Most Canadians say politicians' stance on farm animal welfare would affecttheir vote, says new poll

VANCOUVER, Dec. 28 /CNW/ - According to a recent Harris/Decima poll commissioned by the VHS, and funded by the Vancouver Foundation, 71% of Canadians said they are concerned about the humane treatment of farm animals and two-thirds (65%) said a political candidate's stance on farm animal welfare practices would factor into their voting decision.

The poll zeroed in on attitudes about eggs and laying hens. After learning about the differences between eggs from hens confined in battery cages and those from cage-free farms, three in five Canadians (57%) indicated they oppose the use of (battery) cages, and 68% would support a legislated ban on cages for their province, up 5% since 2009's poll.

Battery cages are used in the production of 97% of Canada's eggs. Science has proven that hens suffer in cages. With five to seven hens per cage, they deny hens the ability to engage in any of their natural behaviours, such as nesting, wing‐flapping or dust bathing. Despite the cruelty of cages, the poll shows that half (51%) of Canadians buy white eggs from caged hens.

"Most people don't realize regular white eggs come from factory farms," said Leanne McConnachie, Director of Farm Animal Programs for the VHS. "In fact, one-third (32%) of respondents wrongly believed that 5-24% of eggs in Canada come from cage-free hens when only 3% are cage-free. Fortunately in BC, where we have focused our ChickenOUT! campaign, 15% of provincial egg production will soon be cage-free. We'd like other provinces to follow suit."

Nearly three quarters of Canadians (72%) stated they would be willing to pay more for farm animal products that were certified to humane standards of care by a third party organization. British Columbians (80%) are more likely than Ontarians (70%) and those in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (64%) to be willing to pay more, and three-quarters of Canadians (78%) support a requirement to label cartons as "eggs from caged hens" if the hens are raised in battery cages.

For more information, visit www.chickenout.ca and www.raisingthebarn.ca

*About the survey:
A total of 1,009 Canadians were surveyed from November 18^th through November 21^st 2010 using teleVox, Harris/Decima's telephone omnibus. Results for the full sample are considered accurate +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

For further information:

Media Contact:
Leanne McConnachie - Director, VHS: [email protected], ph. 604‐340‐3979