The scientific bureau of the Party for the Animals is named after the late Nicolaas G. Pierson, a Dutch entrepreneur who made a major financial donation to the Party for the Animals in 2006.
Aside from being the owner of two mosquito net factories in Thailand, Nicolaas Pierson was a confirmed believer in animal protection. Party leader Marianne Thieme met him in Bangkok in December 2005. Following this encounter, Nicolaas Pierson decided to donate several hundred thousand euros to the Party for the Animals. This sum was an extremely welcome addition to our budget for the parliamentary elections of 2006. To the great sorrow of many, Nicolas Pierson died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 53.
The aims of the Pierson Foundation are:
- to conduct scientific research on themes, which are relevant to the Party for the Animals;
- to make recommendations with respect to animal welfare issues.
The scientific bureau strives to make existing scientific knowledge with respect to animals, nature and the environment accessible to the public and politicians. This is why the Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation produced the documentary Meat the Truth in 2007. This film reveals the impact of livestock keeping on climate change. In An Inconvenienth Truth, Al Gore completely ignored this issue. In general, issues on climate change tend to focus on transport and traffic. However, United Nations statistics have demonstrated that transport and traffic ‘only’ contribute 13 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, while the livestock industry is responsible for 18 percent! For the production of Meat the Truth, the Pierson Foundation collected and analysed the relevant scientific information on this issue. Meat the Truth will first be shown in cinemas in the Netherlands and abroad and will later be released on DVD.
The film poster for Meat the Truth
The Pierson Foundation is an independent foundation, which is officially recognised by the Party for the Animals as the party’s scientific bureau. It is financed by governmental grants and donations. The Pierson Foundation has a board of trustees, which establishes the organisation’s line of policy, and a director who implements this policy together with several staff.
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