The comment period for the “Equine Code of Practice” has now ended. Thank you for helping to ensure animals’ well-being is considered in this consultation.
The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Equine Code of Practice serves as a guideline for the on-farm care and handling of horses raised in Canada, including horses used for rodeos, racing, and slaughter.
The code of practice is up for review for the first time since 2013 and NFACC is seeking public input on what issues to consider when reviewing and updating the code.
The current code allows for aversive handling practices that cause stress and fear to horses.
Note that the code does not include transport, such as the live export of horses for slaughter; it only includes on-farm practices and deciding if individual horses are fit for transport.
Your input needed to identify top welfare issues
Can you take a moment to fill out the short survey and share your top 3 concerns you think NFACC should consider? The deadline to complete the survey is May 16, 2024.
Scroll down to read a few of the top welfare issues you may want to consider.
Share your top 3 priorities in the survey.
Please use your own words (do not copy and paste the wording below) and be respectful and constructive.
Feedback that includes duplicate responses and/or profanity or derogatory language will not be considered by NFACC.
Photo: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
Top welfare priorities
Aversive handling & training
Prohibit aversive handling, training methods and tools that involve the use of fear, pain or stress to make horses perform an activity or behaviour.
Many modern training practices are still largely based on historical methods that rely heavily on punishment. While horses may appear “calm”, they are often experiencing learned helplessness. This condition occurs when the horse experiences a painful or negative situation repeatedly and is unable to escape or change the outcome. This results in a negative mental state for the horse.
Environment & enrichment
Improve requirements to ensure access to appropriate space, shelter, and dry, clean pen conditions.
This is important in preventing lameness and other health issues.
Improve requirements to ensure opportunities to forage, turnout/free pasture time, and socialize.
This is crucial for reducing stress and stereotypic behaviour.
Health & lameness
Require that pin firing (thermocautery) not be performed.
Pin firing is a painful procedure that involves burning or freezing the skin and tissue of the affected leg. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) opposes the practice as it “is ineffective and is inconsistent with evidence-based medicine”.
Experts suggest commercial poultry, especially factory-farmed and crowded in barns, is one culprit behind the rapid spread of avian flu. But one response by the Canadian government is to compensate farmers – paying the industry millions for bird slaughters – without requiring improved biosecurity against potential pathogens. Perhaps we should question this approach.
In this piece published in Canada’s National Observer, Eleanor Boyle discusses the avian flu outbreak and the steps needed to truly address it.
Boyle notes that more than 94% of cases where bird flu viruses mutated from low-pathogenic to high-pathogenic over the past 55 years have been in commercial poultry.
“Experts suggest commercial poultry, especially factory-farmed and crowded in barns, is one culprit behind the disease’s rapid spread. But one response by the Canadian government is to compensate farmers — paying the industry millions for bird slaughters — without requiring improved biosecurity against potential pathogens.”
British Columbia is being hit particularly hard by the outbreak. The density of poultry farms in B.C. makes the province a hub for avian flu in Canada, leading to a disproportionate number of bird culls on B.C. farms.
“Avian flu is yet more evidence for moving toward smaller-scale agriculture that’s also more plant-based,” Boyle says.
Over the past decade, near-annual investigations at farms and slaughterhouses have uncovered recurring welfare problems in British Columbia’s animal agriculture industry. Learn more about these investigations and call on the B.C. government to implement meaningful changes to protect farmed animals during its current review of the province’s farmed animal welfare framework.
Recurring animal welfare concerns point to systemic problems
Enforcement of farmed animal welfare regulations faces many challenges:
Thousands of farms house more than 100 million animals
There is no government-funded enforcement
Cruelty investigations are based on complaints, but farmed animals are increasingly hidden from public view
Footage obtained in undercover investigations is often deemed non-admissible in court
Charges in cases like these are rare. When charges are recommended or laid, the legal process can take years, resulting in the same companies appearing in multiple cruelty investigations and thousands of animals suffering before companies are held accountable.
Cruelty investigations from 2014 to 2024
Note: The timeline below includes photos from investigations that may be upsetting. For a timeline that does not include any photos, visit this post.
An exposé reveals farmed fishes raised in cramped and filthy tanks, repeatedly stabbed and cut open while alive for caviar, and inhumanely slaughtered.
Excelsior Hog Farm accused of cruelty following release of undercover footage showing cruel handling practices, injured and dead pigs and piglets, and filthy conditions.
Organic dairy farm Cedar Valley Farms accused of animal abuse after footage shows dairy cows being violently and repeatedly beaten, injured cows limping, and improper slaughter.
Video from an Abbotsford egg farm shows Elite Farm Services workers flinging chickens into crates by the legs, wings and closing doors on their limbs, necks.
No charges have been laid in connection with the incident to date.
Photo: BC Animal Ag Uncovered via Chilliwack Progress
Footage from Excelsior Hog Farm shows pigs suffering from growths and injuries, being hit and kicked, and having tails and testicles cut off without pain control.
A BC SPCA investigation was conducted, but no charges were laid.
Elite Farm Services is caught on camera brutally abusing chickens at multiple Fraser Valley farms while loading the animals into transport crates.
Six employees from Elitewere fired. BC SPCA recommended charges. In December 2021, Elite and Port Coquitlam slaughterhouse operator Sofina Foods each received a $300,000 fine and three years’ probation.
Undercover footage at Chilliwack Cattle Sales shows dairy cows being repeatedly kicked, punched and beaten. Cows are seen suffering from open wounds and infections.
Company president and a director both pled guilty to four counts of animal cruelty and the company was fined about $345,000. Several employees also pled guilty and received varying jail sentences ranging from 7-60 days, probation, fines, and prohibitions against caring for animals for 1-3 years.
Without stronger protections, animals will continue to suffer behind closed doors. Can you take the quick action to call for meaningful changes to protect animals and bring transparency to the farming system?
The Vancouver Humane Society’s Campaign Director, Emily Pickett, discusses her observations of farmed animal cruelty investigations in-depth in this episode of the VHS’s podcast, The Informed Animal Ally.
Learn more about the patterns in this past decade of investigations, what has changed, and how you can help.
One animal cruelty investigation tells a story. A decade of investigations reveals a pattern.
Important action: British Columbia is currently updating its Farmed Animal Welfare Framework. Can you support major changes to protect farmed animals in B.C.?
In this month’s episode of the Informed Animal Ally, Vancouver Humane Society Campaign Director Emily Pickett discusses what she has observed in her decade of working with the organization. What patterns have there been? What’s changed? And, armed with a growing body of information about animal well-being and newly released recommendations for B.C.’s Farmed Animal Welfare Framework, where do we go from here?
Note: This written discussion has been edited for length.
Featured Guest: Emily Pickett
Campaign Director
Emily joined the VHS team in 2014, after completing her degree in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan and a campaign internship with the Humane Society of the United States. She has worked in the non-profit sector ever since and her life-long love for animals has guided her work in the animal protection and conservation movements. As VHS’s Campaign Director, Emily manages the organization’s campaign strategy around issues including farmed animals; animals in captivity; animals in entertainment; and co-existence with wildlife.
Emily: Undercover footage taken by a worker at Chilliwack Cattle Sales showed dairy cows being subjected to horrific cruelty and abuse. The case and the subsequent trial came to dominate the media cycle.
While those in the industry argued that the case represented a “bad apple” and was the exception, not the rule in terms of how animals are treated in the animal agriculture industry, the unfortunate reality is that there have been near-annual undercover investigations that have taken place over the last decade.
Amy: What were the outcomes of those investigations?
Emily: Generally speaking, charges in these kinds of cases are quite rare.
The 2014 Chilliwack cattle sales case was a first in terms of a B.C. company itself being held accountable for farmed animal cruelty. The company’s president and a director pled guilty to animal cruelty, and the company was fined about $345,000. Several employees also pled guilty and they received varying jail sentences ranging somewhere from about seven to 60 days, and these were served intermittently.
They also received probation, fines, and there were also some prohibitions handed out against caring for animals for a certain amount of time.
Some went through an appeal process as well.
In the case of the 2017 Elite Farm Services investigation, six employees were fired as a result of that, and the chicken catching company itself was fined about $300,000 and put on three years probation. But in the time that it took for the company to be charged in 2021, Elite Farm Services was accused of cruelty again in two other investigations in 2018 and 2020.
So both the Chilliwack Cattle Sales and the Elite Farm Services cases took several years to result in charges and fines. And we’re still waiting on updates about some of the more recent investigations.
Chantelle: It’s so frustrating that animals are suffering while we wait for justice to be served. As you mentioned, charges in these kinds of cases are rare and the outcome can be just business as usual. And that’s just the cases that come to light.
Challenges enforcing cruelty laws
Chantelle: In general, it’s difficult to investigate and enforce animal cruelty cases. Could you talk about some of the challenges that are involved in investigating and enforcing cruelty laws in British Columbia?
No government-funded enforcement for thousands of farms operating in province
Emily: Yeah, there are a number of challenges starting with the fact that there are thousands of animal farms across British Columbia, which really makes oversight and enforcement just more difficult.
Another issue is that the B.C. government doesn’t fund enforcement of its own Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Enforcement of the act is primarily done by the BC SPCA, which relies on donations to conduct this really important work.
Investigations are complaints-based, but industry is hidden from public view
Emily: Investigations by authorities are based on a complaint-driven system rather than being proactively conducted.
This is of course, quite problematic when we consider that farmed animals are increasingly kept confined behind closed doors and ultimately hidden from public eye.
This is why undercover investigations have played such a significant role.
Many undercover investigations not admissible in court
Emily: The other factor to consider is that if footage is obtained illegally, it’s then not admissible in court.
And that’s something that we’ve seen in these investigations in some of these cases as well.
Individual workers blamed for company issues
Emily: In the rare event that charges are laid, we have seen that it’s often employees who are typically held accountable, while management and companies often can escape blame.
“Slap on the wrist” penalties not an effective deterrent
Emily: Another issue is ensuring that penalties are effective enough to deter animal cruelty in the first place and hold those who abuse animals accountable.
We can’t have fines that are just seen as a cost of doing business.
Patterns in cruelty cases
Chantelle: Could you talk about some of the commonalities and trends that we’re seeing in these cases?
Cruelty is endemic in animal agriculture industry
Emily: I think the fact that we see these investigations across all types of farms, from dairy farms to egg farms, chicken farms, pig farms, and even slaughterhouses, this tells us that that these problems are systemic within the animal agriculture sector.
It isn’t just a case of a couple of bad apples, as is sometimes suggested.
And while company management and owners often claim to have not known about cruelty issues taking place on farms, we often see that undercover investigators and whistleblowers have reported concerns to management and owners, but no action is taken to address these issues.
So I think there’s a lot more of an issue of a toxic culture and environment in many of these places.
Same companies are repeat offenders
Emily: Another trend that we’ve seen is that it’s often not the first time that a company has been accused of cruelty or neglect. For example, we see that prior to the 2014 Chilliwack Cattle Sales investigation, the company was in court after a number of cows were injured while being transported to slaughter in 2008 (link opens as PDF).
Meanwhile, the chicken catching company Elite Farm Services is accused of cruelty in several instances over a number of years.
The company involved in the Meadow Valley Meats slaughterhouse investigation was previously known as Pitt Meadows Meats, which pled guilty in 2015 to selling E. coli tainted meat and deciding not to recall that meat.
More recently, there’s also the Excelsior Hog Farm case where the farm was accused of cruelty in a 2019 investigation and then again in late 2023.
Animals treated as products, not beings
Emily: Without getting into detail about what’s captured in the footage of these undercover investigations, we ultimately see that these animals are being treated as cogs in a machine or parts in a factory rather than the living, feeling beings that they are.
Not only are they handled and treated in this way that we see in the footage, but they’re kept in this way throughout their entire lives. They’re warehoused in these industrial environments that prevent them from engaging in even some of the most basic behaviours.
When we see animals behave like animals at all, when they react or they resist, what we see in the footage is they’re not treated kindly in response.
Amy: There’s so much work that goes into getting this footage that the organizations and people that are gathering the footage are releasing what they have.
Every time there is an undercover recording operation that goes on, that footage is being released.
That footage is going out for recommendations for charges, at least by the people who took the footage. They’re asking the government to put forward charges. And I think what’s so striking about it is that we see a consistency that when people are recorded behind the scenes, they aren’t treating animals well.
And particularly it’s most common when it comes to handling animals. I saw this firsthand working on farms myself. These were really amazing farms with organic or free range. And still, when it came to the handling, I saw animals being hit and poked and prodded and verbally abused and demonized.
And that’s what comes out in all of this footage year after year.
Growing public awareness
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media
Amy: How has public awareness and perception of animal cruelty evolved over the past decade in British Columbia as a result of these pieces of footage being released to the media?
More people calling for change
Emily: I think the last decade of undercover investigations has really contributed to growing public concern around farmed animal welfare and around the lack of transparency just surrounding our food system in general.
In fact, around this time last year the National Farm Animal Animal Care Council released its updated Dairy Cattle Code of Practice. These codes of practice provide guidelines for the care of dairy cows on farms across Canada. The code’s public comment period reportedly received a record setting number of comments from more than 5,800 individuals, many of whom indicated they were participating as a concerned citizen or animal welfare advocate.
It was exciting to us to see such strong public involvement in a consultation about the specific day to day care and handling of dairy cows.
Growing awareness of animal sentience
Emily: More generally speaking, we are also seeing stronger awareness and support of concepts like One Welfare, which recognizes the interconnectedness of the well-being of animals, people, and the environment, and our collective understanding of animal sentience. This is the concept that animals have the capacity to experience feelings like happiness, joy, pain and suffering.
I think that’s also really expanded in the last decade as well. As we as a society have continued to learn more about the welfare and well-being of animals, we’ve seen public sentiment shift on many topics and the impact that that’s had on government regulations.
There was the example of significant restrictions announced by the B.C. government in 2022 around the use of some of the most dangerous and inhumane rodent poisons. We’re seeing government regulations evolve as well, slowly but surely.
As the B.C. government reviews its long outdated Farmed Animal Welfare Framework, now is really a crucial opportunity for the province to bring into alignment public values and the demand that the public has for the humane treatment of animals on farms as well.
Chantelle: It’s so promising that we’re seeing the public awareness growing around animal well being.
It’s not only awareness, we’re really seeing that people care deeply about animals. So often, when people know what’s going on with animals, there’s a strong drive to change it. But then, unfortunately, on the flip side, that means we have the industries who profit off of animal suffering trying to keep that suffering more and more hidden.
Ag-gag laws combatting public awareness
Chantelle: As you mentioned, we have more animals than ever that are being raised in these industrial farms behind closed doors. And in B.C., welfare requirements aren’t proactively enforced on a large scale.
There are trespassing laws that prevent activists and journalists from entering onto farms.
And then taking that a step further, there’s a rise in ag-gag legislation that punishes people who expose animal cruelty on farms. That’s making the industry even less transparent to the public by preventing undercover footage that shows how animals are being treated. So how are people going to know?
Recently, on April 2nd of this year, Animal Justice, Jessica Scott Reed, and Louise Jorgensen struck down significant parts of an ag-gag law in Ontario by showing how it violated charter protected freedom of expression.
I’m really excited about seeing where that goes in the future and how that can help with transparency across Canada.
Amy: Thanks for sharing about that, Chantelle. I worked a job in the past that brought me inside chicken barns inside pig slaughterhouses, chicken slaughterhouses, on dairy and beef farms; cows live in all different circumstances.
And it’s amazing to think that that’s a unique thing that I have seen more than most of the public. And yet people are consuming these animals and their products without really understanding what their experience is.
Chantelle: I think it’s very telling that in every fully vegan space that I’ve been in, there’s been at least one person there who’s previously worked in animal agriculture.
So seeing what happens behind closed doors is a real motivation not to be consuming animals.
What’s next?
Amy: I’m curious, Emily, with your experience working on farmed animal welfare, what would you like to see change in the way that farmed animal welfare regulations exist and are enforced?
Proactively enforced regulations based in science
Emily: Well, to start, regulations really need to be based on the best available animal welfare science, and they need to be proactively enforced with independent third party audits of farms and of slaughterhouses.
There should be consistent video monitoring in place in these facilities too, along with publicly available reports of all these audits and inspections in order to provide real transparency.
That’s something that the public just doesn’t have, and it’s really important that that be changed.
Make cruelty prevention a priority
Emily: Appropriate deterrents are also a must to prevent animal cruelty in the first place. This should include unannounced inspections and effective penalties for those who commit animal cruelty.
And I think for all of this to be effective, the government really needs to properly fund the oversight and enforcement of this work and to make it a top priority.
Meaningful action is long overdue
Emily: These are the kinds of requests that the VHS and many other animal protection organizations have been long advocating for. I remember seeing this when I first started with VHS after the very first investigation when I joined the organization that the Chilliwack Cattle Sales case in 2014, seeing calls for video surveillance in these facilities. It’s long overdue.
And the recently released advisory committee’s recommendations report, which is part of the farmed animal welfare framework review that’s currently underway, touches on some of these themes. So I know we and many others will be watching very closely to see how the minister responds to that recommendations report and many of these specific recommendations.
We’ll certainly be continuing to advocate for those much needed changes as well.
Public transparency is key
Amy: I think the piece around transparency is the one that I see as the most valuable because government has incentive to essentially maintain a food system for the public that is affordable and that contradicts with some of the values around making sure animals are treated well.
And so given this sort of juxtaposition, the most important part is that all of the government work is immediately transparent so that it doesn’t need to be requested or need someone spending hours pouring over documents to know exactly what information to ask for.
What we need to see as a result of all of the recommendations made by this advisory committee is that the information that comes out of it is intentionally made public.
I think the biggest impact, and essentially on what industry and government might call “eroding public trust”, is the reality of what the investigations and audits find. And so if that information is continuously made available, then we will see improvements in how animals are treated.
But if that information is kept as securely and as private as possible by the government, we’ll essentially not see any drastic changes.
How you can help
Amy: So given all of the recommendations you’ve made, Emily, and also my emphasis, how can listeners help prevent farmed animal cruelty and move towards the system that we’re suggesting?
Stay in touch with decision-makers
Emily: I think one of the most impactful things that people can do is to reach out to decision-makers about this kind of an issue and let them know that it’s a top concern for them as a consumer, as a resident, as a voter.
Write to your MLA, your Member of Parliament, to ministers. Ask to meet with them, ask them to support these much-needed changes to better protect farmed animals and thank them when they do, that’s a really important part as well. And continue to stay in touch and keep the issue on their radar and ultimately continuing to speak up for animals.
Amy: I think this is all really critical. And the more of a broken record you are, the more likely change is going to happen. That’s what we’ve seen with animal welfare, because there isn’t a lot of money behind the work that we’re doing compared to the amount of money that industry has to put into advertising, to put into building what they call “public trust”.
And so what we have is the squeaky wheel. We have the ability to just keep talking to the same people saying, Hey, this really matters. Hey, it still really matters.
And then we have the ability to make choices ourselves in the grocery store to show essentially politicians that we put our money where our mouth is and we buy products that don’t affect animals and cause animals to suffer.
And we do as much of that as we possibly can, wherever we are on our journey of changing our diet, that we’re prioritizing products that don’t harm animals.
Choose plant-based foods when you can
Chantelle: Yeah, absolutely. We say this in almost every episode, whether it’s farmed animals or fishes or wildlife, because it’s such an integral part to making really significant change. But one of the best things that you can do on an individual level is choosing plant-based foods whenever you can.
And if you’re not at that stage, advocating for plant-based foods to be available and accessible.
The greatest animal suffering comes from the demand. There’s so much demand for animal products. If you imagine someone whose job it is to send thousands of animals to their death every day, that would be an impossible task if you were seeing each animal as an individual. So it’s so critical that we’re decreasing the demand for industrial animal agriculture and moving toward more of a plant-based, less animal-based food system.
Next episode
Please join us next month as we discuss the last ten years of farmed animal investigations in B.C.
The comment period for the “Beef Cattle Code of Practice” has now ended. Thank you for helping to ensure animals’ well-being is considered in this consultation.
The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Beef Cattle Code of Practice serves as a guideline for the care and handling of cows raised in Canada’s beef industry.
The code of practice is up for review for the first time since 2013 and NFACC is seeking public input on what issues to consider when reviewing and updating the code.
The current code allows for many inhumane practices that compromise the welfare of cattle in the beef industry.
Your input needed to identify top welfare issues
Can you take a moment to fill out the short survey and share your top 3 concerns you think NFACC should consider? The deadline to complete the survey is May 3, 2024.
Scroll down to read a few of the top welfare issues you may want to consider.
Share your top 3 priorities in the survey.
Please use your own words (do not copy and paste the wording below) and be respectful and constructive.
Feedback that includes duplicate responses and/or profanity or derogatory language will not be considered by NFACC.
Top welfare priorities
Fear and stress
Chronic fear and stress throughout an animal’s life, as a result of harsh handling, on-farm procedures, separation of the cow and calf, etc., is a serious animal welfare and health concern. Stronger requirements around staff training and oversight (e.g. video monitoring, third party audits) are needed.
Painful procedures
Require pain medications for all painful procedures, regardless of the animal’s age.
Enrichment
Require enrichment opportunities that allow cattle to express natural behaviours, including foraging, exercise, social behaviour, and grooming.
Weaning
Require a more gradual, natural weaning process for cows and calves to reduce stress.
Barren environments
Feedlots often lack appropriate space, grazing access, and shelter. Poor feedlot conditions are a serious health and welfare concern and can lead to lameness and disease.
Nutrition
Abrupt changes from a pasture diet to an unnatural high grain-based diet can cause serious digestive and nutritional issues.
When the Dairy Cattle Code of Practice was updated, it received a record-setting 5,800+ comments! The strong public response during the public consultation prompted stronger restrictions around abusive handling, changes to housing models, and a ban on branding.
Now, cattle in the beef industry need your help too. Thank you for speaking up for farmed animals!
Bill C-355 passed its final vote in the House of Commons. Thank you for taking action for horses! Ask Senate to support the bill without further delay here.
Each month, gentle draft horses are packed into crowded crates and shipped on cargo planes from Canadian airports to be slaughtered for meat.
Horses can legally go up to 28 hours without food, water, or rest.
Flights have resulted in injuries and death.
Bill C-355, which aims to ban the export of horses for slaughter, recently passed the Agriculture Committee and will move to its final vote in the House of Commons before going to the Senate.
Take action to ban the live horse export industry
TIP: For added impact, edit the template message below to personalize your email to decision-makers. See the Learn More section for additional talking points.
Learn more
Horses are suffering in Canada’s cruel live horse export industry, and Canadians are demanding change.
In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed the Minister of Agriculture to ban the live export of horses for slaughter. Finally, in 2023, two bills were introduced to end the inhumane practice.
One of those bills, Bill C-355, has now passed the Agriculture Committee and will move onto its third and final reading and vote at the House of Commons.
Although only 22% of Canadians agree with the live export of horses, 43% of MPs voted NO to banning the practice at the bill’s previous reading. It is vital that we ensure decision-makers know that the well-being of horses is a priority for Canadians.
See how your MP voted previously and use the quick action on this page to ask your MP to vote YES to Bill C-355!
New report recommends major changes to protect farmed animals in B.C. Add your name in support!
Following growing concerns about the state of farmed animal welfare in B.C., a committee tasked with reviewing the province’s farmed animal welfare framework has presented its recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture. Join the VHS in urging decision-makers to prioritize next steps!
Use the template message below to call on B.C.’s Premier and the Minister of Agriculture to take specific actions that build on these recommendations and to prioritize their implementation to meaningfully protect farmed animals from egregious cruelty and suffering.
Live outside of Canada? You can email B.C.’s Premier at premier@gov.bc.ca and the Minister of Agriculture at AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Agriculture Ministry listening after years of welfare issues
In B.C. alone, near-annual undercover investigations over the last decade have revealed serious and systemic welfare issues within the animal agriculture industry.
In late 2022, B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture launched a review of the province’s farmed animal welfare framework. This week, a Ministry advisory committee released a new farmed animal welfare recommendations report that will be considered by the Ministry as part of the review.
The report’s recommendations include anew government-funded inspection and enforcement function within the Ministry of Agriculture, which would take over responsibility for implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act with respect to farmed animals. Other recommendations include providing an annual public report around enforcement activities; an expanded range of enforcement options and penalties; animal welfare and humane handling training improvements; and continued support for the inclusion of farmed animals in emergency planning.
Learn more about the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture’s farmed animal welfare framework review and the advisory committee’s recommendations report.
In what’s believed to be a first in relation to farmed animals, a court has given animal welfare advocates the green light to privately prosecute a live-horse exporter in Manitoba after three horses collapsed during a trip that exceeded the 28-hour maximum journey without food, water, or rest.
“We have so few laws on the books to protect these horses,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy with the non-profit group Animal Justice.
“The least that we can do is to make sure that what few laws we do have are actually enforced. Otherwise, what good are they?”
Bill C-355 passed its final vote in the House of Commons. Thank you for taking action for horses! Ask Senate to support the bill without further delay here.
Members of Parliament recently voted in support of sending Bill C-355 to the House of Commons Agriculture Committee for further review (181 yes-137 no). See how your MP voted!
This bill aims to end Canada’s highly controversial practice of shipping live horses overseas for slaughter. Your action is needed to support this bill as it moves through the legislative process. Call on the Agriculture Committee and your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-355 and end live horse export for slaughter once and for all!
TIP: For added impact, edit the template message below to personalize your email to decision-makers. See the Learn More section for additional talking points.
Learn more
Many Canadians would be surprised to learn that Canada is one of the top exporters of live horses for slaughter. Every year, thousands of live draft horses are loaded onto planes, packed tightly with 3-4 horses per crate, and flown abroad where they will be slaughtered for meat.
Horses’ journeys to slaughter are long and stressful
Horses can be transported for up to 28 hours without access to food, water or rest.
As sensitive prey animals with strong fight or flight instincts, this journey can be incredibly stressful.
Deaths and injuries have occurred, including one known incident of damage to an aircraft, which led to an emergency landing and the death of the horse involved.
There is also no obligation for countries on the receiving end to report back to Canada about the condition of the horses upon arrival.
Canadians are calling for change
Polling shows that a majority of Canadians are opposed to the practice of exporting live horses for slaughter.
The VHS supports organizations including the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition who have long been calling for an end to live horse export for slaughter. In Spring 2021, the VHS signed a group letter calling on the federal government to end the practice.
A federal parliamentary e-petition garnered more than 77,000 public signatures in support of a ban, making it one of the most popular animal-related federal petitions on record.
In December 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed the Minister of Agriculture to ban the live export of horses for slaughter. Still, horses continue to be shipped to their death as a result of government inaction.
Finally, in 2023, two new bills were introduced that aim to end the controversial practice of exporting live horses from Canada for slaughter abroad. Senate Bill S-270, the Horse Protection Act, was introduced by Senator Pierre Dalphond and singer-songwriter Jann Arden, while private member’s bill C-355 was introduced in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Tim Louis.
Bill C-355 has since been voted on by Members of Parliament (MP) to be sent to the next stage, which involves further study by the House of Commons Agriculture Committee. Find out how your MP voted on the bill at the second reading stage.
Can you call on the Agriculture Committee and your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-355 and end live horse export for slaughter.
The PETA Foundation has written a series of alternate food options to help stop the spread.
“The best way to prevent future outbreaks of bird flu, which has been found on more than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia since October, is to stop raising birds for food.”
The PETA Foundation has written a series of plant-based options to help stop the spread in this letter to the Times Colonist.
