Tag: Past campaigns

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No updates in cruelty investigation at B.C. slaughterhouse; calls for license suspension

Cattle walk crowded together at a feedlot in rural Québec, Canada.
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 4,626 advocates who used the quick action to call for meaningful changes for farmed animals. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help farmed animals, including an action calling for widespread changes to protect animals raised and slaughtered for human use in the agriculture system.

Animals suffer as action delayed

More than a month after disturbing footage unveiled horrific animal cruelty at Meadow Valley Meats, a B.C.-based and provincially-licensed slaughterhouse, there are still no updates in the investigation. 

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Letter asks Province to remove Meadow Valley Meats license

Animal Justice provided the footage to B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Minister stated the situation was being looked into. More than a month later, no further updates have been provided.

The VHS has sent a letter to the Minister supporting Animal Justice’s recent request that the slaughterhouse’s license be suspended or cancelled:

“The video footage shared with the ministry reveals shocking cruelty and captures clear violations of B.C.’s Meat Inspection Regulation, which requires ‘An abattoir licence holder must ensure that an animal in the licensed abattoir is kept before slaughter and slaughtered in accordance with the requirements relating to the humane treatment of animals …'”

Minister @Pam_Alexis_ and the Ministry of Agriculture should cancel or suspend the license for Meadow Valley Meats for their egregious violations of regulations.

Video footage

Content warning: The footage released by Animal Justice depicts horrific animal suffering in a slaughterhouse. 

The footage captured numerous instances of animal abuse, suffering and clear violations of provincial and federal slaughter regulations, including cows, sheep and goats being forcefully hit, kicked, dragged and thrown to the ground; frightened animals crowded together in hallways and panicked attempts to escape; cruel use of an electric prod on the face of cows; improper slaughter techniques, with animals being improperly stunned to render them unconscious before slaughter; and still conscious animals having their necks cut.

Watch & share video footage

Act now!

Thousands of concerned Canadians have taken action, calling on decision-makers to implement meaningful changes for farmed animals in slaughterhouses.

Quick action: Email the B.C. Minister of Agriculture

Use the quick email tool below to call for meaningful changes for farmed animals in B.C., including:

  1. Proactive enforcement of the Meat Inspection Regulation, which governs provincial slaughterhouses, including appropriate deterrents to prevent animal cruelty and including unannounced inspections;
  2. Publicly-available reports of independent, third-party audits, including consistent video surveillance monitoring for real transparency; and
  3. Effective penalties for industry stakeholders who are found guilty of animal cruelty.

Tip: Personalize your message to make it more impactful! The template below is editable, so feel free to share more about why this issue is important to you.

Live outside of Canada? You can email the Minister at: AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

This action has now ended.

4,626 people used this tool to call for changes in slaughterhouses. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Next step: Sign the federal action from Animal Justice

Take action to call for improvements to federal regulations around farmed animal care and slaughter in Canada. This quick action from Animal Justice calls on the federal Minister of Agriculture to introduce mandatory video surveillance in slaughterhouses.

Note: This link will take you to the quick action. Scrolling up on the linked page will reveal graphic images of animal suffering.

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Federal e-petition: No factory farms for octopuses

Update

Petition e-4312 has ended after receiving 17,294 signatures. Thank you to those who took action. You can read updates on the Parliament of Canada website.

“Imagine if we could go back in time to when we first started farming pigs and put an end to that practice then and there. Because pig farming would evolve exponentially into an industry that would kill (often brutally) 1.5 billion animals each year…Chances are, most of us would jump on that opportunity to rewind the clock. Now, we’re at this historic crossroads with octopus farming. While certain countries and companies race to open the first octopus farms, scientists, advocates and policy-makers are pursuing action to ban this practice and protect these sentient creatures from the cruel world of factory farming.” – We Animals Media

View the official petition
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Say no to industrial octopus farming

As companies around the world have begun to explore industrial-scale octopus (and other cephalopod) farming, a new official federal e-petition aims to ban the practice.

  • Ban the importation of farmed cephalopod products into Canada
  • Prohibit the breeding or raising of cephalopods in captivity on Canadian territory

The federal e-petition to say no to the factory farming of these intelligent, behaviourally complex and sensitive animals is now closed.

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Important: After you sign the petition, be sure to check your email and click the confirmation link to ensure your signature is counted.

Photo: A Hawaiian day octopus observes visitors during a tour at Kanaloa Octopus Farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. The facility confines wild-caught octopuses alone in small tanks to perform breeding experiments on them for the octopus aquaculture industry. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA, 2022. Laura Lee Cascada / The Every Animal Project / We Animals Media

Learn more

Photos of Kanaloa Octopus Farm: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA, 2022; Laura Lee Cascada / The Every Animal Project / We Animals Media.

Photos of processing plant: Keratsini, Greece, 2020; Selene Magnolia / We Animals Media.

Anyone who has seen the award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” can appreciate how smart, curious and sensitive octopuses are. They can recognise individuals outside of their own species, including humans. Field studies have recorded them engaging in tool-using behaviour in the wild and they have also exhibited problem-solving skills, including navigating mazes and solving puzzles.  

Octopuses are typically solitary, wild animals, making them particularly ill-suited to being raised in large numbers on industrial farms. Research also demonstrates that octopuses and other cephalopods have complex nervous systems and the ability to experience pain and distress – key hallmarks of sentience.  

Industrial octopus farming will also increase unsustainable pressure on wild fish populations, as the industry will require large amounts of fishmeal and fish oil products to feed farmed octopuses.  

All of this makes confining these animals in crowded, barren industrial farms especially concerning. Sign the petition calling on the Canadian government to take a stand against the farming of octopuses and other cephalopods.  

Advocates introduce federal e-petition

The petition was introduced by the Montreal SPCA and Green Party leader Elizabeth May, and supported by the Vancouver Humane Society, Animal Justice, BC SPCA, Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals, Humane Canada, Last Chance for Animals and Winnipeg Humane Society. Once the petition closes, it will be presented in the House of Commons and the federal government will respond within 45 days of it being presented.  

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Horrific footage from B.C. slaughterhouse prompts new action for farmed animals

Cattle peek through a fence at a feedlot in rural Québec, Canada.
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

Photos: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 4,626 advocates who used the quick action to call for meaningful changes for farmed animals. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help farmed animals, including an action calling for widespread changes to protect animals raised and slaughtered for human use in the agriculture system.

B.C. slaughterhouse with connections to previous cruelty case under investigation

Last night, Animal Justice released horrific footage of animal cruelty at Meadow Valley Meats, a slaughterhouse in Pitt Meadows that promotes itself as “local” and its meat products as “ethical”. This footage shows suffering of the worst kind and demonstrates a clear violation of provincial and federal slaughter regulations. 

Take action
Next step
Learn more

Quick action: Email the B.C. Minister of Agriculture

Use the quick email tool below to call for meaningful changes for farmed animals in B.C., including:

  1. Proactive enforcement of the Meat Inspection Regulation, which governs provincial slaughterhouses, including appropriate deterrents to prevent animal cruelty and including unannounced inspections;
  2. Publicly-available reports of independent, third-party audits, including consistent video surveillance monitoring for real transparency; and
  3. Effective penalties for industry stakeholders who are found guilty of animal cruelty.

Tip: Personalize your message to make it more impactful! The template below is editable, so feel free to share more about why this issue is important to you.

Live outside of Canada? You can email the Minister at: AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

This action has now ended.

4,626 people used this tool to call for changes in slaughterhouses. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Next step: Sign the federal action from Animal Justice

Take action to call for improvements to federal regulations around farmed animal care and slaughter in Canada. This quick action from Animal Justice calls on the federal Minister of Agriculture to introduce mandatory video surveillance in slaughterhouses.

Note: This link will take you to the quick action. Scrolling up on the linked page will reveal graphic images of animal suffering.

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Not the first time Meadow Valley Meats has been in trouble

Meadow Valley Meats is a B.C.-based slaughterhouse company. According to their website, they are the largest B.C. processor of beef, veal, lambs and goats. This footage does not show an isolated incident, but further evidence of systemic problems in the animal agriculture industry from a major local company. 

Media reports that the company, formerly called Pitt Meadows Meats, pled guilty in 2015 to selling E. Coli-tainted meat and after the plant manager knowingly decided not to recall the tainted meat. Meadow Valley Meats also lists Jeff and Ken Kooyman as directors. The two men have connections to the infamous 2014 Chilliwack Cattle Sales dairy cruelty case. That investigation revealed staff repeatedly kicking and punching cows, hitting them with canes and ripping out their tail hair. Video footage also showed a cow being lifted by a chain around her neck using a tractor. The company was fined the maximum amount and had to pay $258,700.

These horrific cases reflect what animal advocates have long argued – that there are serious, systemic animal welfare issues across the animal agriculture industry. It also highlights that court-mandated fines are not enough to change the behaviour of the industry and protect animals.

Meadow Valley Meats is responsible for the following brands, many of which are marketed as local, humane, or family farms.

Image: Meadow Valley Meats website

Regulations around animal slaughter

Meadow Valley Meats is regulated by the Provincial Meat Inspection Regulation, which requires that animals are kept & slaughtered “in accordance with the requirements relating to the humane treatment of animals” set forth by the federal government. 

The animal agriculture industry and regulating bodies tout requirements of “humane slaughter” to build public trust; but sadly, this claim doesn’t translate to good welfare for animals.

Help raise awareness: watch & share the footage

Content warning: This footage released by Animal Justice to CTV News depicts horrific animal suffering in a slaughterhouse.

The investigation highlights numerous issues at the slaughterhouse, including:

  • Cows, sheep and goats being forcefully hit, kicked and thrown to the ground;
  • Frightened animals crowded together in hallways and panicked attempts to escape;
  • Cruel use of an electric prod on the face of cows;
  • Improper slaughter techniques, with animals being improperly stunned to render them unconscious before slaughter;
  • Still conscious animals having their necks cut;
  • A sheep that appears injured or sick and unable to walk is dragged from a pen to the slaughter area.
Watch & share video footage
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Tell B.C.’s Minister of Tourism: No funding for inhumane rodeo events

Many rodeo events, such as roping, bucking and wrestling events, involve rough handling which puts animals at risk of serious injury and death.

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 2,452 advocates who used the quick action to call on the Ministry of Tourism not to fund inhumane rodeo events. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help rodeo animals, including an action calling for both municipal bylaws and an end to provincial funding for cruel rodeo events.

Rodeos will be eligible for recently announced B.C. government funding

The Government of British Columbia recently announced new funding for fairs, festivals, and events; but the inclusion of inhumane rodeo events is cause for concern.

Tell B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport that the use of taxpayer dollars to support inhumane and outdated rodeo events, which the majority of British Columbians oppose, is a step in the wrong direction.

Send a message
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Say no to funding rodeo cruelty

Rodeo events, such as roping, bucking, wrestling and mutton busting (children riding sheep), are inherently stressful for animals. They rely on the use of fear, discomfort and aversive stimuli (flank straps and spurs) to make the animals perform for public entertainment.

These events also put animals at unnecessary risk of injury, such as broken bones, neck injuries and internal damage.

This is fundamentally at odds with how we should be handling and treating animals. In fact, it contradicts industry requirements and best practices for the handling of farmed animals, which state that quiet handling techniques are required.

A new study looking at calf-roping adds to the growing body of evidence that animals suffer in rodeo events. It found that calves exhibited signs of distress across every phase of the calf roping event, from being chased, lassoed and caught, to when they were released.

Most communities have moved away from rodeos and toward other types of family-friendly community events. For example, the Luxton Rodeo near Victoria was cancelled in 2015 and the Abbotsford Rodeo was cancelled in 2016. The City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver have already implemented a ban on rodeo events.

Take Action: Email the Minister of Tourism

Tip: Personalize your message to make it more impactful! The template below is editable, so feel free to share more about why this issue is important to you and alternative community events that you’d prefer to see supported through government funding.

Live outside of Canada? You can share your concerns, as a tourist, with the Minister at: TACS.minister@gov.bc.ca

This action has now ended.

2,452 people used this tool to email the Minister of Tourism. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Video from B.C. rodeos

Video footage from recent local rodeos reveals recurring welfare issues, including animals being roughly handled and deliberately agitated into fleeing and bucking.

What happened at this year’s Chilliwack and Langley rodeos

The return of the Chilliwack rodeo this year, along with a controversial new rodeo held in Langley Township, has raised concerns about the well-being and welfare of animals made to perform in rodeo events. Video footage taken at both rodeos this summer shows stressed and frightened animals being roughly handled and deliberately agitated into fleeing and bucking.

Photos from B.C. rodeos

Read & share: It’s time to stop using taxpayer money to fund inhumane events

“With a myriad of positive events that could use funds to reinvigorate the tourism sector and celebrate culture, community, and compassion, it would be incredibly disappointing for the Province to sink funding into a cruel and outdated practice that, as the majority of British Columbians agree, is better left in the past.”

Read the VHS’s opinion piece published in the Daily Hive Vancouver.

Read & share opinion piece
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End live horse export for slaughter

Update

Two bills have been introduced to ban the live export of horses from Canada for slaughter. Read the update and support the bills here.

It’s been one year since the Prime Minister issued a mandate for the federal Minister of Agriculture to ban the live export of horses for slaughter. Since then, approximately 2,000 horses have been shipped on lengthy and stressful transport journeys abroad, destined for slaughter.

Speak up for horses: Support the recent federal e-petition calling for a ban by sending a message to decision-makers.

Action: Contact your MP and federal decision-makers

Use the email template below to send a personalized message to your Member of Parliament, the federal Minister of Agriculture and the Prime Minister, asking them to act to end the export of live horses for slaughter.

Note: If you live outside of Canada and want to take action, you can email the Prime Minister at: PM@pm.gc.ca and the Minister of Agriculture at: aafc.minister-ministre.aac@agr.gc.ca

UPDATE – September 19, 2023: Private member’s bill introduced

Private member’s bill C-355 was introduced in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Tim Louis, aiming to ban the controversial practice of exporting live horses from Canada for slaughter abroad. This bill, along with the Senate bill introduced in June, presents a crucial opportunity for the federal government to follow through on their promise to ban live horse export for slaughter once and for all. Send the new email urging decision-makers to support this urgent change and save thousands of horses’ lives!

See bill details

UPDATE – June 21, 2023: Senate bill introduced!

Singer-songwriter and animal advocate Jann Arden and Senator Pierre Dalphond have announced the introduction of the Horse Protection Act, a Senate bill which proposes to ban the export of live horses for slaughter. MP Tim Louis also plans to introduce a private Member’s bill in the House of Commons this fall to ban the practice. Thank you to everyone who advocated for an end to cruel live horse exports, including more than 36,000 Canadians who signed the federal petition!

Read the announcement

Update – March 29, 2023: Federal Minister of Agriculture responds to e-petition

The federal Minister of Agriculture, Marie-Claude Bibeau, responded to the petition that calls for a ban on the live export of horses for slaughter. The Minister’s statement notes that they “remain committed to ban the export of live horses for slaughter, as communicated in the Minister’s mandate letter” and that the government is engaging in stakeholder consultation and “exploring the legal and policy framework for a ban on live horse exports for slaughter.”

The VHS and other animal protection organizations continue to advocate for a ban to be implemented as soon as possible. Each month that action is delayed, hundreds of horses continue to suffer through long, stressful overseas journeys without food, water, or rest. 

Read the Minister’s response

Update – February 17, 2023: Letter from animal protection organizations highlights egregious suffering

A letter signed by nine animal protection organizations across Canada highlights the egregious suffering of horses sent on overseas journeys and urges the federal Minister of Agriculture to quickly end the cruel live horse export industry. Read an excerpt from the letter below:

Since the 2021 election, more than 2,000 horses have been exported from Canada to Japan for slaughter. Some of these horses were shipped out of Winnipeg on December 12, 2022. Because of flight delays, the horses were in transport without food, water, and rest for well over 28 hours. By the time they left Winnipeg at 9:18am that day, they had already been in transit without food, water, and rest for approximately 16.5 hours and there was no way that the 28 hour limit would be met if they continued on to Japan. Yet those involved proceeded with the shipment. Further delays in Seattle resulted in an even longer journey. So arduous were the conditions that at least three horses collapsed during the trip.

Read the full letter from Animal Justice Canada, the Winnipeg Humane Society, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, Manitoba Animal Save, the Vancouver Humane Society, Animal Save Movement, Humane Canada, World Animal Protection, and the BC SPCA.

Read the letter

Update – February 13, 2023: Federal e-petition has been presented in the House of Commons

A federal parliamentary e-petition, led by Jann Arden and sponsored by MP Alistair MacGregor, calls on the Minister of Agriculture to follow through on the federal government’s promise to end live horse export for slaughter.  

Petition e-4190 to help protect horses from suffering through long, stressful journeys to slaughter closed February 7, 2023. The petition has been presented to the House of Commons and is awaiting response. Please stay tuned for updates.

Read more about the e-petition

Most Canadians would be surprised to learn that Canada is one of the top exporters of live horses for slaughter. Every year, approximately 3,000-5,000 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 and advocates, like singer-songwriter Jann Arden, 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.  

Despite promises, horses continue to suffer due to government inaction

In December 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed the Minister of Agriculture, Marie-Claude Bibeau, to ban the live export of horses for slaughter. One year later, horses continue to be shipped to their death as a result of government inaction.  

Can you help protect horses from suffering through long journeys to slaughter?

Back to quick action

Learn more

  • Check out Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden’s #HorseShit campaign, which aims to end the practice of live horse export for slaughter. 
  • Get an in-depth look at the horse export and slaughter industry, thanks to the work of the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC).
  • Read or listen to and share this episode of The Informed Animal Ally, the VHS’s monthly podcast, featuring guest speaker Sinikka Crosland of the CHDC. 
  • Read and share the VHS’s op-ed, published in the Daily Hive, to raise awareness about this inhumane industry.
  • Read and share this article in CTV News, which includes an interview with Jann Arden and an in-depth video investigation which first aired in 2021.

Cover photo: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

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Call for a ban on inhumane rodeo events in your community

Ask your newly-elected Mayor & Council to protect animals from concerning rodeo events

The return of the Chilliwack rodeo this year, along with a controversial new rodeo held in Langley Township, has raised concerns about the well-being of animals made to perform in rodeo events. Video footage taken at both rodeos this summer shows stressed and frightened animals being roughly handled and deliberately agitated into fleeing and bucking.

Take action
Watch video

Protect animals from inhumane rodeo events

Many communities have no protections preventing inherently inhumane rodeo practices. Now is the time to act to prevent animals from being used in cruel rodeo events!

During recent local elections in British Columbia, the VHS and advocates reached out to candidates on key animal welfare issues in their community, including the use of animals in inhumane rodeo events.

As local decision-makers move out of election season, now is an important time for residents to call for change. You can take action, whether you live in Langley Township, Chilliwack or elsewhere! Encourage your Mayor and Council to follow the lead of the City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver by passing a motion to prohibit inhumane rodeo practices, including roping, bucking, wrestling and mutton busting (children riding sheep) events.

Use this quick email tool to send a message to your newly-elected Mayor and Council. Note: If you live outside of Canada and want to take action, you can find your Mayor and Council’s contact information on your municipality’s website and use the template text for inspiration. 

Take Action: Email your Mayor & Council

Tip: Personalize your message to make it more impactful! The template below is editable, so feel free to share more about why this issue is important to you and alternative community events that you’d prefer to see more of.

Video from B.C. rodeos:

What happened at this year’s Chilliwack and Langley rodeos

The return of the Chilliwack rodeo this year, along with a controversial new rodeo held in Langley Township, has raised concerns about the well-being and welfare of animals made to perform in rodeo events. Video footage taken at both rodeos this summer shows stressed and frightened animals being roughly handled and deliberately agitated into fleeing and bucking.

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Open letter: B.C. Ministry of Agriculture to review farmed animal welfare framework

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 4,381 advocates who used the quick action to call for meaningful actions for farmed animals. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help farmed animals.

The Ministry of Agriculture will be doing a review of the farmed animal welfare framework between now and spring 2023, confirms a recent article in the Country Life in BC agricultural newspaper. The Vancouver Humane Society reached out to the Ministry calling for true public transparency on farms and changes that would make a meaningful difference in the lives of the millions of sentient animals raised for food in this province.

Read the Vancouver Humane Society’s open letter to the Ministry of Agriculture:

Oct. 26, 2022

Dear Minister Popham and the Ministry of Agriculture,

We are writing in reference to the article published in Country Life in BC (October 2022, vol. 108 no. 10) confirming that the Ministry will be doing a review of the farmed animal welfare framework between now and spring 2023. We are grateful that the Ministry of Agriculture is actively taking action to consider the lives of farmed animals.

The Vancouver Humane Society represents 36,800 supporters who are concerned about the state of animal welfare for farmed animals in British Columbia. Over the past 10 years, undercover footage filmed on farms raising cows for milk, cattle for beef, pigs for meat, chickens for meat, and hens for eggs, has demonstrated that these animals are in a dire state. From being plucked bare, legs being pulled off, animals being actively abused, stereotypical behaviour like bar-biting, untreated wounds, trampled animals, and inhumane euthanasia methods, animals are not given the consideration they deserve as sentient beings.

Since the publishing of Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison in 1964, there have been disturbingly few changes to address the suffering of farmed animals. Minister Popham, you previously advocated for animals and ending their suffering when serving as the opposition party. The Ministry of Agriculture has the unique ability to significantly reduce the suffering of millions of animals each year by introducing measures that ensure true public transparency. A focus on ‘public trust’, while making no measurable changes to the suffering of animals, is unconscionable, and yet has been the primary approach of the Ministry of Agriculture to date.

We ask for the Ministry of Agriculture to conduct a thorough review which considers the importance of transparency, specifically, one that recognizes the importance of conducting consistent farm audits and making publicly available the findings of the audits. This is the only mechanism that could ensure that there is transparency that results in meaningful outcomes for the animals affected. The Vancouver Humane Society also asks to be included in all stakeholder consultation related to the farmed animal review as an animal protection agency with a British Columbia focus that exists outside of the role of enforcement.

Thank you for your serious consideration of the suffering experienced by sentient farmed animals and of our request to be included as a stakeholder in the review process,

Amy Morris
Executive Director

More than 3,000 animal supporters have called on the Ministry of Agriculture to introduce greater protections for farmed animals, including third-party audits and video surveillance on farms. Will you join us? Learn more about the ongoing campaign below.

Help protect farmed animals

In December 2021, the VHS launched a campaign calling for greater protections for farmed animals in B.C. To date, more than 2,200 animal supporters have used the quick action tool to contact the Ministry of Agriculture calling for:

  • Government-mandated and proactively-enforced compliance with the National Farm Animal Care Council Codes of Practice
  • Publicly-available reports of independent, third party audits on farms
  • Consistent video surveillance monitoring on farms
  • Emergency planning to protect farmed animals in disasters
Take quick action

Please join us in calling on B.C.’s Premier and the Minister of Agriculture to take these important actions to better protect farmed animals from cruelty and suffering.

This action has now ended.

4,381 people used this tool to call for meaningful actions for farmed animals. Thank you for taking action.

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Update: Speaking up for sled dogs and wild animals in captivity

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 518 advocates who used the quick action to ask their MLA to speak up for animals in captivity and sled dogs. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help wild animals in captivity and animals used in entertainment.

This summer, the VHS ramped up calls for changes to B.C.’s regulations on two key animal welfare issues: sled dogs and wild animals in captivity. All B.C. residents can help by raising these two animal welfare issues with their MLA in a call or meeting.

You don’t need to be an expert on either of these topics to make an impact. Instead, what’s important is that they hear why these issues matter to you. You can ask them to raise the issues, along with the VHS’s recommendations, with the relevant B.C. Ministers.

Provincial decision-makers have previously noted that the regulations for both issues are due for review, without a timeline for action. The VHS has provided clear recommendations for how the regulations need to be updated to better protect animal welfare, but action continues to be delayed and animals continue to suffer as a result.

As MLAs return to parliament this fall, the VHS will continue to advocate for wild and exotic animals in captivity and sled dogs in the commercial sled dog industry.

Can you help by engaging with your MLA on these animal welfare issues? To find your MLA’s contact information, head to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia website and enter your postal code.

Find my MLA

Short on time? Use the quick email tool to send a message to your MLA today!

This action has now ended.

518 people used this tool to call on their MLA to speak up for animals. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Commercial sled dog industry

Under B.C.’s current sled dog regulations, sled dogs can be tethered for lengthy periods of time and sled dog tour companies are allowed to shoot surplus dogs, so long as the operator has made reasonable efforts to try to rehome the sled dog.

Recommendations on sled dogs

Wild and exotic animals in captivity

Meanwhile, B.C.’s outdated wild and exotic animal captivity regulations allow for many species to be kept as pets or in captive facilities, despite the difficulty in meeting their complex physical and psychological needs. Numerous incidents in recent years at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, including the escape of wolves from the zoo this summer which tragically resulted in the death of one wolf, reiterate the urgent need for updating the province’s regulations.

Recommendations on animals in captivity
“Think about the worst thing you think could happen to an animal in Canada … I guarantee that what’s out there is a thousand times worse.”
Rob Laidlaw, Zoocheck founder
Tweet

The VHS was recently joined by Zoocheck founder Rob Laidlaw to share his decades of experience advocating for the well-being of animals. Read or listen to the discussion on the VHS’s exclusive podcast, The Informed Animal Ally.

Learn more about captivity laws & practices

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Speak out against inhumane rodeo events at the Calgary Stampede

steer wrestling at a rodeo

Cruelty at the Calgary Stampede

Canada’s largest rodeo, the Calgary Stampede, is making a full return for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Animals will be subjected to inhumane bucking, wrestling and roping events. This year will mark the first time the chuckwagon races are being held since 2019, when 6 horses died. To date, more than 100 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede.

Share the truth about rodeo

The Vancouver Humane Society is collaborating with concerned Calgarians to raise awareness about the distress and unnecessary risk of injury and death that animals face in rodeo events at the Calgary Stampede.

The new microsite, RodeoTruth.com, hosts a wealth of information, including the latest science about rodeo-related animal welfare issues; a breakdown of the Calgary Stampede rodeo events; engaging videos that you can share to help raise public awareness; and a #SayNoToRodeo pledge that you can take to reflect your opposition to inhumane rodeo events.

Help speak up for animals used in rodeos by sharing the new Rodeo Truth website and taking the #SayNoToRodeo pledge.

Visit & share RodeoTruth.com
Sign the #SayNoToRodeo pledge

Follow & share Rodeo Truth on social media

You can also follow the new Rodeo Truth social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for more content you can share to raise awareness of – and opposition to – cruel rodeo events.

Like Rodeo Truth on Facebook
Follow Rodeo Truth on Instagram
Follow Rodeo Truth on TikTok

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“Dogs in Distress”, Iditarod, and summer weather: Sled dogs still suffering

“Dogs in Distress”

You may have seen the recent W5 investigation, “Dogs in Distress”, which exposed the commercial sled dog industry in Canada. The investigation found disturbing evidence of dogs chained outdoors for prolonged periods; repetitive pacing behaviour; and inhumane forms of euthanasia.

The welfare issues highlighted in the investigation reiterate the need for updating B.C.’s Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulation, which are overdue for review.

You can watch the full investigation below. Please note that the images and stories shared in this story may be very upsetting.

W5: Uncovering the shocking treatment of sled dogs in Canada

An iconic winter tourist draw is being scrutinized by experts and activists. Once essential to the survival of indigenous communities, dog sledding is embraced today for sport and tourism. W5 investigates what sometimes goes on behind the scenes when dogs aren’t pulling paid customers.

Recent decision by Iditarod

A recent concerning decision by Iditarod officials also highlights welfare issues in the long-distance sled dog race across Alaska. Despite claiming that participants would be disqualified for inhumane treatment of dogs, race officials penalized those who made the decision to shelter their dog teams safely indoors during a dangerous storm.

Officials noted that the participants who decided bring their dog teams indoors gained a competitive advantage even though they “did the right thing for their dogs”.

This concerning decision highlights a prevailing attitude that sled dogs can be exploited for human gain, even at the expense of their well-being.

Act now!

With warmer weather fast approaching, sled dogs will soon find themselves in the sled dog tourism industry’s off-season. Current regulations allow dogs to be chained for more than 23 hours a day, and many outdoor dog houses provide little protection from the summer heat. Use the quick email tool below to help protect sled dogs now.

Last year, animal advocates called for stronger regulations for sled dogs.

More than 4,700 individuals used VHS’s quick action tool to contact B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture, Lana Popham, who is responsible for the Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulation.

Thanks to all the support, VHS was able to meet with the Minister. She indicated that reviewing the sled dog regulations was delayed, but that they are on the Ministry’s to-do list.

Each email to the Ministry helps to get this issue recognized as a priority as VHS continues to follow up. Can you send a quick email to Minister Lana Popham now?