Stop Inhumane Long Distance Transportation of Live Animals
July 31, 2014
To: The Honourable Gerry Ritz,
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Honourable Norm Letnick, Minister of Agriculture of British Columbia
Canada is a country I am proud to call home, and that is why I was absolutely
shocked to learn of the inadequacy of the regulations governing farm animal
transport. Please update these regulations so that:
• Animals are given sufficient
hydration and not transported for longer than eight hours
• Loading densities are specified so animals are not over-crowded and they have
space to lie down on adequate bedding and with weather protection
• Trucks are equipped with on-board watering and climate control
• No electric prods are used during loading and unloading and no rough handling
is permitted
• Drivers are properly trained in driving and animal handling, and travel times,
speeds and distances are properly recorded
• Dedicated lanes are available to prioritize animal transport vehicles at
borders
• Inspections of animal transport vehicles are increased, and regulations are
enforced by weigh station personnel, police, SPCA and CFIA officers —
particularly regulations prohibiting the transport of downer animals that are
too sick or injured to stand
We ask you, Minister Ritz, to prioritize this issue and update and improve
regulations and enforcement. The Canadian government has been promising for many
years to make these improvements; it’s time to make good on that promise.
With great appreciation on behalf of the animals,
Sincerely,
https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-inhumane-long-distance-transportation-of-live-animals
A comparison of regulations for the transport of farm animals in Canada, the US & the EU
March 16, 2017 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency revised its plan to impose stricter animal transport rules after being met by industry pressure – setting aside scientific evidence in favour of economic concerns, according to internal documents obtained by the Canadian Coalition of Farm Animals. In a document from July, 2015, staffers say one unidentified group “continues to voice strong opposition” to reduced transport times, citing “significant negative economic impact.” Another document outlines how an unidentified group warned that reduced transport times “would result in cessation” of an industry. Of the 951 groups consulted by the CFIA, only 12 were animal welfare groups. (Source: Globe and Mail)
February 20, 2019 New animal transport regulations panned by advocates The CFIA has published its long-awaited amendments to its animal transport regulations. While it’s the first time they’ve been updated since 1977, animal welfare advocates say they fall far short of what’s recommended by science and what’s in place in other jurisdictions.
Under
the new rules,
cows can be transported for 36 hours, down only slightly from 48 hours under the
previous rules. In the United States, the maximum cow transport time is 28
hours, and in the European Union it is only eight hours.
Pigs can now be transported for 28 hours, down from the previous 36 hour limit, but still well beyond the eight-hour maximum in the European Union and New Zealand.
Spent hens, who are deemed no longer productive for the egg industry and are incredibly vulnerable, went from a proposed maximum of 12 hours to up to 28 hours. Even compromised animals can be transported for up to 12 hours without food, water or rest.
Estimates by CFIA state that approximately 14 million animals suffer injuries during transportation annually in Canada and almost 1.6 million are reported dead on arrival each year. Approximately 800 million farm animals will be transported in Canada at some point this year. The new regulations come into effect in February 2020. (Sources: various media, inc. the CFIA)
Read more:
Canada’s current animal transportation regulations
Health
of Animals Regulations, Part XII
Read more:
Compromised Animals Policy
Canadian farm animal transport laws atrocious; Health of Animals Regulations; Compromised Animals Policy; comparing the US, Europe, & Canada's transport reg's; truck fire, 1000s of chickens perish, SK piglets die in truck crash; 2019 update Gov't bows to industry
Read more on our Factory Farming page