ADELAIDE, Australia: An Australian pizzeria that hung a taxidermied dairy cow from its ceiling to call attention to the industrialization of the farming industry has been criticized on social media for cruelty.
Owners Federico and Melissa Pisanelli, who are passionate about animal welfare, defended their decision to hang the large Friesian-Hereford cow from its hind legs, saying they wanted to remind patrons of how meat was sourced.
“We have worked hard to educate on the origins of the food we are serving,” Melissa Pisanelli told AFP at the Etica restaurant in the southern city of Adelaide, which has meat and dairy on its menu.
“It’s talking about how the industry has become industrialized, and how it’s moving in a way that doesn’t keep up with consumers’ perceptions.”
Federico Pisanelli said they also wanted the confrontational installation, which is right above dining tables, to challenge the “idyllic view of happy cows and green pastures.”
“It is confronting to look at a cow like that because it contradicts our usual representations of a dairy cow.”
The installation has sparked debate on the restaurant’s Facebook page, with one user accusing the owners of promoting “cruelty, ignorance and dissonance.”
“If yours was a vegan restaurant, this would make a little sense.... Since yours aren’t, you are subjecting the cow as a pure decoration piece,” another person wrote.
But not all commentators were critical.
“Very few restaurants are willing to start a conversation about where their food comes from,” one user wrote.
“We have to stop seeing meat as something that comes from the supermarket and understand the pain and suffering animals sometimes go through,” another person wrote.
The Pisanellis said they had encountered a lot of “misinformed views” on social media about the installation, but also received many supportive e-mails.
Hanging cow at Australia restaurant sparks controversy
Hanging cow at Australia restaurant sparks controversy
94 million need cataract surgery, but access lacking: WHO
- Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision
GENEVA: More than 94 million people suffer from cataracts, but half of them do not have access to the surgery needed to fix it, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Cataracts — the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness — are on the rise as populations get older, with age being the main risk factor.
“Cataract surgery — a simple, 15-minute procedure — is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight,” the WHO said.
It is one of the most frequently performed surgeries undertaken in high-income countries.
However, “half of the world’s population in need of cataract surgery don’t have access to it,” said Stuart Keel, the UN health agency’s technical lead for eye care.
The situation is worst in the WHO’s Africa region, where three in four people needing cataract surgery remain untreated.
In Kenya, at the current rate, 77 percent of people needing cataract surgery are likely to die with their cataract blindness or vision impairment, said Keel.
Across all regions, women consistently experience lower access to care than men.
Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision.
- 2030 vision -
The WHO said that over the past two decades, global cataract surgery coverage had increased by 15 percent.
In 2021, WHO member states set a target of a 30-percent increase by 2030.
However, current modelling predicts that cataract surgery coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percent this decade.
To close the gap, the WHO urged countries to integrate eye examinations into primary health care and invest in the required surgical equipment.
States should also expand the eye-care workforce, training surgeons in a standardised manner and then distributing them throughout the country, notably outside major cities.
The WHO was on Wednesday launching new guidance for countries on how to provide quality cataract surgery services.
It will also issue guidance to help support workforce development.
Keel said the main issue was capacity and financing.
“We do need money invested to get rid of this backlog, which is nearly 100 million people,” he told a press conference.
While age is the primary risk factor for cataracts, others include prolonged UV-B light exposure, tobacco use, prolonged corticosteroid use and diabetes.
Keel urged people to keep up regular eye checks as they get older, with most problems able to be either prevented or diagnosed and treated.
The cost of the new lens that goes inside the eye can be under $100.
However, out-of-pocket costs can be higher when not covered by health insurance.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, head of the WHO’s noncommunicable diseases and mental health department.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
