Canadian Government Releases Proposed Amendments to Livestock Transport Regulations That Do Not Address Major Causes of Animal Suffering and Death, Mercy For Animals Cries Foul
TORONTO, Dec. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Mercy For Animals is renewing its call for the Canadian government to protect animals from needless suffering and death during transport following the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's recent publication of proposed amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations: Part XII, which deals with the humane transport of animals. For years, Mercy For Animals has called for Canada's livestock transport regulations—widely regarded as the worst in the Western world—to be modernized in order to alleviate the suffering and prevent the deaths of millions of animals during transport.
Due in large part to Canada's outdated livestock transport regulations, every year millions of farmed animals arrive at slaughterhouses dead or so sick or injured they are declared unfit for human consumption. Investigations by Mercy For Animals, including a shocking hidden-camera exposé of Alberta's Western Hog Exchange, have repeatedly documented the horrific conditions farmed animals are subjected to during transport in Canada. In fact, Canada's largest poultry producer, Maple Lodge Farms, was convicted of causing undue suffering to thousands of chickens during transport and slaughter and is currently on probation.
Under the proposed amendments, livestock haulers will be permitted to transport animals through all weather extremes without food, water, or rest for up to 36 hours, and loopholes have been added to allow for animals to be transported for even longer times with no penalties to transporters.
The following statement is attributed to Krista Hiddema, vice president for Mercy For Animals in Canada:
Canadians are sick and tired of lagging behind the rest of the Western world when it comes to farmed animal welfare. Our outdated transport regulations cause horrific suffering to animals and are a national outrage. Even more outrageous is that the newly proposed updates to the livestock transportation standards still allow for animals to be trucked for thousands of kilometers, through all weather extremes, for 36 hours or more without food, water, or rest.
As revealed by a 2015 poll conducted by NRG Research Group, the overwhelming majority of Canadians agree that at a minimum, animals should not be transported for longer than eight hours without food, water, and rest; animals should be protected from weather extremes; and companies that violate these basic standards should be severely penalized.
While we applaud the CFIA for finally starting the process of revising our country's woefully outdated livestock transport regulations, we are deeply discouraged by CFIA's failure to adequately address many of the most critical issues facing animals during transport.
No animal deserves to be crushed to death in a crowded transport truck or to die from dehydration or exposure to blistering heat or freezing temperatures. We take so much from these animals and the least we owe them is basic humane treatment. The new administration should act quickly to put an end to the suffering of millions of animals. The time for action is now.
Mercy For Animals is calling on Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and the Canadian government to dramatically improve not only the animal transportation regulations but also the enforcement of these regulations.
For more information: http://mercyforanimals.com/canadiantransportrequirements/
To view undercover video of the horrific cruelty endured by animals during transport, visit Transport.MercyForAnimals.org and MapleLodgeHarms.ca.
SOURCE Mercy For Animals
Krista Hiddema: 416-666-3093
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