Abuse on a B.C. broiler farm is an isolated incident but the poultry industry must ensure it doesn’t happen again, says Alberta Chicken Producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like its predecessors, the latest undercover video by Mercy for Animals showing abuse of animals on a farm has had a big impact. The 2-1/2-minute long video shows catchers from Elite Farm Services kicking, throwing, and simulating sexual acts with broiler chickens on a farm in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. Erna Ference, chair of the Alberta […] Read more
Chicken producers decry abuse shown in undercover video
Workers fired following chicken abuse video
CNS Canada — A British Columbia company tied to nationally broadcast footage of livestock abuse has laid off five workers, according to a statement from the organization Tuesday. The animal rights and vegan advocacy group responsible for capturing the video says that’s not enough, and is pursuing legal action. Employees at a Vancouver-area chicken farm […] Read more
Major dairy farm gets six-figure fines in cruelty case
British Columbia’s largest dairy farm has been slapped with a reported $300,000 in fines after entering guilty pleas to charges of animal cruelty, stemming from covert video shot in 2014. Chilliwack Cattle Sales (CCS) and co-owner Wesley Kooyman were convicted Friday in Provincial Court over violations of the province’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. […] Read more
Nestle pledges cage-free eggs for Canadian wares
The Canadian arm of Swiss food processing giant Nestle has promised to shift its egg supply to “cage-free” sources by 2025. Nestle Canada, whose products using eggs include some of its Lean Cuisine meals and Real Dairy desserts, said Wednesday it was “dedicated to working with Canadian farmers to make this transition.” The Canadian business […] Read more
Maple Leaf to upgrade stunning process, ‘accelerate’ on sow housing
Pledging to upgrade its hog and poultry stunning processes, speed up its timeline on sow housing and step up its game on facility audits, livestock pain management and reduced antibiotic use, Maple Leaf Foods said Friday it’s now set to carve an animal care agenda into formal company policy. The major Canadian meat processor on […] Read more
Livestock facility audits praised by experts
Temple Grandin and Jennifer Woods say they boost both profits and PR
Reading Time: 4 minutes Temple Grandin and Jennifer Woods are both fans of the old saying: ‘You cannot manage what you cannot measure.’ Which is why the two animal welfare experts are in favour of audits. The duo, who has known each other for more than two decades, both spoke at the recent Canadian Livestock Transport conference. “Many people […] Read more
Ont. poultry packer back under hidden-camera spotlight
Canada’s biggest poultry processor is back under animal welfare activists’ scrutiny with hidden-camera footage alleging more mishandling of birds at one of its packing plants. Maple Lodge Farms, which in September 2013 was convicted under the federal Health of Animals Act over birds’ exposure to cold weather during transport, said Saturday it’s paying “prompt attention” […] Read more
Study says healthy cattle can manage taxing transport
Researchers find well-conditioned cattle bear up well during transport
Reading Time: 4 minutes A prominent animal welfare group calls it “transport torture,” but a new study has found conditions inside livestock trailers don’t normally have a significant impact on animal health. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada study looked at trailer microclimates during cattle transport. “We thought they might have an impact on the health and morbidity rates once […] Read more
Don’t wing it — or refuse comment — if your farm makes the six o’clock news
Consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley has some basic advice for dealing with the media
Reading Time: 2 minutes If the media ever shows up at your farm, treat them like you would a “big hungry dog,” says PR consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley. “You have to feed it, or it will howl, bark and eventually bite,” he said. “You can’t always control what happens, but you can control your reaction.” The worst […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
