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News of the Week, April 2010.

In This edition:

1. Video: Hare Dying in Hare Coursing!

2. The Ban Irish Fur Farms Campaign reaches the 10,000 signatures!

3. A Shock of Reality.

4. Barnardo Furriers court case fails again (Part 1) – 3 Court Cases, 3 Vindications. Part 1

5. Barnardo Furriers court case fails again (Part 2) – A Camera that Saw too much !

6. ALiberation now on facebook

Although, in a speciesist world, most people would never think of wearing garments made from cat and dog fur, many see nothing wrong with wearing the skin of other nonhuman animals, commonly called "Leather".

For many people, the justification for wearing nonhuman skin is often rooted in the argument that it is a “by-product” of the flesh industry and that because nonhuman animals are already being killed for their flesh, their skin should then be used instead of being wasted.

Every time you choose to buy a jacket or shoes made of nonhuman animals skin, you are directly supporting the flesh industry: even though animal skin is classed as a by-product, it is still a very economically important aspect of the multibillion dollar flesh industry as 10% of an animal’s worth at an abattoir is in the skin and the skin industry earns nearly £600 million a year in the UK.[1]

In short, the economic success of slaughterhouses and farms enslaving cows for their milk are directly linked to the skin industry.

When the milk production of enslaved cows on factory farms decreases, the cows are killed and their skins are made into leather. Calves are also exploited and killed for the production of leather. "Soft leather" comes from calves, and the softest skin of all comes from unborn, aborted calves whose mothers have been killed, as they have a smooth, fine and unblemished skin.

The skin industry is as responsible as the flesh industry for the millions of nonhuman animals murdered for their skin and flesh who endure the horrors of factory farming before being transported to the slaughterhouse.

The skin/flesh industry loves to portray nonhuman skin as an environmentally friendly product. But this industry is certainly not green!

Skin processing and manufacturing involves a variety of aggressive chemicals and produces organic wastes that frequently end up in the environment despite control efforts.

Chemicals that are needed to keep the skin from decomposing include:

Lime, sodium sulphate solution, emulsifiers, non-solvent de-greasing agents, salt, formic acid, sulphuric acid, chromium sulphate salts, lead, zinc, formaldehyde, fats, alcohol, sodium bicarbonate, dyes, resin binders, waxes, coal tar derivatives and cyanide-based finishes.

Tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants such as proteins, hair and salt. (Until the late 1800s, animal skin was air- or salt-dried and tanned with vegetable tannins or oil).

Among the disastrous consequences of this noxious waste is the threat to human health: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the incidence of leukemia among residents in an area surrounding one tannery in Kentucky was five times the national average.[2]

Arsenic, a common tannery chemical, has long been associated with lung cancer in workers who are exposed to it on a regular basis. Several studies have established links between sinus and lung cancers and the chromium used in tanning.[3]
Studies of skin-tannery workers in Sweden and Italy found cancer risks “between 20% and 50% above [those] expected.”[4]

Tanneries are often situated close to rivers as tanning requires a constant supply of water (each tonne of skin needs 50 cubic meters of water) which will contain various polluting substances at the end of the process. This waste is usually discharged into the rivers and cause severe water pollution.

The skin/Flesh industry also uses a tremendous amount of energy to turn raw skin into the finished product.

In fact on the basis of quantity of energy consumed per unit produced, the skin-manufacturing industry would be categorised alongside the paper, steel, cement and petroleum manufacturing industries as a gross consumer of energy.

Although one would think that nonhuman skin products would be biodegradable and eco-friendly, once worn and discarded, they actually do not decompose as the primary function for a tanning agent is to stabilize the collagen or protein fibers so that they are no longer biodegradable.

Many tanneries have now moved to developing countries where wage costs are cheaper and environmental regulations are less stringent.

Cows are not the only species whose skins are used as accessories and garments.

The skin/flesh industry also exploits and murders pigs, goats, lambs, horses, cats, dogs, snakes, deers, kangaroos, alligators, etc in the name of fashion.

Since products rarely label the name of the species’ skin, you never really know what animal skin you are purchasing.

Every year, around 3 million kangaroo skins are imported from Australia to Europe and the USA.

Often used to make football boots, these products are labelled K leather or RKT (rubberised kangaroo technology) in order to confuse the consumer.

According to the Code of Practice which hunters have to adhere to, to kill kangaroos ‘humanely’ hunters should shoot them once in the head, but frequently the animals may be shot in the throat, the neck, or have their jaws blown off.
Orphaned kangaroos and wounded adults are, according to government code, to be decapitated or hit sharply on the head “to destroy the brain.”They might manage to escape but die later of starvation and cold.[5]

Members of Six species of kangaroo are already extinct, with four more species extinct on the Australian mainland and 17 species listed as endangered or vulnerable.

Long gone is the time where one had to wear plastic shoes in order to avoid wearing nonhuman skin.
Although plastic shoes are still available from most shops, non-leather shoes no longer look cheap and ugly, or make your feet sweat.
New materials are have now flooded the market and stand indistinguishable to gaments made of nonhuman skin.

Whatever kind of shoe, boot or bag you like, there will be one available in a animal free shoe option. Look stylish, sexy, or sporty with animal free shoes!

See Right Column for more info on non-leather shoes, and where to buy them.

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Slaughtered/ Production Animals 2002, FAOSTAT Database, 21 Aug. 2003
   
   
2. Richard E. Sclove et al., Community-Based Research in the United States (Amherst: The Loka Institute, 1998) 52.
   
   
3. Richard B. Hayes, “The Carcinogenicity of Metals in Humans,” Cancer Causes and Control, 8 (1997), 371-385.
   
   
4. Labrèche, Ph.D., “Occupations and Breast Cancer: Evaluation of Associations Between Breast Cancer and Workplace Exposures,” McGill University, Montréal, 23 Dec. 1997
   
   
5. Department for Environment and Heritage, “The Macropod Conservation and Management Plan for South Australia,” Nov. 2002: 49.

At the moment, most shoes and garments can be ordered online, although some companies have their own shops.
There are many, many more online vegan stores, but it would take too long to list them!

A. is an original DrMartens boot made of dead animal skin ;

B. is an original DrMartens boot made from a durable and comfortable, animal free material.

Still not convinced? Visit www.vegetarianshoes.co.uk.

Slink : Garment made from the skin of unborn calves.

Vegetan is an animal free material, which comes in a range of different grades of thickness to make some great styles of boot and shoe. It's breathable, water resistant, easy to clean and between 70% and 80% biodegradable.

Vegetan Micro, is a tougher material which offers a high quality performance for hard wearing shoes or hiking boots.

Vegetan Suede Vegetan Suede feels soft to the touch and is breathable.

1► It takes the skins of approximately four cows to produce the interior of just one car. [4]

2► "soft leather" does not come from old cows but from calves.

3► One of the biggest skin producers in the world is India and nearly 65 per cent of its skin and skin goods are exported to the EU -within which the UK is an important market.

Watch PETA's video, which exposes the cruelty that goes into every piece of skin, fur, wool, and exotics skins used for "fashion."

Download this sticker/Leaflet from Vegaplanet Resources and spread the message!
Each A4 page contains 16 leaflets.