Animal transport targeted for improvement
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 - 9:21 am
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) participates in the Handle with Care coalition campaign to end the long distance transport of live animals.
WSPA will release a report later this week that looks at animal transport in Canada, based on inspection reports filed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) between Oct. 9, 2008, and Jan. 9, 2009.
KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT
1. Unacceptable numbers of animals, particularly chickens, die during transport.
* This most often happens when the birds are moved over long distances and in inclement weather.
* 2 to 3 million: The number of animals that arrive dead every year at Canadian slaughterhouses.2. Animals are transported in overcrowded conditions.
* Transporters pack between seven and 16 chickens into crates that are a half-metre square, and cows have arrived at processing plants with sores on their backs from brushing against the roof of the truck.
* 6% to 89%: The increase in number of animals covered with salmonella after being kept in crowded conditions for 40 minutes, according to a Texas Tech University study.3. Severely injured and sick animals are transported in contravention of federal regulations.
* Animals are arriving at slaughterhouses and auctions emaciated, weak, crippled and with severe injuries.
* 2: The number of sheep a farmer brought to be slaughtered at Princeton Meat Packers in Woodstock, Ont., that had injuries so severe, they should never have been transported.4. Severely compromised animals are transported and left to suffer for prolonged periods, sometimes days.
* The World Society for the Protection of Animals says many incidents may be in violation of federal or provincial animal cruelty laws.
* 58: The length of time, in hours, one crippled cow was left alive on top of a pile of dead animals in Lethbridge, Alta.5. A shortage of trained animal welfare inspectors, particularly veterinarians, puts animal health and welfare at risk.
* Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors are not authorized to euthanize animals or relieve their suffering for humane reasons, and few animal inspectors are veterinarians or trained to address animal welfare problems during transport.
* 329: The number of animal inspectors employed by the CFIA across Canada to supervise 772 facilities that slaughter 700 million animals annually. There are also 980 meat inspectors.6. CFIA’s reporting and enforcement are often weak and inconsistent.
* Animals are transported in clear violation of regulations (for example, goats transported in feed bags, rabbits transported in the trunk of a car, animals tied up and under covers without air holes) and inspectors respond by giving warnings or educational pamphlets.
* $221,800: The total amount of individual fines, ranging from $500 to $2,000, levied in 2006 across the country for violations of the health of animal regulations.7. Animals suffer as a result of poor driver training.
* Drivers appear to be unaware of regulations, including their right, indeed, their responsibility, to refuse to transport an injured animal. Some drivers didn’t even know how many animals they had aboard their truck.
* 20 hours: In one case, the number of hours a severely injured horse spent in transit.
(Source: Globe and Mail, Canadian standards for farm animal transport dangerously lax report says)
Links:
- Seaborne livestock carriage becomes highly specialized
- CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) Animal Welfare / Transportation of Animals web page contains fact sheets, brochures and links to regulatory resources.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency plays an important role in providing protection for animals used in food production. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s responsibility for farm animal welfare is science-based, seeks to reflect contemporary societal attitudes, and relates to two distinct areas of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mandate: transportation and slaughter.
