Tag: Media

A letter from the Vancouver Humane Society is on the desk of the B.C. Minister of Agriculture, calling for urgent changes for farmed animals in response to shocking footage reportedly taken at a B.C. slaughterhouse. Can you send a message urging the Minister to prioritize stronger protections for farmed animals?

In January, Chilliwack-based pig slaughterhouse Johnston’s Meats was ordered to take “corrective actions” after shocking footage released by Animal Justice showed horrific suffering.

Despite this, the Ministry of Agriculture said no illegal behaviour was found, and that the footage depicted “standard practices in a busy hog processing facility.”

Calling for action from the B.C. government

The investigation and the Ministry’s response raised serious concerns, leading the VHS to send a letter to Premier David Eby and Agriculture Minister Lana Popham.

The letter:

• Detailed the shocking suffering of pigs seen in the footage released by Animal Justice and the history of near-annual investigations at B.C. farms and slaughterhouses over the past decade.
• Highlighted “that slaughterhouse inspectors, who are required to be on-site daily, failed to identify and report the issues captured in the footage … This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of current oversight and enforcement activities.”
• Urged the Premier and Agriculture Minister to prioritize next steps following the province’s recent review of its farmed animal welfare framework, including government-mandated and proactively enforced regulations based on the best available animal welfare science; proactive oversight including “consistent video surveillance”; and appropriate penalties to prevent cruelty and ensure accountability.

The Office of the Premier has responded to share that an Agriculture Ministry official will be following up directly on this matter.

Photos: Animal Justice

The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture has sanctioned Johnston’s Meats, a pig slaughterhouse in Chilliwack, following an animal welfare investigation.

The investigation was launched after Animal Justice released shocking video footage revealing horrific animal suffering and apparent violations of slaughter regulations, allegedly filmed by a whistleblower at Johnston’s Meats.

Following the video release and a legal complaint filed by Animal Justice, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a prohibition notice to the slaughterhouse regarding its use of electric prods and handling of animals, along with a warning letter citing humane treatment violations under B.C.’s Meat Inspection Regulation.

The ministry ordered “corrective actions”, including improved training, and said inspectors would be “increasing oversight”.

Incident renews calls for transparency

Though provincial inspectors are required to be present at slaughterhouses every day of the slaughtering process, inspectors at Johnston’s Meats claimed they never witnessed abuse. No action was taken until Animal Justice filed a complaint, which the organization says “represents a failure to catch bad practices”.

This incident is renewing calls for public transparency, consistent oversight, and proactive enforcement of animal welfare regulations, highlighting that animal suffering may continue until a report is made.

Learn more

Read more about:

• The undercover video footage
• Near-annual undercover investigations over the past decade which have revealed recurring welfare problems in B.C.’s animal agriculture industry
• The truth behind “proudly local” meat

Note: There is no graphic footage or imagery at this link.

Cover photo: Animal Justice via Business Intelligence for B.C.

Bill C-355, which would have banned the export of horses from Canada for slaughter, is in legislative limbo since Parliament was paused in January.

What are live horse exports?

For years, compassionate Canadians have been advocating to end the nation’s cruel live horse export industry, which sends horses on long, dangerous journeys for slaughter overseas.

Horses are cramped in crowded crates and can legally go 28 hours without food, water, or rest – though investigations show most journeys exceed this time limit. Deaths and injuries are commonplace, with a recent exposé showing that 21 horses died in 13 months between May 2023-June 2024.

What happened to Bill C-355?

Bill C-355 was passed at the House of Commons but stalled for months in the Senate, despite calls for urgent action from Canadians. Recent polling shows just 22% of Canadians support the live horse export industry continuing. 

If an election is called, the bill will be wiped out. Advocates are encouraged to contact the federal Minister of Agriculture to call for regulations banning the industry before that happens.

Cover photo: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

Photo: Animal Justice via The Chilliwack Progress

New undercover footage reportedly filmed at a B.C. slaughterhouse shows horrific animal suffering and violations of slaughter regulations.

The footage, made public by Animal Justice, was allegedly filmed by a whistleblower at the Chilliwack-based Johnston’s Meats facility.

The disturbing footage shows frightened and panicked pigs being inhumanely handled, including:

• Animals being improperly stunned before having their throats cut, being hung upside down to bleed out while conscious, and then placed into a scalding tank of boiling water.
• Multiple animals appear to show signs of consciousness after being electrocuted, which is required to render them fully unconscious for the rest of the slaughter process.
• In some clips, workers are seen slitting still-conscious pigs’ throats and electrocuting them multiple times.

Where animals from family farms go to die

The investigation into Johnston’s Meats facility offers a look into the horrific realities of animals killed for meat that is marketed as “proudly local”.

This small-scale, provincially-licensed slaughterhouse kills approximately 500 pigs per day, arriving from family farms around the Fraser Valley. Pig meat from this facility can be found at local grocery stores and butcher shops.

It is another devastating reminder that labels such as local, family run, and small-scale are not indicators of good welfare conditions for animals.

Latest in a series of undercover investigations in B.C.

Over the past decade, near-annual investigations at farms and slaughterhouses have uncovered recurring welfare problems in British Columbia’s animal agriculture industry.

Patterns have emerged over years of investigations that reveal:

• Cruelty is endemic in animal agriculture industry
• Repercussions are not enough to prevent companies from being repeat offenders
• Animals are treated as products, not beings

Read about the past ten years of animal cruelty investigations in the province.

Take action

Following growing concerns about the state of farmed animal welfare in B.C., an advisory committee tasked with reviewing the province’s farmed animal welfare framework has presented its recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture. The report aligns with many of the recommendations that the VHS and other animal protection organizations have long been calling for.

Join the VHS in urging decision-makers to prioritize next steps to better protect farmed animals in B.C.

Vancouver Island’s health authority is warning the public after an avian flu outbreak at a petting farm resulted in the euthanasia of 50 animals and possible human exposure.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been killing animals around the world, and British Columbia is a major hub for the disease. More than half of birds killed due to the virus spread over the past few years – 6 million of 11 million – have been in B.C.

The disease has also been seen in mammals, including wild mammals, marine mammals, cows, and pigs. There have been 44 reported human cases in the U.S. and one in Canada. “So far, the people who are contracting the disease have gotten it from cows or chickens.”

The spread and mutation of avian flu is accelerated by commercial poultry farms, where birds such as chickens and turkeys are often raised in crowded, stressful conditions. Earlier this year, an article by Eleanor Boyle discussed the avian flu outbreak and the need to transition away from industrial animal agriculture to address disease spread.

Ends November 8: Share your top 3 welfare concerns for chickens & turkeys

The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Chicken and Turkey Code of Practice, which serves as a guideline for on-farm care and handling of birds raised for meat, is coming up for review. The current code allows for many inhumane practices that compromise the welfare of chickens and turkeys in the poultry industry, such as overcrowding and painful procedures.

By taking the quick survey, you can help determine the top priorities for the code review and speak up for hundreds of millions of individual animals.