Livestock organizations are applauding a government crackdown on transporters who mistreat or improperly ship animals.
Violators may be fined up to $10,000, more than double the previous maximum penalty of $4,000 under the Health of Animals Act.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency may also look at the past five years of an offender’s past history instead of three.
As well, the agency can impose a fine of up to $15,000 if an offender commits a second serious violation within five years.
The new rules went into effect as soon as they were announced Oct. 28, which National Farm Animal Care Council manager Jackie Wepruk said means the government considers animal welfare an important issue.
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“There needs to be a means for the majority who do things right to distinguish themselves from that small minority that unfortunately can bring everyone else down,” she said.
The council has been working with commodity groups on animal care codes that outline requirements and recommended best practices.
Six new codes of practices are expected to be updated by the beginning of the year.
Wepruk said the transport code of practice, which was released in 2001, will be updated later.
Dave Solverson, chair of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s animal care committee, said stiffer penalties are a good way to deal with violators.
“We think it is a better option to penalize the operators rather than have sweeping changes to regulations that would be onerous to all of us,” he said.
A soon-to-be-released updated beef code of practice recommends higher standards of care and handling from the farm through to shipping.
Dairy Farmers of Canada renewed its code of practice last year and supports more education for transporters through the certified livestock haulers course that was developed in Alberta.
Spokesperson Elizabeth Cork said it also favours heftier fines to deliver the message about acceptable animal treatment and transportation.
“In our code we require that animals should not be transported if they are in bad shape,” she said.
Lactating cows should remain on the farm and those that cannot stand need to be euthanized on the farm rather than sent to market.
The dairy industry has been criticized in the past for shipping culled dairy cows over long distances. Poultry producers also support tougher enforcement of transporters.
The industry is funding a transportation study from the University of Saskatchewan that will examine distance and the effects of cold weather on birds in transit, said broiler producer Erna Ferrence.
“Anytime we can tackle a welfare issue that will back up what we say we do, is a good thing,” she said from her farm at Black Diamond, Alta.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals also supports the increase in fines and claimed the change was related to a 40 page report called Curb the Cruelty that highlighted concerns with the CFIA’s enforcement of animal transport regulations and perceived violations of animal transportation regulations.
The organization blamed transport violations on a lack of trained animal welfare inspectors who do not check transporters. As well, transporters, auctions and processing plants are often not inspected enough, it said
The report also said inspectors often overlook compromised animals that are sick, cannot get up or have died on the trucks.
It said there were not enough trained drivers and many continue to haul animals beyond the regulated number of hours in transit, overload animals, rely too heavily on prods to move animals and carry animals and birds on trucks that are too hot or cold.
Curb the cruelty; report:
Canada’s farm animal transport system is in need of repair, says the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Based on a review of CFIA inspection reports, it concluded:
•Unacceptable numbers of animals, particularly chickens, die during transport, most often when transported long distances in cold weather
•Animals are transported in overcrowded conditions
•Severely injured, crippled and sick animals are transported in contravention of the Health of Animals Regulations
•Severely compromised animals are transported and left to suffer for prolonged periods in contravention of the Health of Animals Regulations
•A shortage of specially trained animal welfare inspectors, particularly veterinarians, puts animal health and welfare at risk. CFIA inspectors are not authorized to euthanize animals for humane reasons
•CFIA’s reporting and enforcement are often weak and inconsistent
•Animals suffer as a result of poor driver training
Source: World Society for the Protection of Animals [
