Category: News

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Stop the EU-Mercosur agreement!

Text on image: “Stop destroying our planet. Stop EU-Mercosur, more than 395 organizations say”

For years, the EU and several South American countries negotiated the EU-Mercosur agreement without success. The EU is currently pushing for it to be signed again. There is strong resistance from agrarian change and environmental organizations as well as small farmers in Europe and South America. In a joint declaration, over 400 organizations worldwide are calling for the agreement to be stopped.

We as the alliance “Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie” have also signed the declaration. This deal would only reinforce neo-colonial continuities. This includes European imports of soy for animal feed for the German animal industry as well as the mass import of beef.

Those who benefit of the neoliberal agreement are the large international agribusiness corporations. The victims are not only small farms in Europe but also small farmers, indigenous peoples and quilombola communities in South America, who are constantly affected by land grabbing, displacement and physical violence.

There is also no doubt that the agreement would fuel the destruction of ecosystems for the monocultures and cattle ranches of agribusinesses. So, get rid of it!

Read the explanation and background:
https://europeantradejustice.org/eu-mercosur-nov2024

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Neocolonial effects of the German animal industry: violence against indigenous people in Brazil

Soy production for feeding the (German) livestock industry is responsible for land grabbing, displacement and deadly conflicts in South America. This is confirmed in detail in the report “Violence against the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil”, with a focus on indigenous groups in Brazil.

Among those affected are the Guajajara, Guarani-Kaiowá, Munduruku, Kaingang, Ava-Guarani, Kanela Memortumre indigenous groups. This means that in addition to the deforestation of the rainforest and the Cerrados, the existential threat to indigenous population groups in the Global South is also a direct neo-colonial impact of the livestock industry.

Just a few weeks ago, Deutsche Umwelthilfe published a similar study, accusing meat companies such as Tönnies, Westfleisch and Rothkötter of concealing their responsibility for the destruction and displacement through non-transparent trade chains.

Summary of the report (in German): https://cimi.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/kurzfassung-gewalt-indigenen-volker-brasilien-2023-cimi.pdf

The entire report (in English): https://cimi.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/report-violence-against-indigenous-peoples-brazil-2023-cimi.pdf

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Together against the German Meat Congress

Call for protests from November 25 to 26 in Mainz

At the German Meat Congress 2024 in Mainz at the end of November, the German meat industry will come together to talk about its “existential challenges” and otherwise pat each other on the back.

Of course, the Tönnies Group is not to be missed and sends Maximilian Tönnies to the podium to talk about everything but the meat company’s exploitation regime. Dialogue with the public is not desired, and with a regular admission price of €1,650, the corporate elites are likely to keep to themselves.

However, an alliance of climate justice, environmental and animal rights groups will ensure that the event does not run as smoothly as planned. Protest actions have already been announced in front of the Rheingoldhalle and in Mainz city center. The protests will kick off with a panel discussion on November 25 about the future of the meat industry.

Current information, dates of protest actions and more can be found at the Kolibri-Kollektiv:
https://kolibri-kollektiv.net/fleischkongress

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Get together in Leipzig on November 22

Are you campaigning against the animal industry or want to become active? Perhaps you would like to find out what the animal industry has to do with your activism? Or just want to network with other activists from the region?

At our get together, we would like to give you the opportunity to do so and provide insight into our intersectional activism and our current actions against the meat giant Tönnies.

On Friday, November 22nd, we invite you to the West of Leipzig at 7 pm. We look forward to meeting you, whether you are already active against the animal industry, want to become active or just want to drop by! There will be vegan food and drinks.

When? Friday, 22.11. – 7 pm
Where? Exact location on request.

Please contact us at mail[at]gemeinsam-gegen-die-tierindustrie[dot]org. This will also help us to estimate how many people will come.

We look forward to seeing you!

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Blockade of future Tönnies site in Memmingen

The power of Tönnies must not be allowed to grow! That’s why on November 8 we blocked the access roads to a leather factory that Tönnies wants to take over from the Vion meat group for several hours.

The Tönnies system must finally end! Instead, the group wants to expand its market power by taking over several Vion sites: further slaughterhouses, but also cutting plants and the leather factory in Memmingen – Tönnies just can’t get enough.

Together with 20 activists, we held sit-in blockades in front of the gates of the leather factory and demonstrated loudly. Several people chained themselves together and the blockades were only broken up by the police after 5 hours.

We demand an agricultural system and textile production beyond animal production and capitalism without environmental pollution and exploitation of humans and animals!

Press reports:

Allgäuer Zeitung: https://www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de/arid-812290
TAG24: https://www.tag24.de/3332971
NTV: https://www.n-tv.de/25347290.html (DPA-Meldung, Ähnliche Berichte gibt es bei SZ, FAZ, Stern u.a.)

Background Information about the Take-over of Vion by Tönnies:
https://gemeinsam-gegen-die-tierindustrie.org/tonnies-ubernimmt-vion-standorte

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Feed imports: Tönnies & Co continue to be criticized

Huge quantities of soy are still being imported from South America for the German animal feed industry. A study by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the environmental organizations Mighty Earth and Client Earth once again shows how soy cultivation in Brazil is linked to the destruction of nature, human rights violations and large-scale deforestation. Profiteers include Tönnies, Westfleisch and poultry meat company Rothkötter.

Despite all voluntary commitments, the companies continue to profit from soy cultivation on destroyed areas of the Brazilian wet savannah (Cerrado). However, imports take place along non-transparent trade chains. The study accuses the agricultural trading company Bunge of ignoring the destruction of nature and human rights violations such as the displacement of the local rural population in order to sell the soy to the German animal feed industry.

Tönnies & Co. are therefore partly responsible for neo-colonial exploitation and are also suspected of undermining the German Supply Chain Act. Since the beginning of 2024, companies have been obliged to ensure that human and children’s rights as well as environmental protection requirements are observed in supply chains (including at suppliers).

They, in turn, reject the accusations. In a Tagesspiegel article, Tönnies even accuses Deutsche Umwelthilfe of slander. Bunge and other wholesalers are merely “upstream suppliers for animals delivered to Tönnies”, so there is no need for action.

Further information (german):

Tagesspiegel article: https://archive.is/qZfqu

Study of Deutsche Umwelthilfe: https://www.duh.de/fileadmin/user_upload/download/Projektinformation/Naturschutz/Soja/Soy_Story_Deutsch_Release_2810_komprimiert_f%C3%BCr_web.pdf (PDF, 72 Seiten)

Backgrpund information on neocolonialism and feed imports: https://gemeinsam-gegen-die-tierindustrie.org/uber-neokolonialismus

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Together against Tönnies in Kellinghusen (near Hamburg) – Demonstration on June 15

Share-Pic mit Aufschrift Demo am Tönnies-Schlachthof Kellinghusen und wichtigen Daten zur Demo

At the Tönnies slaughterhouse in Kellinghusen, we are taking a stand against Germany’s largest slaughterhouse and leading meat processor: under the motto “Together against Tönnies”, we are showing that we must put an end to the boundless suffering of animals, the exploitation of workers in slaughterhouses, the destruction of the environment, neo-colonial structures and the huge profits that Tönnies makes from all this destruction.

In Kellinghusen (near Hamburg), Tönnies slaughters over 5,000 pigs a day in the Thomsen slaughterhouse – according to its own information, the slaughterhouse has an annual slaughter capacity of up to 1.7 million animals. Animals that are fattened to maximum slaughter weight in the shortest possible time in the fattening facilities of industrial animal husbandry are killed here. This is exactly where we want to be loud!

You can find all the important information on how to get to the demonstration on the demo subpage. Come around!

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Open meeting of the regional group Berlin-Brandenburg from Bündnis Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie

Get to know each other, information, exchange, action planning – join us if you want to get involved in the alliance against the animal industry!

We want a different kind of agriculture and a food transition for the climate, animals and justice. We do public relations work, organize demonstrations and actions of civil disobedience. Together we can achieve more – we look forward to seeing you!

When? 25.03. at 6 pm
Where? Thinkfarm (Oberlandstr. 26-35)

Why Tönnies now? Tönnies, Germany’s largest meat company, is an example of a system that exploits people, animals and the environment. We are taking a stand against this injustice and invite everyone to take action with us. Together against Tönnies!

Corona outbreaks, exploitation of workers, animal welfare scandals… these are just some of the buzzwords that are used when talking about Germany’s largest meat company: Tönnies Holding, based in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in North Rhine-Westphalia. The company and above all Managing Director Clemens Tönnies, who owns 45% of the company, are raking in huge profits while people, the environment and animals suffer as a result. We say: this must stop!

Tönnies must pay – compensation instead of profits
Socialization of the Tönnies Group – democratization instead of capitalism
Stop importing animal feed – climate justice instead of capitalism

More information about Tönnies and our demands: https://gemeinsam-gegen-die-tierindustrie.org/en/together-against-toennies/

Out last action: https://gemeinsam-gegen-die-tierindustrie.org/en/elementor-11128/

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Kick-off campaign against Tönnies and Germany’s largest slaughterhouse

Another group climbed onto the roof of the huge cold store and attached a large banner over the Tönnies logo, leaving the message “Together against Tönnies”.

In front of the company’s premises, supporters waved banners to express their solidarity with the actions.

Unfortunately, some people, including journalists present, were reported to the police. Several activists were arrested, but all were released by the next morning at the latest.

We see the action as a great success. All local media as well as WDR and tagesschau.de reported on the protests. We would like to thank all the supporters who made this possible.

With our protest we demand :

– Tönnies must pay – compensation instead of profits

– Socialization of the Tönnies Group – democratization instead of capitalism

– Stop importing animal feed – climate justice instead of neocolonialism

For an ecological and solidarity-based agricultural shift – right now!

These actions were just the beginning. From now on it’s Together against Tönnies. Join us!

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The camp program is ready!

Our program for the Action Camp is (almost) set! It starts on Friday, 23.9. at 12 o’clock and ends on 27.9. We are looking forward to numerous contributions and an exciting exchange. You can already look forward to these program points (date and times will follow):

  • How to do a small group action? (Zucker im Tank)
  • Ausprobieren von Kommunikationsstrategien und Know how beim Pressesprechen (Mika)
  • Food sovereignty (Wir haben es satt)
  • Semi-open panel with Aktion Agrar
  • Antirepression Workshop (AG Antirepression / GgdT)
  • Small group actions with and without material (Zucker im Tank)
  • Dealing with emotional stress (AG Awareness / GgdT)
  • Why only socialism can save the environment. (Offensiv – Marxistische Organisation)
  • Reading: “Glitter in the Coal Dust – On the Struggle for Climate Justice and Autonomy” (Zucker im Tank)
  • Cross-movement exchange on the agrarian turnaround (Wir haben es satt)
  • Action trainings (GgdT)
  • Workshop & Conversation Training: Dealing with protesting farmers  (AG Agriculture / GgdT)
  • Autonomous communication with the press (Mika)
  • How do we manage to stay political active? (Zucker im Tank)
  • Information event for resistance nomads Self-help group according to radical therapy concept  (Kreativismus)
  • Political work between activism and citizens’ initiative (WiWa_Bleibt)
  • Participation in the alliance Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie (AG Neue & Vernetzung / GgdT)
  • After the action days is before the Eurotier.

In addition, guided camp tours will take place on some days.

Furthermore, there will be the possibility to participate in various plenums inside and actions outside the camp. In addition, we have set up an open space tent, which can be filled spontaneously with program!

Samstag 24.9.