Etc.

New Zealand Bans Shechita
Ha'aretz reported today that New Zealand has become the fourth country in the world to ban shechita. The Israeli paper noted, "Under the newly instated Animal Welfare Commercial Slaughter Code, announced by Agriculture Minister David Carter, commercially killed animals would have to be stunned before slaughter, making kosher slaughter, or shechita, illegal, according to the Jewish Australian News service. According to the report, while the new regulations are to take immediate effect, kosher beef will be able to be imported into New Zealand." Kosher poultry will only be allowed to be imported into New Zealand if it has already been processed.

The European Union considered a ban on shechita last year.

Meat Prices Expected to Rise in Israel
Earlier this month, YNet reported that Israeli retailers predicted that the price of meat would increase substantially. Because Argentina was experiencing a shortage of meat among Argentinian consumers, it stopped exporting meat. Israel imports large quantities of kosher meat from Argentina, which led to a shortage of meat in Israel. YNet noted, "The retailers estimate that the prices will eventually rise by 15-20% in supermarkets and restaurants. The prices of meat in Israel are relatively high as it is."

Update on Lawsuit Against Hudson Valley Foie Gras
In December, I recommended an article that discussed The Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) lawsuit against Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG). (Click here to read my 2005 post about HVFG's Jewish connections.) Earlier this month, a federal court in New York ruled in favor of HSUS "in its federal lawsuit charging the nation's largest foie gras factory farm with numerous violations of the federal Clean Water Act," a HSUS press release said. The press release added:

"This facility has flouted federal pollution laws for years, and we are delighted to see justice done for the environment, animals and local residents who have all suffered at the hands of this factory farm," said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at The HSUS.

In its ruling, the court issued an injunction against further Clean Water Act violations by HVFG, ordered HVFG to hire an expert and take remedial action, provided that HVFG will be fined $25,000 per day per violation for further violations, and ordered HVFG to pay $50,000 for an environmental project in lieu of paying civil penalties. ...

[HVFG's foie gras production] not only results in extreme suffering for the birds, it also produces a significant amount of waste, including manure and slaughter waste. The case alleges that some of this waste has been discharged into the Middle Mongaup River.

Two Notable Punk Bands on Jewcy
There are two punk bands I've been meaning to write about recently, but I'm going to link to Jewcy's posts about them instead. I wanted to see Montonix, a punk band from Tel Aviv, when they played with Old Time Relijun in Brooklyn last month, but I couldn't make it. Jewcy noted a couple weeks ago that reports that Monotnix's singer had broken his leg "were greatly exaggerated."

Jewcy also introduced me to an Orthodox pop-punk band called The Groggers, whose songs include "Get" (about why it's time to get a get and get divorced) and "Mitzvah Night" (a song about a certain mitzvah that is performed on Shabbat). Says the band's MySpace page, "This music may not be suitable for mentches under bar-mitzvah. The concept is Jewish music with an edge. Plain and simple it's what would happen if more Jewish artists let loose and said what they were really thinking."

"Go Vegan!" Art Exhibit
Jonathan Horowitz's 2002 art exhibit "Go Vegan!" is making an appearance at a recently vacated meat locker in Manhattan until June 19. A press release noted:

With its signature combination of subjectivity, pathos and humor, Jonathan Horowitz’s “Go Vegan!” explores vegetarianism and sustainability while also hinting at parallel issues that emerge in a world gorging daily upon celebrity and commoditized pop culture. ...

When one examines the troubling contradictions – astonishing cruelty, environmental and health risks, economic imbalances - involved with the business behind and mass consumption of meat, vegetarianism takes on the urgency of much larger debates in which the survival of the human race is at stake.