Category: Random

I heard today that France has passed a bill that there are to be cameras in all their slaughterhouses.

Which got me remembering all the other things that France has done. So I have made a list (as I do).

1. They have introduced incentives to embed sustainability into French urban planning.
2. They are encouraging alternatives to conventional means of transportation such as self-service bike rental stations and car-sharing. They are also encouraging the use and maintenance of hybrid and electric vehicles as well as the necessary infrastructure to power them.
3. France became the 1st country to totally ban Neonicotinoids – the bee-killing component in pesticides.  This measure goes above and beyond the E.U. ban put in place in 2013. The German company Bayer is not happy and, in fact, has a lawsuit pending against the E.U. Learn more It’s almost like France has put up its middle finger to Bayer.
4. France is the first country to ban plastic cups and plates and utensils. French law will require all disposable tableware to be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials. read more.  And on the subject of plastic, they have also banned the common plastic bag (that’s the smaller and thinner type used in supermarkets). They will still have plastic bags, but they must be reusable ones which should cut down the numbers.
   You know those little plastic bags you put the veggies/fruit in? They’ve been phased out as of the start of this year (2017).
   The law also currently plans to have domestically compostable bags which should replace plastic fruit and vegetable bags too. Did you know: An average plastic bag takes one second to make, is used for roughly 20 minutes and takes up to 400 years to degrade naturally.
5. Food – The have become the world’s first country to ban supermarket waste and compel large retailers to donate unsold food. Let’s face it – there are heaps of places that will take donated food, not just the homeless shelters – what about schools, orphanages, old folk homes.
6. All the new buildings in commercial zones must now comply and have green roofs – that is to say, the rooftops must be partially covered in plants or solar panels by law.
7. And now – the cameras in slaughterhouses. Although France’s history of animal welfare is lacking compared to other countries, at least this is a real start. It did come about by the release of hidden video footage as well as a fair amount of protesting. Read more
   To top this off a coalition of 26 French animal protection associations have combined to make sure that animal welfare is on the political agenda for the next presidential and legislative elections.

Our animals and our planet need us to get behind countries that are actually doing something. Yes, we need the “something” to be way more than what’s being done, and way faster, but, being the realist I am, I’m grateful for small wins.

Speaking about the environment. The EU, those pesky bureaucrats in Brussels who care for the environment, are putting all countries under pressure to reduce the consumption of plastic bags. Wish the same could be said for here Down Under!!!