VOICES: Andy Parkinson tells us why he, along with fellow award-winning photographers Neil Aldridge and Matt Maran, set out with their new book FOX: Neighbour Villain Icon to shed light on the truth about one of Britain’s best-known predators and dispel the myths that malign society’s attitudes towards these enigmatic animals.

NOT IF BUT WHEN: Animal farming threatens public health by spreading infectious diseases that can jump between species. But getting people to quit meat is just too hard, so let’s just try to slightly reduce this risk by intensifying animal farming, right? Wrong, writes Claire Hamlett.

STORIES: What makes someone go from a life of farming and commercial fishing to being a staunch vegan with a PETA membership? Phil Hatfield shares his story.

Matilda and her nine piglets have been saved from the slaughterhouse and are now a step closer to their forever home thanks to the work of animal rescuers, a grassroots pressure campaign and the huge outpouring of public support.

Nettverk For Dyrs Frihet (Network for Animal Freedom) has released the findings of its groundbreaking six-year investigation into dozens of Norweigian pig farms. With places selected at random, the report has sent shockwaves across the country as people are faced with the stark reality of standard pig farming.

The use on UK pig farms of a class of antibiotics - said to be “critically important” for human health by the World Health Organisation - has more than doubled, according to industry data obtained by the Guardian.

A new collaborative project led by scientists in the US and Canada has identified at least 887 viruses present in wildlife that carry a risk of spreading to humans. Of those listed in the ‘SpillOver’ watchlist, only 38 are known zoonotic diseases such as Covid-19, Ebola and rabies, and the list doesn’t even include influenza or any viruses associated with insect carriers and domesticated animals.

People who love eating animals frequently say things like ‘but bacon is delicious’ when confronted with evidence of the cruelty of intensive animal farming or of the intelligence of animals, to make them morally uncomfortable. A new study has found that they may engage in similar “motivated skepticism [sic]” to willfully ignore the pandemic risks of factory farming and meat consumption.

This is NOT a joke. Tyson Foods, giant of animal-based food production and the largest exporter of deceased cows’ flesh out of the US, is apparently letting chickens choose their welfare measures as part of a two-year study out of their so-called Broiler Welfare Research Farm, in collaboration with payrolled researchers at the University of Arkansas.

Be mindful of what you do with your disposable covid PPE - that’s things like masks and gloves - because like a lot of human rubbish they’re finding their way into the lives of animals with catastrophic consequences.

The end of lockdown may be in sight, but for many companion animals brought into homes over the last year seemingly on a whim by people hoping to alleviate their boredom or get free eggs, the picture isn’t so optimistic. From dangerously maladjusted dogs to chickens dumped in fields, remember that companion animals are for life, not just for lockdown.

In Part 2 of our 2020 round-up, Media and Education Coordinator Andrew Gough looks at the last six months of the year, arguably one of the most eventful for Surge with a distinct change of gears for the team. Don’t forget to read Part 1.