Aoioto in Ibaraki Prefecture will make the transition to cage-free by 2025

Aoioto Co., Ltd., which operates “French Cafe in the Forest Aoioto” and “Cutlet Cafe Aoioto” in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and the sweets brand “amaioto” which was launched in July of this year, has decided to aim for a cage-free by 2025. The initiative for animal welfare began with the launch of the sweets brand “amaioto” in July 2023, with the concept of “the ultimate treat, the ultimate bite.” In the search for eggs to use in “amaioto,” they visited Obata Livestock, also located in Ibaraki Prefecture. After tasting the eggs and witnessing Obata Livestock employees gently interacting with the laying hens, they decided to use eggs from this farm.…

First-Ever Prosecution for Livestock Abuse: Dairy Cows Abuse in Shimane

An employee was prosecuted on July 13th after a video of him kicking a dairy cow went viral in social media on June 10th 2023. The Animal Rights Center pressed two charges per the Animal Protection Law; one is against this employee based on the Article 44 Clause 2 and the other is based on the Article 48 Clause 2 against Ohdahara Farm. Though the charge against the farm has been dropped, the Animal Rights Center considers the persecution was fair. This is because many abuse cases against livestock were almost always dismissed no matter how horrendous the cases had been. For instance, 35 pigs were starved to death in…

Violence Against a Dairy Cow in Shimane: Who’s Drinking Her Milk?

In June 2023, a video of an assault on a dairy cow at the Ohdahara farm in Shimane Prefecture was spread on social media, and investigated by the prefectural police. While media reports only a rough description of the assaults, the video clearly shows that the cows were subjected to repeated and severe beatings. In the 2 minute 40 second video, which consists of both Video 1 and Video 2, one employee (referred to as Employee A) commits the following violence: Some people claim that it is impossible for farmers to assault cows because it affects the quality of the milk, and that farmers treat their cows with love and…

On the World Day for Farmed Animals: Appeal the current situation of animals from Shibuya, Iwate, and Shiga

On October 2, 2022, World Day for Farmed Animals, we partnered with the Animal Rights Center Iwate and Shiga to carry out simultaneous actions in three locations across the country. During the day, we held animal rights workshops in Shibuya, Shiga and online, followed by a demonstration in Shibuya, Shiga and Iwate at the same time. Approximately 50 animal rights activists from across Japan attended the workshop. After the lecture, participants asked many questions and their enthusiasm for their activities came through clearly.We’ realized, once again, that a lot of activists are doing their best to protect animals through trial and error. At the demonstration in Shibuya, we, with around…

2022 Awareness Survey regarding Livestock Animals

Since 2016, Animal Rights Center Japan has been conducting a survey once a year using a private company to see how well the actual rearing of livestock animals is recognized by consumers. We report the results of the survey conducted in 2022 (the number of valid responses was 1,214). The questions are the following 10 items: Do you know that many of the sows are trapped in a gestation crate, a narrow enclosure in which they can’t turn around? Do you know that many of the piglets are castrated and have their teeth and tails clipped without anesthesia? Do you know that many of the chickens for eggs are kept…

The Value of Animal Lives Livestock housing exempted from the Building Standards Act

If anyone believes the world is becoming a better place, think again.  In terms of animal welfare, it seems to be getting worse, as we just learned how our livestock industry and the government are treating animals. It’s clear animal cruelty and violence towards humans are two sides of the same coin. However, we haven’t realized these two are closely connected as treatment of animals continues to get worse.    The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is trying to pass a special provision to exempt livestock animal housing from the Building Standards Act, which sets standards for properties, structure, and facilities of buildings in order to promote public welfare…

2021 Awareness Survey regarding Livestock Animals

Since 2016, Animal Rights Center Japan has been conducting a survey once a year using a private company to see how well the actual rearing of livestock animals is recognized by consumers. We report the results of the survey conducted in 2021 (the number of valid replies was 1,207). The questions are the following 10 items: Do you know that many of the sows are trapped in a gestation crate, a narrow enclosure in which they can’t turn around? Do you know that many of the piglets are castrated and have their teeth and tails clipped without anesthesia? Do you know that many of the chickens for eggs are kept…

What are “efficient” sources of protein?

There was a sign like this at MaxValu supermarket: This probably makes many consumers feel like they should eat more chicken and eggs. However, when speaking of taking in protein efficiently, it would make more sense to compare the amount of protein per unit calorie, rather than “per 100g”. This is because while it doesn’t really matter how many grams of food we eat per day, how many calories we should take in per day is roughly determined. For example, how about per 200kcal. According to Japan food standard composition table 2015 (1) as referred to in the above sign, the composition (protein, fat, cholesterol) per 200kcal is: Per 200kcal…

The livestock industry is also subject to animal cruelty; what’s wrong in the light of the sound common sense of the general public is a crime

Animal cruelty, in treatment of any animals that humans deal with in society, is something that must not exist, either legally or morally, and it must be eliminated in industrial animals as well. Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of the Environment This was clarified by a question from a member of the House of Representatives, Keinin Horikoshi (Gunma), at the Environment Committee of the House of Representatives on November 17, 2020. For many, this must be taken for granted. However, in the livestock industry, animal cruelty has become commonplace, and mistaken procedures have become commonplace, and the self-cleansing action to correct them has not worked, and the animals used for livestock have…

Secrets about Milk

We made a manga about secrets behind milk.  Please take a peek into what kind of environment milk is being produced. Illustrator: Vege Manga Natsumi   For people who want to learn more about the situations of various animals, we recommend 「世界を変えたくて自分を変えた」(“To change the world, I changed myself”) by Vege Manga Natsumi for ¥1,000.

The “Ethical Time” shop full of ethical products declares cage free & tie-stall free

Upon entering this store to shop, the items were all ethical products that support various social issues.  In Sapporo, Hokkaido is a dream shop for “greedy” consumers who want to care for animals, human rights, and the environment. Ethical Time, a select shop that sells miscellaneous goods, food, clothing, etc., incorporates various perspectives such as fair trade, animal welfare, vegan, organic, and eco.  This store, which opened in April last year, runs a wonderful shop within Sapporo Factory in Sapporo. This shop has made a cage-free declaration that promises to use only cage-free eggs, and a tie-stall free declaration that promises that cattle will not be raised continuously tied! Cage…

2020 Grant standards for “Comprehensive Subsidies for Developing Strong Agriculture & Leaders”: Just a small addition for animal welfare

There are various support systems for the livestock industry implemented by the country, and one of them is the Comprehensive Subsidies for Developing Strong Agriculture & Leaders. As previously reported in another article, from 2018, when using this grant to establish a local meat production center (slaughterhouse for pigs, cattle, etc.), “consideration for animal welfare” has become required, and it has become necessary to install drinking water at the slaughterhouse, which ARCJ had been asking for. The vague phrase “consideration for animal welfare” is not specific and limits executive power.  However, the addition of such item to the standards for the grant system is a step forward.  But animal welfare…

Effects of the Novel Coronavirus on World’s Animal Agriculture: Part 1

The world is panicking about the novel coronavirus, but what effects is it having on animal agriculture? In many places eateries have closed due to restrictions on going out, and food is being bought out at supermarkets.  A problem is, because agricultural products for eateries and for markets differ in forms like packaging, the system is not equipped to simply redirect what used to go to restaurants to supermarkets.  Not just eateries, but the situation is the same with cafeterias at schools and workplaces that are now closed. Milk: sold out at stores, but being dumped at dairy farms All agricultural products are affected, but the most perishable of livestock…

2020 Awareness survey regarding livestock animals – The awareness remains low

Since 2016, Animal Rights Center Japan has been conducting a survey once a year using a private company to find out how much awareness there is about the actual rearing conditions of livestock animals. We have now conducted a survey for 2020, so will report the results. The questions are the following 10 items. Do you know that many of the mother pigs are confined in gestation stalls, small enclosures in which they can’t turn around? Do you know that many of the piglets are castrated and have their teeth and tails clipped without anesthesia? Do you know that many of the chickens for eggs are kept in metal wire…

Supermarket Survey: Animal Welfare

The fraction of supermarkets carrying cage-free eggs increased to 51%. Animal welfare, spreading in Japan as well. Animal Rights Center Japan, with support from 77 volunteers in 24 prefectures nationwide from August 1 to September 31, 2019, surveyed 270 stores for animal welfare and plant-based protein availability.  In the “Green Consumer Nationwide Store Survey 2015” sponsored by the nonprofit Citizens Environmental Foundation and participated by multiple organizations including the Animal Rights Center in 2015, 22% of the supermarkets sold eggs that were labeled cage-free or free-range, and 16% of supermarkets sold milk labeled “free range” or “grazing”.  In 2019, the concept of animal welfare seems to have spread a lot,…

Stop Tie stalls for daily cow

Even with a thin rubber mat laid on the concrete, every time the cows lay down, get up, or toss and turn, their 700 kg weight strains their joints and bones, and their muscles only get weaker, unable to even exercise. The fur on the cows’ joints wear down, their skins get exposed, further causing bruises, their flesh gets exposed, and the tissues get destroyed. Please don’t buy milk from Tie stalls dairy farms. In supermarkets, you can almost never find ethical milk. Please replace cow milk with soy milk or almond milk. If you want to use cow milk, please order grazing cow milk. Consumer choices change the situations…

Cow’s life – what you can tell from Individual Identification numbers

What is Cattle’s Individual Identification Number? You may have seen “Cattle’s Individual Identification numbers” on packages when you buy Japanese beef at a supermarket. These Cattle’s Individual Identification numbers are attached to cow’s ears as well as displayed on the meat package at supermarkets. Since Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was first observed in 2001 in Japan, there has been a huge demand of traceability about where the cattle were born and transported. Thus, the Law for Special Measures Concerning the Management and Relay of Information for Individual Identification of Cattle came into effect in 2003. Consumers can obtain information of the trace by looking up the individual identification numbers displayed…

Problems of Dairy Cows in Tie Stall Barns

Is your milk coming from healthy cows? When you imagine dairy cows, you might think of free-range cows. However 70% of farms in Japan keep their cows tied with a short rope called “tie stalls.” See the images below: The cows are tied with ropes in the pictures above. A tool called stanchions is used in the pictures below. Both farms are located in Japan. The majority of farmers use these methods while there are other methods called free-stalls or free-barns where cows can move around. In Japan, only 3% of farmers are estimated to allow cows to graze in a field as of 2012. The picture below shows the…

牛乳を考え直そう
[Rethink Milk]

On June 13, 2019, the certified nonprofit organization Animal Rights Center Japan (Tokyo) launched the [Rethink-Milk.com] campaign, aiming to solve the issue of dairy cows getting their milk taken while being constricted by short chains or ropes for extended periods, unallowed to even walk. In this campaign, we will shed light to the existing situations of dairy cows in Japan, and the suffering and impacts on dairy cows brought about by tethering, and also raise public awareness by publishing questionnaire results from dairy manufacturers, and promote conversion to non-tethering rearing methods (free-range, free barn, free stall). Supermarkets are stocked with milk from animals suffering from tethering, and are not yet…

Tethering of Dairy Cows Remain Common in Japan while European Countries Move toward Ban

Did you know that the majority of dairy farms in Japan tie the cows pretty much permanently with tethers or chains such that they can’t move sideways or back and forth? As many as 73% of dairy farms in Japan use such tie-stalls as the primary rearing method. Dairy cows in tie-stalls in Japan (ARCJ) They can’t even move away from floors covered in feces.(ARCJ) If you were forced to live on feces, tied down like this every day, how would you feel? Japan has no regulations regarding tethering of dairy cows, unlike in Europe. Regulations and Status in Europe In Denmark, 85% of cows used to be tethered in…