ANIMAL CRUELTY/ANIMAL WELFARE

Facts 

1. Every year 9 billion chickens are raised and killed for meat in the US

2. Every year 1 billion animals are slaughtered by the leather industry

3. Every year 100 million animals die in experiments and tests

4. Every year 3 to 4 million cats and dogs (healthy and adoptable) are euthanised 

5. Before 1986, only four states had felony animal cruelty laws.

6. The RSPCA works to stop cruelty to animals

7. On average every 30 seconds someone in England and Wales dials 0300 1234 999 - the RSPCA's 24-hour cruelty line - for help. We received more than 1.1 million phone calls during 2010 
8. In 2007, the Animal Welfare Act became law in England, shortly after it was implemented in Wales

9. During 2010 the RSPCA rescued and collected 130,033 animals

10. During 2010 the RSPCA secured 2,441 convictions by private prosecution to protect animals against those who break the laws

11. In 2007, the Animal Welfare Act became law in England, shortly after it was implemented in Wales.

12.166 RSPCA branches around England and Wales

13. 3.72 million scientific procedures were carried out using animals in research establishments in the UK in 2010

14. The UK pet population in 2011 is estimated at: 8 million cats, 8 million dogs

15.  In the UK, about 1 in 2 households own a pet with around 22 million pets owned (excluding fish)

16. An animal dies in a European laboratory every three seconds

17. In scientific experiments, animals may legally be poisoned; deprived of food, water or sleep; subjected to skin or eye irritants; subjected to psychological distress; deliberately infected with diseases; subjected to brain damage; paralysed; surgically mutilated; irradiated; burned; gassed; force-fed; electrocuted; and killed. This happens to millions of animals every year.

18. Ninety-two per cent of new drugs fail in clinical trials – after they have passed tests on animals

19. Every year, more than 1 billion animals are slaughtered in the global leather industry, which pulls in £600 million per year in Great Britain alone

20. The exotic-skins industry claims the lives of millions of snakes, alligators, seals, zebras and other beautiful animals, whose skins are regularly found on catwalks and celebrities' bodies

21.  An estimated 2 million cats and dogs are killed in China every year, and hundreds of thousands of cats' and dogs' skins are traded in Europe.

22. Thirty per cent of the world's wool comes from Australia, where sheep farmers mutilate millions of lambs in a cruel procedure known as mulesing

23. Zoos, circuses, aquaria, bullfighting and hunting are all forms of animal abuse that occur for human amusement

24. Every year, more than 40,000 bulls are barbarically slaughtered in Spain's bullrings

25. Every year, millions of dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and other animals are euthanised because they were born into a world that does not have enough homes for them

26. Ian Brady: The"Moors Murderer" abused animals as both a child and an adult

27. Thomas Hamilton: The Dunblane massacre perpetrator spent his youth squashing rabbits' heads beneath the wheels of his car. He later killed 16 children and a teacher

28. Every year 9 billion chickens are raised and killed for meat in the US

29. Normally cows produce only enough milk to meet the needs of their calves (around 16 pounds per day), but genetic manipulation, antibiotics, and hormones are used to force each cow to produce more than 20,000 pounds of milk each year (an average of 54 pounds per day).

30. Every year, nearly a million seals worldwide are subjected to painful and often lingering deaths, largely for the sake of fashion

31. Eighteen red foxes are killed to make one fox-fur coat, 55 minks to make a mink coat

32. Millions of day-old male chicks are killed (usually in a high-speed grinder called a "macerator") every year because they are worthless to the egg industry

33. National, regional and local governments in at least 30 countries have already banned the use of exotic or all animals in circuses 

34. Animals kept in intensive farming systems endure restrictions in their movement, space allowance and social contact. Such intensive animal housing systems cause suffering and stress to animals by preventing the animals' natural behaviour, increasing the likelihood of disease and by  causing physical injury and deformities

35. Animals suffer from serious stress during transportation by road or train, as well as exposing them to a high possibility of dehydration, hunger, cold, heat, bruising, broken limbs, lacerations and suffocation

36. In intensive production units, thousands of broiler chickens (chickens reared for meat) are kept in darkened sheds with a stocking density of up to 20 per square metre

37. It is estimated that around 4% of broiler chickens die before reaching slaughter weight

38. As with all intensive animal housing, the housing of chickens in a crowded and contaminated environment greatly increases the likelihood of spread of infectious diseases, such as salmonellosis and various respiratory diseases

39. In the intensive egg production system (battery system), hens are kept in small wire cages, 3 or 4 to a cage

40. Battery cages are stacked tier upon tier on long rows, in large sheds which can hold up to 50,000 birds

41. Battery cages fail to provide for the physical and behavioural well-being of hens

42. In southern climates, newly shorn sheep, new born lambs and pregnant and mothering ewes frequently die from exposure

43. Sheep are also routinely subjected to painful mutilations such as mulesing, tail docking and castration, all without anaesthetic

44. In intensive dairy farms, cows are usually artificially inseminated to increase their breeding rates

45. Many millions of animals,  mostly sheep and cattle, are  exported live by sea to countries in the Middle East and South East Asia

46. Tens of thousands of unwanted animals are surrendered to animal shelters each year, and many of these are killed when new homes cannot be found for them

47. Each year, during the open shooting season, countless native ducks are killed or injured for recreation

48. There is no humane way to kill whales. Their death is slow and inhumane, brought about by explosive devices and harpoons

49. 1 January 2012 marks an important day for egg-laying hens across Europe. After years of waiting, an EU ban on conventional barren battery cages comes into force. 

50. All egg boxes are labelled with how the hens were farmed

51. Each year we eat in excess of 11.5 billion sandwiches and more than half are made at home

52. Pigs face a range of welfare issues that most people are just not aware o

53. Freedom Food is the only UK farm assurance scheme to focus solely on improving the welfare of farm animals reared for food

54. Freedom Food is the RSPCA’s farm assurance and food labelling scheme

55. Pigs are highly intelligent, inquisitive animals. Unfortunately standard pig farming practices across Europe mean that the majority of pigs have to endure unacceptable living conditions that cause them great suffering

56. Look at food labelling on pork products and you may find terms like ‘free range pigs’, ‘outdoor reared’ or ‘outdoor bred’

57. Free-range: pigs are kept outdoors in fields where they remain until they are sent for processing, with bedded huts for shelter. The sows are kept outside, in fields for their productive life

58. Outdoor bred: Pigs are born outside, in fields where they are kept until weaning, at which point they are transferred to indoor accommodation

59. Outdoor reared: Pigs are born outside in fields and have outdoor access for up to about half their lives, and are then transferred to indoor accommodation

60. Indoor: Indoor systems are not included in the new food labelling code. If you can’t see free-range, outdoor bred or outdoor reared on the logo, the chances are that it was born and reared on an indoor farm

61. Supermarkets that have signed up to the pork food labelling as at June 2010: Adsa, The Co-operative, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose

62. A recent survey* shows that 40 per cent of UK consumers surveyed put animal welfare as their number one concern about food

63. since compulsory production method labelling was introduced for eggs in 2004, the number of hens reared in alternative systems (free range, barn and organic) has risen from 31 to 45 per cent in 2009

64. New research shows spending on Freedom Food pork products including bacon, ham and sausages has increased 64 per cent since May 2009

65. 21 per cent of UK pigs are reared on Freedom Food approved farms. This is an increase of 26 per cent on last year and equates to 400,000 pigs living a better life

66. Higher welfare pork, sausages, bacon and ham displaying the Freedom Food logo aren’t necessarily expensive, but they can cost a little more

67. If you’re on the go and fancy picking up a sandwich, the Co-op and Sainsbury’s both sell Freedom Food approved sandwiches

68. Supermarkets, butchers and farmer’s markets stock Freedom Food

69. Buying food produced locally means that you may be able to find out more about the farm it came from and how the animals were reared

70. A new European Commission report (November 2011) has proposed no changes to the rules around animal transport

71. Due to recent planning applications for large-scale or 'mega farms' such as Nocton Dairy and Foston pig farm, there has been a groundswell of concern about the growth of large farms in the UK, and a fear that larger farms automatically mean lower animal welfare standards

72. There is no agreed definition of a ‘large’ farm and views of what constitutes a ‘large’ site have shifted over the years, as farms have generally grown in size and animal numbers

73. ‘intensive’ farming – where the farming system and management prevent the performance of normal behaviours by the animals to such an extent that their welfare is compromised

74. There are around 17 million sheep reared in the UK 

75. About 60 percent of farmed Scottish salmon is reared to 

RSPCA welfare standards on Freedom food approved farms –

that’s around 440 million fish76. There are about 30 million laying hens reared in the UK each year: that’s roughly one hen for every two people

77.  last year each of us consumed an average of 187 eggs

78. 45%** of UK hens are reared in one of these ‘alternative’ systems, the vast majority of which are Freedom Food approved (which means they have been inspected to strict RSPCA welfare standards)

79. 55% of hens are still kept in cruel cages – that’s about 17 million hens each year

80. Last year we saw a 17 percent increase in the number of Freedom Food turkeys

81. The number of pigs reared on Freedom Food approved farms is on the rise, accounting for about ¾ of outdoor production in the UK and about 21% of all UK production

82. New RSPCA research shows that many people still think pedigree dogs are healthy, quality animals that come from good breeding stock

83. Pedigree dogs are vulnerable to unnecessary disease, disability, pain or behavioural problems. This is because they’re bred primarily for how they look rather than with health, welfare and temperament in mind.

84. Back in 1999, EU members agreed to outlaw keeping hens in conventional battery cages by 1 January 2012

85. In many circuses, wild and exotic animals are trained through the use of intimidation and physical abuse

86. Elephants who perform in circuses are often kept in chains for as long as 23 hours a day from the time they are babies

87. By 2022, 22% of all species will be extinct if no action is taken

88. Dog fighting and cock-fighting are illegal in all 50 states

89. It is estimated that on average it takes 1,000 dogs to maintain a mid-sized racetrack operation

90. Tens of thousands of wild and domesticated horses from the United States are cruelly slaughtered every year to be used for horse meat in Europe and Asia

91. Many studies have found a link between cruelty to animals and other forms of interpersonal violence

92. Neglect and abandonment are the most common forms of companion animal abuse in the United States

93. Eighteen red foxes are killed to make one fox-fur coat, 55 minks to make a mink coat

94. 70 percent (24 million pounds) of the antibiotics used in the United States is added to livestock feed to enhance animal growth

95. Each year, an estimated 2 million pets are stolen and sold to research facilities

96. Every year, one billion animals are slaughtered to make leather products

97. Only 10 percent of the 15,000 tigers in the U.S. live in professionally regulated zoos and sanctuaries

98. 98% of all exotic animals die within the first two years of being brought home as pets

99. About half of all dogs sent to animal shelters are euthanised

100. 68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals

(sources include: http://www.rspca.org.uk/home, http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/, http://www.animalsaustralia.org/, http://animalcrueltyfacts.net/, http://www.petaf.org.uk/, http://www.simplyask.org.uk/, http://www.dosomething.org/, NRDC)