Care Quality Commission

Home inspector in bribery arrest

A former care home inspector has been arrested over allegations that she pressured homes into giving money in exchange for "favourable" reports.

The woman, who used to work for the Care Quality Commission (CQC), was arrested on suspicion of bribery and money laundering.

The CQC said it sacked her after an investigation and had informed the police.

It said the woman had failed the organisation and people in care.

The unnamed 43-year-old was arrested on Thursday morning at her home in Northamptonshire.

City of London Police said care homes were "pressurised into paying fees for favourable inspection report".

Detective Inspector James Clancey said: "We are working closely with CQC to thoroughly investigate these allegations."

The CQC said it had a "zero tolerance policy" towards fraudulent or dishonest behaviour and that it expected "extremely high standards" from its inspectors.

Louise Guss, director of governance and legal services at the CQC, said: "This inspector has failed the organisation, failed the providers who rely on us to act fairly and impartially, and - most importantly - failed in their responsibility to protect people who use services through identification of poor care.

"Unfortunately, in any large workforce there is a risk that a tiny minority may act in a way that betrays the principles of their colleagues and of the organisation as a whole, which is what has happened here.

"Having investigated allegations made to us about this inspector and found these were substantiated, we terminated their employment with immediate effect and referred the matter to the police."

A care home: the former inspector was arrested following allegations that care home owners were offered 'favourable inspection reports' in return for cash. Photograph: Paula Solloway/Alamy

City of London police have confirmed the arrest of a former Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector, on suspicion of bribery and money laundering, following allegations that care home owners were offered "favourable inspection reports" in return for cash.

The unnamed 42-year-old, arrested at home in Northamptonshire, is being questioned by police. Detective Inspector James Clancey, said: "We are working closely with CQC to thoroughly investigate these allegations. We are appealing to anyone who may have information linked to these allegations to come forward."

The force, which takes the lead in economic crime, said that anyone with information should contact the Care Quality Commission, which regulates the health and social care system, which had been alerted to this case because of a "whistleblower".

In a statement, the CQC said an "internal investigation revealed that the impartiality of regulatory judgments had been seriously compromised".

Confirming that an inspector had been dismissed for "gross misconduct", the director of governance and legal services at the CQC, Louise Guss, said: "Having investigated allegations made to us about this inspector [the CQC] terminated their employment with immediate effect and referred the matter to the police.

"CQC operates a zero tolerance policy in regard to fraudulent or dishonest behaviour … We take any credible allegations relating to this behaviour extremely seriously and, following a full investigation, will take the swiftest and most severe action possible against any member of staff found guilty."

U.S. Will Not Finance New Research on Chimps

Tim Mueller for The New York Times

A chimpanzee at the New Iberia Research Center of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where hepatitis C research is done.

By JAMES GORMAN

Published: December 15, 2011The National Institutes of Health on Thursday suspended all new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimpanzees and accepted the first uniform criteria for assessing the necessity of such research. Those guidelines require that the research be necessary for human health, and that there be no other way to accomplish it.

In making the announcement, Dr. Francis S. Collins, the director of the N.I.H., said that chimps, as the closest human relatives, deserve “special consideration and respect” and that the agency was accepting the recommendations released earlier in the day by an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine, which concluded that most research on chimpanzees was unnecessary.

The report and the quick response by the N.I.H. do not put an end to research on chimps, but they were claimed as victories by animal welfare groups that have long been fighting for a ban on such research, arguing that chimps should not be subjected to experimental use. They said that the move was a step toward eventually ending chimp research, already a tiny segment of federal research.

Jeffrey Kahn, chairman of the Institute of Medicine committee that produced the report and a professor of bioethics and public policy at Johns Hopkins University, said the group’s recommendations would make it harder to use chimps in research.

“What we did was establish a set of rigorous criteria that set the bar quite high for use of chimpanzees in biomedical or behavioral research,” he said. He also said that, in effect, the writing was on the wall: “One of the important themes in the committee report is that there is a trajectory toward decreasing necessity for the use of chimps in biomedical and behavioral research.”

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, which is strongly opposed to any experimentation on chimpanzees, said, “We’re tremendously encouraged.” He said the report’s “overarching conclusion was that chimps are largely unnecessary” for research, and that the report and N.I.H. action could influence two other continuing efforts to stop research on chimps.

One is the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011, now before both houses of Congress. Another is a petition before the federal Fish and Wildlife Service to declare captive chimpanzees endangered, as wild chimpanzees are. The exemption has allowed research to continue and permits the use of chimpanzees in entertainment and as pets.

“ ‘Endangered’ stops all those uses,” Mr. Pacelle said, and the report’s skeptical assessment of the value of chimps in research would provide support for the Fish and Wildlife Service to categorize all chimps as endangered.

At the same time, people involved in chimp research said they, too, were happy.

Dr. Thomas Rowell, director of the New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, La., which houses 471 chimpanzees, more than any other center in the country, also said he was “quite pleased” with the report. “It just confirms what we’ve been saying all along in regard to the chimpanzee model for advancing public health research,” he said, referring to the necessity of the chimpanzee for some research on public health.

Dr. Collins said the N.I.H. would set up a working group to decide how to carry out the recommendations. Until the group finishes its deliberations, no new grants would be awarded and all N.I.H. chimpanzees that are not already enrolled in experiments would not be involved in any further research projects. Dr. Collins did not offer a timeline or say how many chimpanzees were currently involved in research.

Use of chimpanzees has already been waning, partly because it is expensive. The report covers only chimps owned or supported by the government, 612 of a total of 937 chimps available for research in the United States. Only a few are in experiments at any one time.

The committee identified two areas where it said the use of chimpanzees could be necessary. One is research on a preventive vaccine for hepatitis C. The committee could not agree on whether this research fit the criteria and so left that decision open.   

In the second area, research on immunology involving monoclonal antibodies, the committee concluded that experimenting on chimps was not necessary because of new technology, but because the new technology was not widespread, projects now under way should be allowed to reach completion. 

The report offered two sets of criteria, one for biomedical experiments, which it said could be considered necessary when there was no other way to do the research — with other animals, lab techniques or human subjects — and if not doing the research would “significantly slow or prevent important advancements to prevent, control and/or treat life-threatening or debilitating conditions.”

For behavioral and genomic experiments, the report recommended that the research should be done on chimps only if the animals are cooperative, and in a way that minimizes pain and distress. It also said that the studies should “provide otherwise unattainable insight into comparative genomics, normal and abnormal behavior, mental health, emotion or cognition.”

The report also recommended that chimpanzees be housed in conditions that are behaviorally, socially and physically appropriate. All United States primate research centers are already accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, and Dr. Kahn said that this accreditation meets the committee’s recommendation.

That was one area where the Humane Society disagreed with the report. “That language,” said Mr. Pacelle, referring to the requirements for adequate cages and enclosures, “was disappointing to us,” because it could mean that chimps that were not in experiments would stay at research centers.

“I’m arguing for the movement of all of them to the sanctuaries,” he said, where large open enclosures are much more common.

The N.I.H. commissioned the report after an outcry over its plan in 2010 to move a colony of chimpanzees it owned out of semiretirement in Alamogordo, N.M., and back into medical research at a primate center in Texas.

The N.I.H. responded in January 2011, by announcing it would leave the chimps in New Mexico for the time being, and by commissioning the Institute of Medicine to do the study released on Thursday. Dr. Collins confirmed that for now, the Alamogordo chimps would stay where they were
.

Animals with human DNA

Animals with human DNA

Researchers can add human genes and tissues to mice

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It was one of the great comedy sketch moments from Not the Nine O'Clock News. Mel Smith is a scientist on a talk-show, sitting next to a gorilla (Rowan Atkinson in a costume) and begins explaining how he has taught him to speak.

Smith: "When I caught Gerald in '68 he was completely wild."
Gerald/Atkinson: "Wild. I was absolutely livid."
Funny, yes, and truly far-fetched, but experiments on animals that lead to possible human characteristics are something the Academy of Medical Sciences has spent nearly two years considering.
It looked at the vast and growing area of research involving the insertion of human DNA or cells into animals.
This sort of research has been going on for decades. It can involve a single gene being inserted in a mouse genome, or the transplantation of human cells or tissue into animals, creating what are known as chimaeras.
The point is to study human development and disease - anything from cancer, stroke or dementia to Down's syndrome.
People know that experimentation on animals takes place, but probably very few know much about this area. The academy commissioned a consortium led by the polling organisation Ipsos Mori to look at public opinion.
Great Apes
The public consultation showed strong support as long as people felt it would produce genuine benefits for medicine and that these would be widely available.
Most of this area of research involves mice, but rats, fruit flies and zebra fish are also used.
One of the key areas of potential concern outlined in the report is research involving the brain: "The predominant question is whether populating an animal's brain with human-derived cells could result in the production of an animal with human cognitive capacity" - areas such as consciousness, awareness and sentience and human-like behavioural capabilities.
The academy thinks if human brain stem cells were transplanted into a mouse in the womb, it would still probably end up acting like a mouse. But it is less certain about the potential consequences for a similar experiment with a larger animal, for example a sheep or pig.
Professor Martin Bobrow, who chaired the working group which compiled the report, suggested what he called the "Great Ape test". He said there is a consensus that experiments should not be carried out on Great Apes (chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas). So if experiments to add human material gave a sheep or a pig the same level of cognitive ability as a gorilla, then it should probably not be allowed.
Science fiction
The academy is not suggesting that anyone wants to do this, but it says public discussion should occur now, long before scientists have the idea for unusual experiments.
So what else might make you feel uncomfortable? Animals with human physical features would be a step too far for many - bringing to mind HG Wells science fiction novel The Island of Dr Moreau.
And what about language? The report says: "Creating characteristics such as speech and behaviour in animals would be very complex." Considerable potential benefits would need to be justified before that was allowed.
After all, as one of the report authors said: "If you come home and your parrot says - 'who's a pretty boy?' - that's one thing. If you come home and your monkey says it, that's quite another."

Animal testing 'requires tighter regulation'

Researchers can add human genes and tissues to mice

Better regulation is needed to govern rapidly expanding research in animals containing human tissue or genes, the Academy of Medical Sciences says.

It said such studies were necessary for medical research, but that new ethical issues could emerge and called for a national body of experts.
It said "category three" experiments on monkey brains, resulting in "human-like" behaviour, should be banned.
The government said it would consider the recommendations.
Dr Robin Lovell-Badge, from the National Institute for Medical Research, said: "Everyone laughs at talking meerkats and cats with opposable thumbs, but if we were actually doing that in the labs I don't think people would be so happy."
Cancer drugs
Introducing human material into animals has furthered medical research.
Putting human breast tumour cells into mice has allowed researchers to test cancer drugs on human tissue.

“Start Quote

Experiments on animals that lead to possible human characteristics are something the Academy of Medical Sciences has spent nearly two years considering”

• 
  

Stroke damaged mice showed some recovery when their brains were injected with human neural stem cells, which has led to human clinical trials.

Mice with Down's syndrome have had a whole human chromosome added to their genome to help researchers learn more about the illness.
Professor Christopher Shaw, from King's College London and one of the report's authors, said animals with human material were "hugely important. Is [the field] going to shrink and go away? No. I'm confident it will lead to new treatments."
The academy report said it was anticipating "a major increase in the use of these techniques".
However it raised concerns that some cases would fall through gaps in the regulation.
The authors said that, for example, experiments on an embryo which contained predominantly human material would be controlled by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the embryo would not progress beyond 14 days. For embryos which are mostly animal, but contained some human material, they said there was "no regulation at all".
Animal research is regulated by the Home Office's animal procedures committee.
Professor Martin Bobrow, chair of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: "Our report recommends that the Home Office puts in place a national expert body, within the existing stringent system of animal research regulation, to provide specific advice on sensitive types of 'animals containing human material' research."
The academy recommended three classifications for research on animals containing human material.
Most would be "category one" and have no more restrictions than any other study on animals.
'Valuable study'
Category two experiments could be allowed but "would require strong scientific justification". The report suggested this would include adding genes to non-human primates and significant changes to an animal to make it "more human-like".
Category three experiments would not be allowed, such as letting any mixed embryo develop past 14 days or breeding animals with human influenced sperm or egg cells and modifying non-human primates to create human-like awareness or behaviour.
Professor Bobrow was keen to stress that "nobody has done any of these things", but the Academy of Medical Sciences said it wanted guidelines in place rather than waiting until the horse had bolted.
Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said: "We welcome the valuable contribution of this study to the understanding of the complex ethical, scientific and animal welfare issues involved in this area of research.
"We will consider the recommendations carefully."

Animal feed news

European Parliament backs return of animal feed protein

//08 jul 2011

Members of the European Parliament have backed plans to allow processed animal protein back into EU animal feed. MEPs voted in favour of the Roth-Behrendt report, which recommends allowing pigs to be fed poultry protein and poultry to be fed pig protein.

The Commission's TSE Roadmap 2 proposes a possible gradual lifting of the prohibition on the feeding of processed animal proteins (PAP) to non-ruminants.

Given the EU's "protein deficit", MEPs back this idea, subject to strict conditions and safeguards. These include stipulating that the PAP must come from species not linked to TSE, and may be fed only to non-herbivores.

Prohibitions on cannibalism must remain and only processed animal proteins fit for human consumption should be used, MEPs add.

Further relaxations

The report recommends a number of relaxations to BSE rules to reflect the declining risk posed by the disease, although it stresses that any changes must maintain high animal and public health standards.

Apart from the relaxation of the animal protein feed ban item, changes to current EU laws, which the Commission is about to review, could also include new rules on removing specific risk materials from animal feed, changes to cohort culling policy and a higher age limit for BSE testing, says the non-legislative resolution, drafted by Dagmar Roth Behrendt.

MEPs reject a Commission proposal to reduce EU funding on research into transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), including BSE.

TSEs cause degeneration of brain tissue leading to death in man and animals. They include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Kuru in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and scrapie in sheep and goats

Japan 'to continue' Antarctic whaling

Japan charges Sea Shepherd activists with launching incendiary devices onto the whaling ships

Continue reading the main story

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Japan intends to send its whaling fleet back to the Antarctic this year, a senior official has told BBC News.

There has been speculation that campaigns by activists, money problems and new rules at sea might persuade Tokyo to stop Antarctic whaling.

But at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, Japan's Joji Morishita said the plan was to return.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which forced the last hunt's early closure, says it will be back too.

Finding a way to deal with the organisation's vessels is the main obstacle Japan sees to continuing for the next season and beyond.

"We are now discussing how we can send our fleet back to the Antarctic Ocean," said Mr Morishita, Japan's deputy commissioner to the IWC and a senior official in the Fisheries Agency.

"Simply put, the attack from Sea Shepherd organisation is the one we have to consider how we prevent that to happen again."

During the IWC meeting, being held in Jersey, Japanese delegates showed pictures and videos that, they said, showed the campaigners attacking whaling vessels with projectiles including flares, which set netting alight, and glass bottles filled with foul-smelling butyric acid.

They also showed Sea Shepherd boats ramming the whalers, and said reinforced ropes had been put in the water to entangle propellers.

"The attack this past year became so severe that we didn't have any choice to try to prevent the worst from happening," said Mr Morishita.

Each successive year, Sea Shepherd has sent bigger fleets and faster vessels, while Japan has downscaled its forces; last season, for the first time, the activists had the upper hand.

Rather than catching 850-odd whales - the official target - the eventual haul was about 170.

It is not clear how Japan intends to protect its fleet in any future expedition - it was not just a matter of sending military patrols, Mr Morishita said, as that was a legal minefield.

Demonstrating force

A further obstacle Japan faces is that, from next year, new regulations on maritime pollution mean the Nisshin Maru, its factory ship, will not be permitted in Antarctic waters with tanks full of heavy fuel oil without a refit.

Continue reading the main story

The Legalities of Whaling

• Objection - A country formally objects to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
• Scientific - A nation issues unilateral "scientific permits"; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
• Indigenous (aka Aboriginal subsistence) - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat

• Guide to the Great Whales

Another is financial. Japan's national budget was in trouble even before the impact of the recent earthquake and tsunami; and with sales of whalemeat falling, the cost of the hunt is rising.

But Mr Morishita suggested all of these issues would be easier to overcome than Sea Shepherd's opposition.

Some observers have suggested that Japan sees blaming Sea Shepherd as a way to escape from Southern Ocean whaling without losing face.

Mr Morishita said this was not the case, and the basic policy remained unchanged.

Sea Shepherd activists have staged demonstrations outside the IWC meeting here - the organisation is barred from attending - and it is clear that it will send its fleet to the Southern Ocean again if Japan does return.

"Sea Shepherd will also return and will once again intercept and block their operations," the organisation's head Paul Watson wrote on his blog earlier this week.

"If they return, we will launch Operation Divine Wind, and our vessels the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin, and the Brigitte Bardot will soon return to the remote and stormy seas of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to do what we do best - defend the whales!"

More on This Story

Related Stories

• Whales 'at risk' from oil surveys 12 JULY 2011, SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT
• 'Clean-up bid' for whaling body 10 JULY 2011, SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT
• Japan halts Antarctic whale hunt 16 FEBRUARY 2011, ASIA-PACIFIC

Related Internet links

• Institute of Cetacean Research - Japan
• Sea Shepherd
• IWC

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Animal experiments increase again

GM animals and "harmful mutant" animals largely account for the rise

The number of animal experiments carried out in the UK rose by 3% last year, according to government figures.

The rise was largely due to an increase in the use of genetically modified (GM) and mutant animals, a trend which shows no signs of abating.
The news comes as campaigners warn a new EU directive threatens standards of welfare for UK lab animals.
They argue that a number of the directive's regulations fall short of those already in place in the UK.
Just over 3.7 million scientific experiments on animals were started in Great Britain in 2010, an increase of 105,000 on the previous year.
The statistics show that breeding to produce genetically modified (GM) animals and harmful mutants (an animal with potentially harmful genetic defects) rose by 87,000 to 1.6 million procedures.
This rise, largely due to the increased breeding of mice and fish, represents an increase of 6%.
But when GM animals are excluded from the statistics, the total number of procedures rose by 18,000, from 2.09 million to 2.10 million.
Home Office minister Lynn Featherstone commented: "The figures released today once again show the important work being done in this country to regulate animal procedures and ensure the highest standards of animal protection are upheld.
"The UK has one of the most rigorous systems in the world to ensure that animal research and testing is strictly regulated."

MPs voted to ban wild animals in circuses

MPs voted to ban wild animals in circuses last night after David Cameron's attempts to bully Conservative backbenchers into voting against the measure backfired and ended in a humiliating public defeat. In a decision hailed by campaigners as an "historic victory for animal welfare and protection", MPs of all parties unanimously backed a ban and the Government signalled that it would introduce one, ending forever the days of lions, tigers, elephants and other wild animals in the big top.

In an act of desperation, Conservative whips had warned they would impose the most serious parliamentary voting sanction, a three-line whip, to bring recalcitrant backbenchers to heel and get them to support the Government's alternative proposal of a licensing system. But in a victory for The Independent's campaign for a ban and for the long campaigns waged by animal welfare organisations, Downing Street backed down when it became apparent that it would lose the vote despite what backbenchers described as "desperate" measures. One of the three MPs who brought the cross-party motion for a ban disclosed that he had first been offered a government job – and then threatened that the Prime Minister would look "very dimly" on his recalcitrance – unless he amended or withdrew the motion. Mark Pritchard, a Conservative backbencher, stood firm and insisted that the measure be voted upon.

As astonished MPs listened, Mr Pritchard said: "Well I have a message for the whips and for the Prime Minister of our country – and I didn't pick a fight with the Prime Minister – I may just be a little council house lad from a very poor background but that background gave me a backbone. It gives me a thick skin and I'm not going to be cowed by the whips of the Prime Minister on an issue I feel passionately about and have conviction about

"There may be some other people with backbones on this side and they will speak later, but we need a generation of politicians with a bit of spine, not jelly. And I will not be bullied by any of the whips."

MPs from all sides of the House including the Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster, Labour's Nia Griffiths and the Green leader Caroline Lucas attacked the Government's position, saying that both public and parliamentary opinion was in support of a ban.

The motion was to "direct" the Government to introduce a ban.

Shortly before the vote, the Animal Welfare minister, Jim Paice, said: "If at the end of this debate the House were to approve this motion then of course we will have to respect that."

Animal welfare groups were ecstatic. The RSPCA said: "This is a win for democracy as well as animal welfare." It said it hoped the Government would quickly and formally announce a ban.

Animal Defenders International, the group which shot undercover footage of the beating by a Romanian groom of Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts Circus, said: "This debate and vote has exposed the Government and demonstrated just how out of touch they have been with their peers, the public, and animal welfare groups."

Mary Creagh, the shadow Environment Secretary, said: "The public will be absolutely delighted that MPs from all parties have stood up to the Tory-led Government on this issue to achieve such a fantastic result. The vote brings to an end 48 hours of chaos and confusion from the Government about their position on a ban. It is extraordinary that David Cameron used such bully-boy tactics to threaten his own MPs and tried to impose a three-line whip on the vote."

The Government had initially planned to ban wild animals from circuses but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was forced to do a U-turn, and instead proposed a licensing system, after Mr Cameron, a keen hunter and shooter, blocked the move.

Mr Paice blamed a court challenge to a ban in Austria for the decision, but there was no court challenge and he was forced to admit during an emergency debate, called because of the misinformation, that he had misled the Commons. The Government's subsequent claim that a ban could be challenged under the Human Rights Act or the EU Services Directive was challenged by lawyers and the European Commission.

The Government and MPs came under intense pressure from voters. More than 32,000 signed The Independent's online petition calling for the Government to change its mind, and supporters of the protest group 38 Degrees, which had forced Defra to abandon plans for its forests sell-off, deluged MPs' offices with hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls.

During the debate, MPs said the issue was emblematic of wider animal welfare issues. But the most astonishing contribution came from Mr Pritchard who had secured the backbench debate, which should have had a free vote. He said: "On Monday if I offered to amend my motion or drop my motion or not call a vote on this motion – and we're not talking about a major defence issue or an economic issue or an issue of public-sector reform, we're talking about a ban on wild animals in circuses – I was offered reward and incentive. If I didn't call for a ban – I was offered a job. Not as a minister, it was a pretty trivial job.

"Then it was ratcheted up to last night and I was threatened. I had a call from the Prime Minister's Office directly and I was told unless I withdrew this motion that the Prime Minister himself would look upon it 'very dimly indeed'."

He told MPs: "It remains a mystery why the Government has mounted such a concerted operation to stop there being a vote on this motion."

strange people these meat eaters , circuses are cruel , but not the vile factories where they grow and torture their food .

Chinese New Year...marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit

Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit. But for the millions of individual rabbits and other animals suffering on Chinese fur farms, today is a day like any other.

These gentle animals spend nearly their entire lives crammed in filthy wire cages that are so small the animals are often unable to move more than a few tiny steps. They are born and raised to die at the hands of workers who kill them using methods — such as neck-breaking, suffocation, poisoning, and electrocution — that keep the rabbits' skin intact so that it can be sold. The skin of rabbits who are not fortunate enough to die instantly is often ripped from their bodies while they are still conscious.


Why are these animals subjected to such cruelty and abuse? It's all done in the name of fashion!

Millions of individual animals are killed each year for the clothing industry — and more than half the fur used in the U.S. comes from China. PETA is convincing leading retailers and designers around the world to eliminate fur and exotic-animal skins from their clothing lines, and top designers — including Stella McCartney, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Liz Claiborne — are setting fashion trends without using any skins.

Even though she knows about the suffering that's behind every fur-trimmed coat, hat, and bag, Donna Karan continues to use fur in her collections. Even footage like petas has failed to convince her to remove fur from her clothing lines.

PETA is leading the fight to save animals through our eye-opening campaigns against retailers and designers — such as Donna Karan — who still use animal skins. We are on the front lines in the fight to convince the fashion industry that compassion is the fashion — and we're winning! Our affiliate PETA Asia is also on the ground fighting in China. But our work would not be possible without the support of members like you.



With kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

China battles pork meat laced with a poisonous drug

China battles pork meat laced with a poisonous drug 27 Jan 2011

There have been reports of consumers in China becoming ill and ending up hospitalised with stomach pains and heart palpitations after consuming pork laced with Clenbuterol.

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• Dioxin levels in contaminated feed fat are 78...

Clenbuterol, in China is also known as "lean meat powder," and is banned in the country. However, animal feed is sometimes mixed with this dangerous drug because some farmers want to profit on the market – as it is used in animal feed because it can decrease a pig's body fat to a thin layer, which makes the meat appear leaner and while it also makes skin pinker – making the meat look fresher for a longer period.

Clenbuterol-treated pork requested from pig farmers

Because of the effects on pork meat, it has made some Chinese meat suppliers request Clenbuterol-treated pork from pig farmers. With using Clenbuterol fat burning and muscle growth happens rapidly, which is why some see it as an ideal a feed additive. Though there have been reports in China of the drug entering the food supply, exactly how much food tainted with this drug is not known currently – the Chinese government will not state how many cases of contaminated meat or related illness occur annually.

Pork meat mostly affected
It seems that tainted pork is a major concern in the country as Clenbuterol-tainted pork is considered to be one of China's largest food threats as reports have mostly involved this meat.

"It's really a big problem in China," said Pan Chenjun, a senior industry analyst with Rabobank. "It's not reported frequently so people sometimes think it's not a big issue but actually it's quite widespread."

Despite strict Chinese laws against "Clenbuterol" which carry a prison term for offenders who produce or sell tainted food products, there are often cases where a fine or a bribe can get the offender out of a tight spot.

Clenbuterol – quick info:

• Clenbuterol is approved for use in some countries via presciption as a bronchodilator for asthma patients.
• In instances is has also been used as a performance-enhancing drug in sports – with cases where athletes have been suspended from respective sports.
• In some parts of the world Clenbuterol is used for the treatment of allergic respiratory disease in horses.
• In September 2006 more than 330 people in Shanghai were reported to have been poisoned by eating pork contaminated by Clenbuterol that had been fed to the animals to keep their meat lean – as it increases the rate at which body fat is metabolised

animal feed has been contaminated by dioxins

7 January 2011 Last updated at 09:20

German dioxin contamination eggs exported to UK

Contaminated animal feed was sent to poultry and pig farms in Germany

Related stories

• Dioxin scare shuts German farms
• German dioxin worse than feared
• Germans warned about tainted eggs

Eggs from German farms where animal feed has been contaminated by dioxins have found their way into processed products destined for British food.

The EU executive said 14 tonnes of the liquid food had been exported to the UK but stressed there was a very low risk to human health.

The UK's Food Standards Agency agreed, saying the eggs would have become diluted with other products.

The FSA said it was trying to trace the shipment in the UK.

It said that following the distribution of affected eggs to the Netherlands they were mixed with non-contaminated eggs to make pasteurised liquid egg.

This product has been distributed to the UK.

'Product for consumption'

The FSA said in a statement: "The mixing of the eggs will have diluted the levels of dioxins and they are not thought to be a risk to health.

"The FSA is currently liaising with the industry and will provide further updates as information becomes available."

Dioxins

• Dioxins are a group of chemicals commonly formed as by-products of industrial combustion and chemical processes, such as manufacturing of chemicals, pesticides, steel and paints, pulp and paper bleaching, exhaust emissions and incineration
• The main source of dioxin contamination of food for human consumption is contaminated animal feed
• Dioxins are absorbed by fatty tissue of cattle, poultry, pork and seafood. Foods high in animal fat, such as milk, meat, fish and eggs (and foods produced with them) are the main source of dioxins although all foods contains some
• Dioxins are found throughout the industrialised world, in air, water and soil, as well as in food
• Dioxins can cause problems for people if they are absorbed at high levels for long periods
• They have been shown in lab tests to cause a wide range of effects in certain animals, such as cancer and damage to the immune and reproductive systems, including low sperm count and learning difficulties

The alert began when it was discovered thousands of tonnes of animal feed contaminated by highly toxic dioxins had been sent to more than 1,000 poultry and pig farms in Germany.

Eggs from those farms were sent to the Netherlands for processing and then on to the UK where they are likely to have been used in the production of a variety of foodstuffs including mayonnaise and pastries.

European Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent told a news conference how the problem had now reached the UK.

"Those eggs were then processed and then exported to the United Kingdom... as a 14-tonne consignment of pasteurised product for consumption," he said.

"Whether it went into mayonnaise, pastries, I don't know. So we will probably take a look at this with the UK authorities and see what was done with these eggs."

Farms closed

The problem has been traced to oils intended for bio-fuel becoming mixed with oil destined for animal feed.

The dioxin was discovered in late December but the extent of the problem was only revealed earlier this week when German officials said 3,000 tonnes of feed had been affected.

Germany has closed more than 4,700 farms, mostly in the Lower Saxony region in north-west Germany.

German officials will brief their EU counterparts next week and the incident could lead to new rules on animal feed.

Dioxins are toxins formed by industrial processes and waste burning.

They have been shown to contribute to higher cancer rates and to affect pregnant women.

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Related stories

• Dioxin scare shuts German farms 07 JANUARY 2011, EUROPE
• German dioxin worse than feared 05 JANUARY 2011, EUROPE
• Germans warned about tainted eggs 04 JANUARY 2011, EUROPE

Related Internet links

• Food Standards Agency
• European Commission

The Food Standards Agency has received further information in relation to the ongoing investigation into the dioxin contamination of pig and poultry feed in Germany.

The Agency has been informed that following the distribution of affected eggs to the Netherlands, these eggs were mixed with other non-contaminated eggs to make pasteurised liquid egg. This pasteurised liquid egg has been distributed to the UK.

The mixing of the eggs will have diluted the levels of dioxins and they are not thought to be a risk to health.

The FSA is currently liaising with the industry and will provide further updates as information becomes available.

For more information read yesterday's news story at the link below.

The science behind the story

Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals that get into our food from the environment. They have no immediate effect on our health but can cause problems if they are absorbed into our bodies at high levels for long periods.

Foods high in animal fat, such as milk, meat, fish and eggs (and foods produced with them) are the main source of dioxins and PCBs although all foods contains at least low levels of these chemicals. The levels of dioxins and PCBs in any one individual's diet will vary depending on the amounts and types of foods they eat.

The risk to health comes from eating food with high levels of dioxins and PCBs over a long period. They have been shown to cause a wide range of effects in certain animals, including cancer and damage to the immune and reproductive systems, although it appears that people may be less sensitive

"We need to double food production,

Enviropig™

The Enviropig™ is a genetically enhanced line of Yorkshire pigs with the capability of digesting plant phosphorus more efficiently than conventional Yorkshire pigs. These pigs produce the enzyme phytase in the salivary glands that is secreted in the saliva. When cereal grains are consumed, the phytase mixes with the feed as the pig chews. Once the food is swallowed, the phytase enzyme is active in the acidic environment of the stomach, degrading indigestible phytate in the feed that accounts for 50 to 75% of the grain phosphorus.

Figure 1. Phytase produced in the salivary glands and secreted in the saliva increases the digestion of phosphorus contained in feed grains.

Since the Enviropig™ is able to digest cereal grain phosphorus there is no need to supplement the diet with either mineral phosphate or commercially produced phytase, and there is less phosphorus in the manure. When the phosphorus depleted manure is spread on land in areas of intense swine production there is less potential of phosphorus to leach into freshwater ponds, streams and rivers. Because phosphorus is the major nutrient enabling algal growth that is the leading cause of fish kills resulting from anoxic conditions, and reduced water quality, the low phosphorus manure from Enviropigs has a reduced environmental impact in areas where soil phosphorus exceeds desirable levels. Therefore the enviropig biotechnology has two beneficial attributes, it reduces feed cost and reduces the potential of water pollution. Furthermore, the technology is simple, if you know how to raise pigs, you know how to raise EnviropigsThe BBC's Jeremy Cooke has had rare access to some genetically modified Enviropigs in Canada

In a small complex of nondescript barns set in the flat, snow-covered fields of Ontario is a scientific project which, some argue, represents the new frontier of a technology that could benefit millions of people around the world.

For others what is happening here is weird, dangerous science.

The pigs they are breeding could be among the first genetically modified farm animal to be approved for human consumption.

“Start Quote

"I am very worried and I think people around the world should be worried about what's happening in North America”

End Quote Lucy Sharratt Anti-GM campaigner

The huge controversy over the introduction of genetically modified crops is well documented, but this seems to take that debate a step further, and into even more troubled waters.

The project here is called Enviropig. The animals inside the clean, warm barns look like normal pigs and behave like normal pigs, but they are living, breathing wonders of modern science.

Each one contains genes from mice and E.coli bacteria, which have been inserted into their DNA with absolute precision.

Those genes make a small but important difference to the way these pigs process their food.

Ordinarily, pigs cannot easily digest chemicals called phosphates. That means that the stuff that comes out of the back end can be toxic and damaging to the environment. The phosphates are easily washed into waterways, where they can produce a hugely fertile environment for plants. But the plants grow so rapidly that they choke the stream or river and cause huge damage to the ecosystem.

THE ENVIROPIG

Between 50% and 75% of the phosphorus present in cereal grains including corn, soybeans, barley and wheat is present in an indigestible compound called phytate that passes through the pig's digestive tract. The Enviropig is a genetically enhanced line of Yorkshire pigs with the capability of digesting plant phosphorus more efficiently than conventional Yorkshire pigs.

• Source: University of Guelph

The genetic modification enables these pigs to digest phosphates, which means they are less polluting and cheaper to feed.

Controversial

Professor Rich Moccia of the University of Guelph is proud of what has been achieved.

"It's the forefront of discovery in the scientific community. It's one of only two animals right now using this kind of technology. It really is mind-boggling when you think of it."

But it is controversial. To those who have campaigned so long and hard against the introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops, the notion of genetically engineered animals, such as Enviropig and fast-growing GM salmon, is a new front in a long war.

In Toronto, the Big Carrot supermarket is among the few GM-free outposts in North America. They have been fighting for years to hold back the tidal wave of genetically modified produce.

For anti-GM campaigner Lucy Sharratt, the very notion of transgenic animals is a nightmare.

Click to play

Click to play

Lucy Sharratt, of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, discusses her concerns

"This is an absolutely critical time when North America is at the very centre of the global conflict over genetically engineered animals - to break open a whole new area of application of this technology, which we had never imagined would be possible.

"I am very worried and I think people around the world should be worried about what's happening in North America," she says.

Clearly the debate remains deeply polarised. But there are also some indications that the debate may be slowly shifting.

Dr Mart Gross, of the University of Toronto, used to oppose the idea of GM crops and animals. Now he has changed his mind. Feeding the human population, he says, must come first, and GM animals and plants may help.

"We need to double food production," he says. "We currently have a global population of almost seven billion and we are looking at nine, 10 or 11 billion by 2050.

"Where is that food going to come from? We have to produce more from less."

The inventors of Enviropig know that it is by no means certain that government regulators will ever approve GM animals for human consumption.

But the massive challenge of feeding a rocketing global population, and doing it in a sustainable way, could shift the debate and ultimately dictate whether Enviropigs end up on our dinner plates.

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He also said a patient who had a biopsy on his prostate which was positive for cancer had to wait six months to be seen by a consultant.

Three senior NHS staff in London claim they have been suspended for whistle-blowing after raising concerns about the hospitals they work in.

Three senior NHS staff in London claim they have been suspended for whistle-blowing after raising concerns about the hospitals they work in, but have been given other reasons for keeping them off work.

As NHS staff they are entitled to protection under the Public Disclosure Act 1998 from dismissal or victimisation if they have concerns about misconduct and malpractice.

But the three health trusts concerned have denied suspending them for speaking out.

The trio became whistle-blowers because of fears about standards of care, they told BBC London's Inside Out programme.

Ramon Niekrash, a surgeon at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, south London, said he complained to his manager because he did not believe local health services were "adequate" or "safe".

"The concerns related to staffing levels" and the number of clinical nurse specialists for cancer, he said.

Continue reading the main story

Related stories

• NHS whistle-blowing action call
• NHS whistle-blowers 'need help'
• Suspended staff 'cost NHS £40m'

"I was escorted to the chief executive's room," he said

"They basically said that a number of concerns had been raised [about me] and that I was to be suspended."

Mr Niekrash subsequently won a legal battle to be reinstated but had to pay a £140,000 legal bill.

The South London NHS Trust said: "We believe that the process of events which happened to Mr Neikrash would not happen now.

"We are working with clinicians… to get better reporting and processes in place so that genuine concerns about patient safety are heard, considered properly and appropriate action taken to correct problems."

'Stunned and humiliated'

Radiologist Sharmila Chowdhury was the imaging services manager in charge of 60 staff when she was "marched off the premises" at Ealing Hospital in west London.

She claimed to have discovered what she believed were "anomalies" in her department's budget.

"My main role was to manage the budget, day in, day out. I was concerned because I wasn't sure I hadn't got it wrong.

"When I found anomalies I did raise the issues with the line manager and senior managers."

She said she was "stunned and humiliated" by her treatment.

Ealing Hospital NHS Trust said there was "an ongoing internal process" regarding her case and it would not comment further "at this stage".

'Clear my desk'

Henry Fernandez, a nurse with the Kent and Medway NHS Trust, received a £70,000 settlement before a tribunal was due to take place, after he made complaints about his department.

He said he was told "to go back to my office, clear my desk and get off the premises".

In Mr Fernandez's case the Trust did not accept he was penalised for whistle-blowing and said that "an out-of-court settlement was discussed with Henry Fernandez for unfair dismissal but no agreement was reached".

Several NHS staff told Inside Out they were suspended for highlighting concerns

"We do not consider the Public Disclosure Act to apply in this case as Henry Fernandez was not an NHS whistle-blower," it added.

Inside Out has spoken to other NHS staff who said they had been suspended for highlighting concerns at work.

They said they were still being paid by their employers but had not been allowed to return to work.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the programme discovered nearly 600 NHS staff in London were suspended in 2009/10.

A total of 56 of London's 71 hospitals responded to the FoI request asking how many staff were suspended last year.

There were 514 staff, plus 84 doctors and dentists who are being were paid to stay away from work.

The cost of their wages reached a figure of £3m.

However these figures cover suspensions for reasons which include illness, "gardening leave" between jobs and those who have been suspended but claim the action taken against them was for whistle-blowing.

You can see more on this story on Inside Out on BBC One in London at 1930 BST on Monday 25 October.

More on This Story

Related stories

• NHS whistle-blowing action call 18 MAY 2010, HEALTH
• NHS whistle-blowers 'need help' 10 MAY 2009, HEALTH
• Suspended staff 'cost NHS £40m' 06 NOVEMBER 2003, HEALTH

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• BBC One: Inside Out

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douse Victoria Beckham in lizard blood

PETA threaten to douse Victoria Beckham in lizard blood

• 
  Victoria Beckham. Photo: Getty Images

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Tuesday Oct 19 2010

PETA has reportedly threatened to douse Victoria Beckham in lizard blood as they are so incensed by her new handbag line.

The singer-turned-fashion-designer unveiled her new collection of carry cases at New York Fashion Week last month. The accessories are made from crocodile, lizard and calf leather, which has infuriated the animal rights organisation.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is renowned for staging protests about the use of animal hides in fashion, and has publicly criticised a number of celebrities, including UK Vogue editor Anna Wintour, for wearing fur. The organisation has apparently been writing to Victoria to express their upset at her line, and is now planning a daring stunt when she next visits the UK.

“PETA have been on Victoria's back for weeks, sending email after email, and even publicly Tweeting her, posting things like, 'Skins are never posh, Posh.’ But it's not as if Victoria is going to the Everglades and strangling the crocs with her bare hands,” a source told British newspaper The Daily Mirror.

“PETA know she is high profile and that whatever stunt they pull will garner mass publicity. One of the ideas being mooted is that Victoria gets covered in a bucket of animal blood - cow or lizard - at her next UK public appearance. Another rather sick suggestion was to pelt crocodile feet at her when she goes to an editors' lunch in London next month.”

The animal welfare group plan to use fake blood and feet to make their point.

Victoria is said to be taking the threats seriously, so has upped the amount of security which accompanies her.

“Everyone is entitled to personal opinion and choice, but as with all Victoria Beckham products, the handbags are made to the highest quality and design. These skins sit strictly within the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regulations, and are monitored at every step of production. The skins are farmed in America under very tight guidelines,” Victoria’s spokesperson said.

Cover MediaNo other country is with so many types of products from protected species such as Switzerland. The main reason for this is the watch industry. Each year it imported more than a million watch bands from species protected reptiles. Most of them are crocodiles, snakes and lizards are also used in the watch industry.

No mercy: the snakes are tortured to death. sf

Hardly known, with what cruel methods of snakes and lizards are hunted and killed. The "Observations" shows how the so-called Bindewaranen be the same after catching your legs tied tightly over his back. transported in plastic bags, they have to remain for days; until they finally reach the slaughterhouse. There they are killed in painful ways.

Importers show themselves ignorant

David Senn, professor of zoology at the University of Basel and reptiles originally researcher, has seen the "Rundschau" material: "I'm shocked. This is clearly animal cruelty. The consequence would be that no decent jeweler offering more such leather. "

Swatch responded

The watch group Swatch responded to the shocking images. The Far Eastern Group Division Procurement Services (FEPS) shall promptly investigate whether leather can be used from the Far East and possibly reviewing the sources of supply on site, announced Swatch. Such products from such dubious sources have in the company's product line have no place.

Ignorant demonstrates the President of the Swiss Watch Industry Association, Jean-Daniel Pasche. Compared with the "Rundschau" he explains, "Until now, the question of animal welfare in our institutions has not been discussed. So I can not comment. "

Snakes torturous death

Even in the fashion industry find bags, belts and shoes made of exotic leather, particularly from snake skin, big sales. Especially "in" is Python. In the last five years, 250,000 products from Python have been imported into Switzerland. The products come in large part from wild-caught animals Indonesian.

Pythons are killed with hammer blows to the head. As the "Rundschau" images show, many of the snakes after the beating continued for hours. The Pythons are filled with water so that your skin tightens and place the worker from the skins to a straight cut.

So the skin is stretched, the hitting - still alive - filled with water. sf

During the procedure of watering, individual animals move still strong. Professor Senn: "The still alive. One must assume that this is extremely painful for these animals. "