense of animal suffering - but come out into the streets into direct action for animals.

Footnote

In Manchester during Battery Egg Week 3 magistrates acquitted 20 people charged with Breach of the Peace. Their alleged crime, a confrontation with chicken camp guards. In this historic trial the magistrates listened attentively to a detailed account of what goes on in a modern battery farm. It was a major triumph for the Northern Animal Liberation League.

Manoeuvring politicians, businessmen and scientists admit that they cannot ignore our growing mobilisation for animals...

Lessons in cruelty

On 21 December 1982 NZAVS made a strong protest to the Minister of Education for an article elaborating in detail the electric shocking of monkeys. In the School Certificate English Paper procedures by the infamous monkey-torturer Brady* were outlined in detail and questions asked about the severity of the shocks, the method of restraint - whether it was the laboratory conditions or the constant stress of the electro-shocks that formed the ulcers! The paper appeared to be a deliberate attempt to condone and justify the torture of animals rather than an exercise meant to assess the capabilities of students' skill with the English language.

*In 1958 J.V. Brady placed monkeys in restraining devices and gave them electric shocks every 20 seconds during 6-hour experimental periods. After 23 days the monkeys began to die suddenly of stomach ulcers in agonising pain.

For good measure another question outlined the antics of a drunken man at a bullfight!

... and talking of students...

Did you know that young people everywhere are rebelling against dissection in the classroom.