CALGARY — Those who move farm animals by sea and air get good grades but land transportation doesn’t fare as well.
Regulatory reviews held in 1992 by Agriculture Canada concluded there isn’t a good national system for land movement of animals, said an Alberta Agriculture official.
Enforcement and compliance of existing animal welfare regulations were not handled well in the past. Nor was it entirely the fault of the regulators, said Ray Fenton, head of the department’s health management branch and a member of the private group, Alberta Foundation for Animal Care (AFAC).
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“The will of the industry wasn’t particularly strong in that area, as it is today,” said Fenton at AFAC’s first annual meeting.
To improve transportation standards, a national code of practice is necessary because animals are moved across provincial borders. With fewer packing houses animals must travel farther to slaughter, said Fenton.
“Transportation is a growing problem in terms of animal movement and stress.”
During a meeting last September dealing with humane transportation, Alberta was asked through the animal care foundation to set up guidelines and recommendations for a national code.
Fenton said a national code must address the needs of the animals, industry and a concerned public. Also needed are:
- Incentives for good performance and penalties for poor performance when moving animals.
- A monitoring program for humane transport in Canada and a national code of practice for transportation of animals from the farm to final destination.
- The code must cover all species.
- Resolve the issue of downer animals, which are those too sick or crippled to move on or off trucks.
Alberta was selected for the project because it has a major livestock industry with strong commodity organizations concerned about humane handling of animals. The province also has a well-developed transportation system to serve as a model for other provinces, said Fenton.
The AFAC will look at the strengths and weaknesses of animal transport and then write recommendations. It will also insist that final proposals not be ignored and will suggest ways to implement national standards.
“We are going to be very firm that when we do come up with recommendations … that they won’t be a wasted effort,” said Fenton.
Pork producers first to try
In Alberta, for example, pork producers have taken a serious approach to humane handling of pigs.
Ed Schultz, of the Alberta Pork Producers Development Corp. explained the value of a producers’ indemnity fund. This insurance program is a non-profit co-operative formed by the corporation. In 14 years of operation it has helped lower death losses and saved producers money. Producers pay premiums to cover losses. The lower a producer’s death losses, the smaller his premiums. Buying the premiums is voluntary but Schultz said 97.5 percent of the hogs sold in the province are covered.
The pork development corporation also works with truckers and producers to teach them how to move pigs properly.
Downers are treated seriously. If the problem happened at the farm, the farmer is held responsible. If a healthy pig is loaded on a truck and arrives hurt, then the trucker or assembly yard is held responsible, he said.
In Australia truckers must take an animal welfare handling course before being allowed to transport animals, said Susan Kitchen, AFAC manager.
