STUFFED!
A new drive to highlight the dangers of Britain's newest pork 'factory' has been launched in the run up to the Christmas season. Stuffed! exposes plans to build a giant pig breeding unit in the UK, with Derbyshire council currently considering the application.
Designed, it is claimed, with the latest in technology and animal welfare, the animals that enter these steel prisons will never see a green field, walk on grass or behave naturally: the pigs will literally be stuffed away for their lives, out of sight and mind.
The application by Midland Pig Producers is for a "breeding unit for 2,500 sows near the village of Foston".
However, when they have had their litters, there will be up to 25,000 pigs in the intensive unit which will be just 130 metres from a women's prison and natal unit.
It has already caused a local backlash with concerns about potential health hazards and fears that the plans herald a new and dark dawn of intensive agriculture that could wipe out the UK's small livestock farms.
pigbuisness.co.uk
9 to 5 no longer norm
As morale in the public sector dips, one quarter of workers (25.1%) employed by the state claim they have been forced to work longer hours since the recession. The finding comes from the latest poll of 1,001 UK public sector workers by international recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clark.
This issue is particularly prevalent amongst workers aged between 45 and 54, with nearly a third (30.2%) saying they have found their working hours extended since the downturn hit. The trend is most pronounced for housing sector workers, two fifths (40%) of whom have been working longer hours, closely followed by nearly a third of NHS employees (29.7%).
Workers in Northern Ireland have been putting in the most leg work in the UK, two fifths (40%) working longer hours since the recession. Londoners are not far behind with nearly a third (30.3%) of public sector workers in the capital committing more time to work.
These reports of longer working hours come as over three quarters (73.3%) of public sector workers claim morale in their organisation is average to poor.
Charity customers double
The number of charities banking with The Co-operative Bank has doubled since 2008. The bank's Charity and Social Enterprise team has seen significant growth since the height of the financial crisis in 2008. Customer numbers have increased from 2,481 to 4,818 and deposits from those customers have more than tripled from £225m to £745m.
Whilst many of its rivals have scaled back their support for voluntary organisations during this period, the bank has stepped up its commitment to the sector. As well as creating new dedicated teams based in Manchester and Scotland, it increased the size of its operation based in London.
The figures coincided with National Ethical Investment Week which runs from 16 to 23 October and is run by UKSIF (UK Sustainable investment and Finance Association). This year the bank is working alongside UKSIF to increase awareness and understanding of the ethical finance options available to the third sector.
co-operativebank.co.uk
Doubling sourcing
Sainsbury's has committed to double its sourcing of British food as part of the retailer's new Sustainability Plan. The targets set also include a commitment to ensuring all meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy products will be sourced from suppliers who adhere to independent higher welfare standards.
The Sainsbury's 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan sets out 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020, addressing four key areas:
* Operational Excellence - including reducing operational carbon emissions by 30 per cent absolute and 65 per cent relative, compared with 2005.
* Colleagues - including 20,000 Sainsbury's employees achieving 20 years of service at Sainsbury's.
* Communities - including creating 50,000 new jobs in the UK
* And the area that relates to UK agriculture most, Sustainable and Healthy Products
The plan can be downloaded from http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/files/pdf/sainsburys_20by20_plan.pdf
Lack of reporting
Ethical Consumer Magazine slammed leading clothing retailers Benetton, River Island and TK Maxx for their woefully inadequate ethical and environmental reporting policies.
In Ethical Consumer's latest buyers' guide to high street clothes shops nine companies including Benetton, River Island and TK Maxx were among those unable to demonstrate that they had any policies in place to protect either workers' rights or the environment.
In the buyers' guide the ethical and environmental record of over 30 leading high street clothes shops were surveyed.
The top three performing companies were New Look, Ann Harvey and Mango. The bottom three companies were ASDA George, Tesco and Sainsbury's TU.
The buyers' guide also surveyed the ethical and environmental record of over 20 independent clothing companies. The top three performing companies were Gossypium, Liv and Bishopston Trading.
Ethical Consumer found that even though some progress has been made in getting clothing companies to address issues such as workers' rights, change is still painfully slow. The result is that the fashion business is still amongst the least ethical sectors of British industry.
ethicalconsumer.org
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