ANIMAL SPIRIT The Animal Interfaith Alliance Magazine Spring 2018 - Issue 8 Faiths Working Together for Animals In This Issue: Animals and the Law Animal Rights, Unnecessary Suffering and Our Dominion - Prof. Gary Francione & Prof. Anna Charlton The Law and Campaigning for Animal Protection - David Thomas Save the Asian Elephant: Interview with Duncan McNair KHS - Abigail Scott Presentation to the European Parliament on REACH - Dr Andre Menache Bees-at-Law - Noël Sweeney New Animal Welfare Bill & Labour’s Animal Welfare Plan Special Feature: Vijay Shah - A Jain, a Vegan and an Astronaut Contender www.animal-interfaith-alliance.com 1 People Member Organisations President: - Satish Kumar (Jain) Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA) - www.aswa.org.uk Vice-President: - Dr Deborah Jones Animals in Islam - www.animalsinislam.com (Vice Chair - CCA) The Bhagvatinandji Education & Health Trust - www.beht.org Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA) - www.catholic-animals.com Patrons: Christian Vegetarians & Vegans UK - www.christian-vegetariansvegans.org.uk Kay, Duchess of Hamilton Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA US) - www.christianveg.org Rev. Christa Blanke (Christian) Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) (Buddhist) - www.dharmavoicesforanimals.org Joyce D’Silva (Ambassador CIWF) Institute of Jainology (IOJ) - www.jainology.org Nitin Mehta MBE (Jain) Dr André Menache (Jewish) The Jewish Vegetarian Society (JVS) - www.jvs.org Dr Alpesh Patel (Hindu) The Mahavir Trust Dr Matthieu Ricard (Buddhist) Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK) - www.oshwal.co.uk Dr Richard D. Ryder (Ethicist) Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals - www.panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org Anant Shah (Jain) Quaker Concern for Animals (QCA) - www.quaker-animals.co.uk Muhammad Safa (Muslim) Sadhu Vaswani Centre (Hindu) - www.sadhuvaswani.org Ajit & Charanjit Singh MBE (Sikh) The Young Jains - www.youngjains.org.uk Board: Rev. Feargus O’Connor - Chair (Unitarian Minister, Secretary - World Congress of Faiths) Barbara Gardner - CEO (CCA - Publications & Finance Officer) Thom Bonneville - Director (Clerk - QCA) Sarah Dunning - Director (CCA Trustee) Chris Fegan - Deputy Chair (CCA Chief Executive) Rev. Prof. Martin Henig - Director (Vice President - ASWA) Dr Harshad Sanghrajka - Director (Vice-Chair - Institute of Jainology) Keval Shah - Director (Jain Vegans) Judith Wilkings - Director (QCA) Secretaries: Marian Hussenbux - International Campaigns Secretary (QCA) Sheila Thomas - Membership Secretary (CCA Trustee) Vision Advisors: A peaceful world where people of all faiths and none work together to treat Cultural & Diversity - Dr Atul Shah all animals with respect and compassion. Legal - David Thomas Scientific - Dr André Menache Mission The Animal Interfaith Alliance is a To create a united voice for animals from all of the world’s faiths and registered not-for-profit company, spiritual beliefs, based on their founders’ teachings, to bring about the number: 8958588 humane treatment of animals. Registered company address: www-animal-interfaith-alliance.com 31 1/2 Hoop Lane, Golders Green, © Animal Interfaith Alliance 2018 NW11 8BS 2 Index Animal Spirit Page Articles Magazine Animal Rights, Unnecessary Suffering, and Our Dominion ... Prof. Gary Francione ... ….. 10 Previous editions Presentation to the European parliament on REACH ……….. Dr Andre Menache ….. …...13 of Animal Spirit The Law and Campaigning for Animal Protection …….……. David Thomas …...….. …...14 Abigail Scott ……..….. …...16 can be found on the Save the Asian Elephant …………………………………….. Painism: One Community …………………………………… Dr Richard Ryder …… .…..19 AIA website . A Quaker Response to Animal Suffering ……….…………... Martin Layton …...….. …...20 A Jain, A Vegan and an Astronaut Contender ………………. Vijay Shah …………... …...25 Jain APPG Mahavir Janma Kalyanak at the HoC …………... ……………………….. .…..26 Items of Interest The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2018 ………………...…... Barbara Gardner ……. …....4 Interfaith Celebration for Animals 2018 ……………………. …………………….…. …....5 AIA’s Campaigning Activity in 2017/18……..…………...… Marian Hussenbux ….. .…...6 ASWA Animal Remembrance Service - November 2017 …. …………………….…. .......22 Purple Poppy Appeal 2018 ………………………………..... ……………………….. .......23 Letters ……………………………………………………….. ………………..…..…. .......24 Veganuary …………………………………………………... ………………..…..…. ..….27 Membership Form …………………………………..………. ………………………. …...29 Members Advertisements …………………………………... ………………………. …...36 Events ……………………………………………...…..……. ………………………. …...38 Politics New Animal Welfare Bill .…………………………………... ………………………. …...30 The Labour Party’s New Animal Welfare Plan ……...….…. ………………………. .......31 Brexit: Getting the Best Deal for Animals ………………….. ………………………. …...32 Labour Animal Welfare Society Conference 2018 …………. ………………………. …...33 Bill to Ban Live Exports …………………………………….. ………………………. …...33 Recipes Vegan Recipe by Shambhu’s - Mixed Daal …………………. Nishma Shah ……..…. …...28 Book Reviews Bees-at-Law by Noël Sweeney LL.B Dip. Crim. I M.A. …… Marian Hussenbux ….. …...34 Hymns, Prayers and Meditations Prayers for Remembrance Sunday ………………………….. Fr Martin Henig …….. .......24 A Hymn for the Creatures …………………………………... Jon Wynne-Tyson ….. …...40 Please Help AIA Support Animals AIA is a unique alliance of organisations which represent all the major faiths. Not only is it the only organisation to speak out on the moral treatment of animals by drawing on the combined wisdom of all the faiths, but it also promotes social harmony by bringing the faith groups together on an issue that they all share a concern for. Such cooperation between the faiths is what politicians are encouraging and, as such, they are listening to AIA. Therefore AIA is in a uniquely strong position to campaign for animals. However, in order to continue campaigning for animals AIA needs funds. Please make any donation you can by visiting our website and donating via PayPal or by completing the ‘Friend’ form on page 31 and sending a cheque. Your support is very much appreciated. 3 The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2018 By Barbara Gardner ollowing a very Animals and the Law F active year of A major theme of this edition of Animal Spirit is using the campaigning in law to help animals. I am delighted to feature articles from 2017, I am most two senior animal protection lawyers, Gary Francione from enthusiastic about our the U.S. and David Thomas from the UK who addressed the plans for 2018. We have AIA AGM last November on this subject. Also we feature already responded to two the work of Duncan McNair KHS, a corporate litigation animal welfare inquiries lawyer, for his inspirational work as founder and CEO of put forward by the Save the Asian Elephant. We review the book Bees-at-Law Environment Secretary, by barrister Noël Sweeney and we also report on The UK the Rt Hon. Michael Gove Centre for Animal Law (ALAW) who have, along with MP. The first concerned Wildlife and Countryside Link and many other animal the new Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of protection organisations, including AIA and some of its Sentiency) Bill and the second concerned the fur industry. member organisations, produced the document Brexit: We are delighted that Michael Gove is taking such an Getting the Best Deal for Animals. active interest in animal welfare matters and also that the Labour Party, too, are showing concern, having issued their Internal Changes Animal Welfare Plan in February. Feedback from the I am delighted to welcome Pan-Orthodox Concern for results of the last general election informed politicians that Animals as a new member of the Alliance. They are newly the electorate are very concerned about animal welfare and established and further details about them are below. the politicians are reacting accordingly. After years of the I am also delighted to welcome Keval Shah to the board animal welfare movement knocking on closed doors, we and to thank Ketan Varia, who has stood down from the can now embrace this new opportunity of openness to get board after completing three years of service, for all his hard our message across to the government and bring about real work. As Jains, both bring an enormous wealth of wisdom improvements for animal welfare in the UK. to the Alliance, for which we are most appreciative. ֍ Brexit Brexit has created challenges and opportunities for animal Welcome to Pan-Orthodox Concern welfare. The biggest opportunity is for the UK to improve for Animals standards for animal welfare, unconstrained by EU rules. For example, we can ban live exports, the imports of puppies and foie gras. We have been working on these opportunities with other animal welfare organisations through our alliance with the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) which has produced the document Brexit: Getting the Best Deal for Animals that has been distributed to UK politicians and other decision makers. We have also AIA welcomes Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals as worked with Eurogroup through Catholic Concern for a new member. Recently set up as a charity, their Animals’ membership of them. Chris Fegan has sat on mission is the advancement of Christian respect and Eurogroup’s Brexit Working Party which has also responsibility for the animal creation with special produced a Brexit document to create the best deal for reference to Eastern Orthodox teachings. They aim to animals whilst leaving the EU. promote Christ’s loving compassionate care for all of His Whilst one of the challenges of leaving the EU is that creatures and to advance the Patristic teachings that we will no