WINNIPEG (Staff) – The livestock industry should take little comfort from poor data on the number of animals abused while in transit, a federal veterinarian told a seminar here last week.
Terry Whiting said the lack of data works in favor of organizations critical of the agricultural industry’s treatment of animals.
While it only takes one incident to make a headline, he said federal agencies don’t have the data collection network necessary to provide a balanced picture of animal transportation practices in Canada.
Whiting said he believes the overall number of incidents is small compared to the thousands of animals transported and delivered to sale daily.
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Agriculture Canada maintains three full-time inspectors monitoring livestock cargos travelling east of Manitoba. During the first nine months of this year, 375,000 animals passed by inspectors’ eyes and there were 62 incidents of unfit animals reported.
Inspection hit-and-miss
But inspection of animals in transit is hit-and-miss in Canada. Federal monitoring of movement within the province or westward is on an ad hoc basis.
“I would guess we see less than two percent of the loads,” he said. “In general, the movement of animals is unregulated.”
Police officers and provincial officials carry out inspections or investigations if they receive a complaint.
Agriculture Canada is holding meetings with animal industry groups across the country to see if that can be changed.
It wants industry support for a national policy on the humane transportation of animals, of which improved data collection would be a part.
Kevin Millar, an Agriculture Canada official based in Winnipeg, said the movement of animals was once predominantly restricted to rail and easily monitored.
But over the past 15 years, both the modes of transportation and the types of animals being moved have expanded dramatically. Trucks and airplanes are now the main carriers of stock in Canada.
In addition to hogs, sheep and cattle, Agriculture Canada officials now find themselves inspecting shipments of frogs, puppies, elk and horses.
And he warned there is more at stake than a bad public image within Canada.
Millar said humane transportation of animals is emerging as a non-tariff barrier to trade in many of Canada’s targeted markets. Producers in the European Union have convinced their politicians imports should not be allowed unless the exporting country meets the same standards.
But it’s a conundrum for the industry.
Agriculture Canada wants the national policy and any accompanying regulations to be cost-shared. If there isn’t a serious problem, some industry groups don’t want to pay for increased regulation just to assuage public perception.
Producers want input
“My concern is that we’re aren’t going to have something shoved down our throats here,” said James Bezan, general manager of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association.
Bezan said the animal rights movement hasn’t changed the eating habits of Canadians over the past 50 years.
“The percentage of vegetarians hasn’t changed, it’s still about three percent,” Bezan said. “Total meat consumption per capita continues to increase.”
