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Support the CFHS’ and the BC SPCA’s efforts to update the transport regulations! Click on the link below to send us your comments. The CFHS and the BC SPCA will gather supportive messages from coast to coast and send them to the CFIA on your behalf.
Progressive countries around the world have developed sophisticated transportation methods to protect the welfare of farm animals during transport. Practices are particularly progressive in Europe, where pressure from the public has resulted in the development of legislation requiring more humane treatment of farm animals.
In Canada change has been slow, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which oversees and enforces the transportation and slaughter of animals, has begun the process of revising its regulations to require Canada’s transportation of farm animals be more humane. The CFIA also wants to ensure practices in Canada better reflect the progressive values of Canadian citizens and progressive nations around the world.
About 50, 000 chickens die every week in Canada because of the methods used to transport them to slaughterhouses. The CFIA does not investigate the transporter unless over one per cent of its truckload of animals dies.
The CFIA and farm animal transportation
Farm animal welfare in general falls under provincial jurisdiction, but the responsibility of ensuring the humane transportation and slaughter of farm animals falls under the CFIA, whose regulations are determined by the Meat Inspection Act and the Health of Animals Act.
Regulations are mandatory but have not been revised since 1975. The industry has changed in many ways since then and new scientific research has given us a better understanding of what is required to ensure the humane treatment of animals during transport.
Because of these factors, the CFIA has begun the process of revising its current regulations to improve the welfare of animals during transport. They have requested that stakeholders and other interested parties submit their proposed changes for review by the CFIA to aid in the process of updating the regulations.
Legislation in Canada
Two acts govern the treatment of farm animals during transport. The Meat Inspection Act requires that food animals be handled in a way that avoids distress or pain to the animal and was updated in February 2006 to clarify that this applies to downers as well. The Health of Animals Act prohibits the transportation of ill or injured animals to prevent undue suffering. Provinces are responsible for the care of farm animals in general and federally the Criminal Code protects animals against cruelty.
Key Issues
CFHS, the BC SPCA, and the OSPCA have submitted their recommendations to the CFIA, focusing on seven major concerns with the transportation of animals. Their recommendations are based around these key issues:
1. Funding for the enforcement of transport regulations
No matter how progressive regulations are, they will be relatively ineffective if there is no way to enforce them. Because the CFIA oversees a broad range of health and animal issues, there is not always adequate funding for farm animal transport inspectors. CFHS and the BC SPCA recommend that more funding be provided – either from within CFIA or from the Ministry of Agriculture – so more inspectors are on the road and the regulations can be properly enforced.
2. Ventilation in transport trucks
Currently there is no ventilation in transport trucks, causing animals to severely suffer and die of heat exhaustion. In chicken transport trucks in the winter, chickens on the edge of the truck freeze to death while those in the middle die of heat exhaustion. The temperature can vary as much as 50 or 60 degrees. Although the CFIA may be able to encourage truckers to equip trucks with ventilation systems, the CFHS and the BC SPCA are working with the industry to encourage producers and transporters to take this step to improve the welfare of the animals they transport.
3. Travel times
The maximum time cattle and sheep can spend enclosed in a truck is currently 52 hours in Canada. For pigs, horses, rabbits and poultry, 36 hours is the maximum. These long days cause undue suffering and result in death for many animals. The CFIA is proposing that the new regulations reduce the hours to 36 for cattle and sheep and 28 for pigs, horses, rabbits and poultry. CFHS and the BC SPCA support these reductions in transport times and may recommend even shorter times.
According to a wealth of scientific research, animal exhibit indications of severe stress and dehydration which lead to illness, injuries, and/or death for animals who are transported for lengthy periods of stress. Based on the scientific information, CFHS, the OSPCA, and the BC SPCA recommend the following maximum transport times:
Injured, ill, and lactating female animals should be transported for less time.
4. Density of animals
There are currently no regulations dictating standards for loading density of animals. The CFIA is considering and CFHS and the BC SPCA are strongly recommending that some standards be developed and implemented for loading density.
5. Transportation of sick and injured animals
The CFHS and the BC SPCA would like to see specific regulations describing what animals are unfit for travel and ensuring that any unfit animals are not loaded, and that those that become ill or injured during the trip are humanely handled when they reach their destination.
6. Loading and unloading of animals
The unloading and loading of animals is a concern as animals are often treated roughly at this stage of transport, with little care afforded to those that are ill or injured. We are calling for a conditional prohibition of handling methods, such as the use of electric prods that cause pain, bruising, and bone breakages.
7. Trucker Training
At present transporters are not required by law to be trained. A trucker who repeatedly violates the regulations might receive a small monetary fine. The CFHS and the BC SPCA are recommending that training and certification in animal transport and care be required by law and that penalties, including the potential loss of a license, be established for those who repeatedly violate regulations. This is another issue where the BC SPCA is working with the industry to implement training. The Alberta Farm Animal Care Association has introduced a Quality Livestock Training program to train its truckers, and the BC SPCA has been working with them to give truckers in BC similar training.
These recommendations by the CFHS and the BC SPCA are based on scientific research and as a result we hope they will be implemented by the CFIA.
The CFHS and the BC SPCA are working to create awareness of transportation issues in Canada, and encourage humane societies, SPCAs, and caring individuals across Canada to help spread the word to encourage the government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to implement changes to legislation and regulations in Canada. You can do this by clicking here to send us your message of support! We will gather these messages and submit them to the government in a report.
