FW: European Vegetarian Union - Press Release

[Guest guest]

Dear John,

 

I was wondering if this could be posted on aapn since the questions raised

are most valid.

 

Regards.

 

Chinny

 

 

Herma Caelen [herma.caelen]

Friday, October 21, 2005 3:08 PM

evu

European Vegetarian Union - Press Release

 

The price of meat: Bird flu

 

Many questions and one answer

 

In an interview with the BBC, Samuel Jutzi, Director of the Animal

Production and Health Division of the FAO, was asked about the

possibilities of fending off the dangerous bird flu Virus H5N1 that is

inching into Europe, frightening meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

 

He answered that the availability of financial resolve to eradicate the

virus along with the animals would play an important role in keeping

Europeans secure. However, there was no plan to cull wild birds: the flu

infecting them would `taper off' after a while and remain without impact on

humans.

 

Is it not then a reasonable conclusion that chickens raised for meat are the

reason for the threatening pandemic about which everyone is so concerned?

 

Would the logical answer to that situation not be to avoid chicken meat,

even if this may prove difficult for those who opted for chicken because

they feared the consequences of BSE, other animal diseases dangerous to

human health and fish laden with hormones, PCBs, dioxin and mercury?

 

Why does the FAO not openly admit that in a situation of increasing

transboundary animal diseases, safe meats cannot be guaranteed?

 

Why does no institution have the guts to admit that the safety of meat is

crumbling at dazzling speed?

 

Why are all measures dealing with symptoms and not with the source of the

bird flu problem?

 

Why does the WHO avoid the promotion of vegetarianism even though every one

of their nutritional recommendations underlines the importance of fruit and

vegetable consumption in ever-stronger statements?

 

Why are no official health warnings issued regarding meat?

 

Why does damage restriction so far mainly consist in the culling of

millions of sentient beings and the recommendations to eat the flesh of

other animals than those affected, which happens to appear

relatively safe at the given time (until further notice)?

 

Why, in the light of all present and emerging problems, is meat still

heavily subsidized in the industrial world, at the expense of each and every

taxpayer?

 

Why do international, European and national bodies ignore the fact that a

vegetarian way of life is a healthy one, as scientifically proven time and

again?

 

How bad does the situation need to get before experts will finally

acknowledge the need to research the benefits of vegetarianism seriously?

 

There is one conclusion to all these questions: Since the production and

consumption of meat is risky, puts enormous strain on global ecology, adds

to the problem of world hunger and endangers the security of future

generations, the price of meat has become far too high!

 

 

Renato Pichler

President

European Vegetarian Union

www.european-vegetarian.org