Alternative Souls

[Gibby]

taken respectfully from our friends @
www.animalaid.org.uk

Christian Aid told to 'Cut the crap'
5 September 2007

This Saturday, Animal Aid will be present on the Christian Aid (CA)
climate change march and rally in Cardiff. Animal Aid plans to
highlight the hypocrisy at the heart of Christian Aid's work. Spoofing
the CA slogan `Cut the Carbon', Animal Aid's banner reads `Cut the Crap'.

While the two organisations agree that tackling climate change is of
paramount importance, Animal Aid points out that livestock farming -
an activity encouraged, supported and promoted by Christian Aid - is a
major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

In fact, a recent major report (1) by the UN's Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) reveals that livestock farming contributes 18% of
all man-made greenhouse gases - a larger share than the entire global
transport sector. Yet Christian Aid promotes gifts of farmed animals
to destitute communities in regions that are already suffering serious
environmental degradation.

The FAO report also details the inefficiencies of using animals as a
source of nutrients for people rather than devoting agricultural
resources (land, labour, water) to producing food for people to
consume directly. `In simple numeric terms,' the report states,
`livestock actually detract more from total food supply than they
provide'.

One man who is very familiar with this scenario - and who will be
attending the Christian Aid demo - is Neville Fowler, founder of the
Help International Plant Protein Organisation (HIPPO). HIPPO
recognises that animal farming is a major cause of the problem of
world food shortage and works directly with impoverished people in
Africa and Eastern Europe. The organisation assists them in producing
for themselves wholesome and nutritious plant foods for direct human
consumption. (2)

Animal Aid Director, Andrew Tyler, has written to CA's Director, Dr
Daleep Mukarji, calling on him to channel Christian Aid's resources
away from animal gift schemes and concentrate on the many initiatives
that aid people, animals and the planet. (3) These include tree
planting, the production of green manures, water management schemes,
and healthcare, veterinary and educational initiatives. (4)

Says Animal Aid Director Andrew Tyler:

`Christian Aid's emotive advertising has featured photographs of
dead, bloated goats in barren landscapes. Cattle losses in regions
such as Northern Kenya are as high as 93%. Yet Christian Aid
encourages the public to give money so that more animals can be
provided for communities that cannot support them. The number of
hoofed animals in sub-Saharan Africa increased from around 275 million
in 1961 to more than 655 million by 2005. In that same period, the
levels of poverty and environmental destruction increased alarmingly.
By providing more animals, Christian Aid will produce more human
misery, more land degradation and ensure that more animals will die
from starvation, thirst and exhaustion.'

Notes to Editors

* The Christian Aid 1,000-mile Cut the Carbon march and rallies
were launched July 14 in Belfast. On September 8th, Cardiff is the
venue. Then comes the October 2 finale at the London Stock Exchange
and a service at St Paul's Cathedral.
* Last year the national campaign organisation triggered a major
media debate following publication of an article in a national
newspaper by the Animal Aid director, criticising animal gift schemes
to the developing world.
* Full background
* More information from Andrew Tyler at 01732 364 546.

References

1. Livestock's Long Shadow, Food and Agricultural Organisation, 2006
2. In Kenya, HIPPO is providing food for two vegetarian orphanages,
and for a community project (African Food Bank). It has helped to
develop the sustainable, organic, non-GM, production of crops,
especially pulses, in Kenya, Malawi and Ethiopia, and has assisted a
soya food processing plant in Uganda. It supports a vegetarian street
feeding programme in Lagos, Nigeria, and sends high protein foods to
orphanages in Romania and Croatia.
3. Andrew Tyler's letter to Dr Daleep Mukarji
4. Animal Aid, over the past two years, has raised money for an
irrigation scheme and a tree-planting project linked to a vegetarian
orphanage in the Rift Valley province of Kenya.
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