Video shows pigs being beaten and shocked
By Kevin Connor, Toronto Sun
First posted: Monday, October 13, 2014 07:50 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, October 13, 2014 08:34 PM EDT
Mercy For Animals Canada has released undercover video which the group says shows pigs being mutilated and shocked by workers at an abattoir in front of government inspectors.
The animal advocacy groups’ footage shows downed pigs with open wounds being beaten, dragged and left to suffer without veterinary care at the Western Hog Exchange in Red Deer, Alta.
“This video shows some of the worst abuse of animals that I have ever seen,” said Ian Duncan, of Guelph University’s applied ethology department. “The video shows a huge amount of pain and distress caused by ignorant workers and an apparently compliant Canadian Food Inspection agent and exacerbated by poorly designed handling facilities.”
MFAC says pigs and other farmed animals can legally be trucked for up to 52 hours in Canada without food, water or rest, which results in the death of over 8 million animals year.
Animal laws in Europe only allow livestock to be transported for a maximum of eight hours without food, water and rest.
“Canada’s outdated livestock transport regulations are downright shameful, and lag behind the rest of the western world, allowing animals to suffer unimaginably as they are trucked through all weather extremes, for days without food or water,” said Twyla Francois with MFAC.
Mercy for Animals has sent a reform proposal to federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz based on European Union animal transport laws.
In one scene in the video, a worker describes finding 31 dead pigs in one truck after a winter transport in temperatures close to -40 C.
It is also legal in Canada to cut the sharp teeth of male pigs with bolt cutters without using painkillers. In Europe, standard practice is to separate pigs in transit, negating the need to cut their teeth.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a statement last week saying it has launched an internal investigation “to determine if federal rules were broken and if suitable inspection actions were taken.”
Western Hog Exchange posted a statement on its website in late September after being shown the video, saying it is also investigating.
“Many of the images we saw on the video were shocking and disturbing, and they are not in keeping with the animal care training and policies in place at WHE,” chair Brent Moen said in the statement. “It’s clear that we need to do better.”
— With files from QMI Agency
Kevin.connor@sunmedia.ca
An image taken from a video released by Mercy for Animals Canada.
Video shows pigs being beaten and shocked | Home | Toronto Sun
Video shows abuse at Red Deer hog assembly yard
By Kevin Maimann, Edmonton Sun First posted: Monday, October 13, 2014 06:00 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, October 13, 2014 09:31 PM EDT
An animal welfare group is demanding action from the federal government after releasing a hidden-camera video that shows workers beating pigs in front of inspectors at a Red Deer hog assembly yard.
The graphic video, taken by an undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals, shows workers at Western Hog Exchange kicking and hitting hobbled pigs with bats and cutting teeth off loudly squealing male pigs with bolt cutters.
In one scene, a person identified as a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspector says, “If anybody has a camera, this’ll be on the Internet.”
“Inspectors were present for the duration of every single one of the investigator’s shifts, and not a single warning or violation was recorded by the CFIA,” said Anna Pippus, director of legal advocacy with Mercy for Animals Canada.
Pippus said while she believes some of the footage depicts legal violations, much of what is shown is standard practice in the animal transport industry.
She said Canada’s animal transport laws are the weakest in the western world.
“Every single time we’ve gone undercover at a randomly selected factory farm, we’ve uncovered abuse and neglect that has shocked and horrified the Canadian public, in some cases resulted in animal cruelty investigations by law enforcement, raids and charges,” she said.
“The laws are simply too weak to protect animals and they’re not being enforced.”
The undercover investigator applied for a job as a hog receiver at the facility – she applied at several facilities and took the first job that was offered - and worked there for 10 weeks between May and August this year.
Mercy for Animals has sent a reform proposal to federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz based on European Union animal transport laws. In Canada, some species of farm animals can be legally transported for up to 52 hours without food, water or rest, compared to the European limit of eight hours.
In one scene in the video, a worker describes finding 31 dead pigs in one truck after a winter transport in temperatures close to -40 C.
It is also legal in Canada to cut the sharp teeth of male pigs with bolt cutters without using painkillers. In Europe, standard practice is to separate pigs in transit, negating the need to cut their teeth.
CFIA issued a statement last week saying it has launched an internal investigation “to determine if federal rules were broken and if suitable inspection actions were taken.”
Western Hog Exchange posted a statement on its website in late September after being shown the video saying it is also investigating.
“Many of the images we saw on the video were shocking and disturbing, and they are not in keeping with the animal care training and policies in place at WHE,” chair Brent Moen said in the statement. “It’s clear that we need to do better.”
kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca
@SunKevinM
Mercy For Animals Canada has released a hidden-camera footage where the allege that pigs have been beaten, shocked, and mutilated without painkillers in full view of CFIA Government Inspectors. Frame Grab Courtesy/Mercy For Animals Canada
Video shows abuse at Red Deer hog assembly yard | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
By Kevin Connor, Toronto Sun
First posted: Monday, October 13, 2014 07:50 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, October 13, 2014 08:34 PM EDT
Mercy For Animals Canada has released undercover video which the group says shows pigs being mutilated and shocked by workers at an abattoir in front of government inspectors.
The animal advocacy groups’ footage shows downed pigs with open wounds being beaten, dragged and left to suffer without veterinary care at the Western Hog Exchange in Red Deer, Alta.
“This video shows some of the worst abuse of animals that I have ever seen,” said Ian Duncan, of Guelph University’s applied ethology department. “The video shows a huge amount of pain and distress caused by ignorant workers and an apparently compliant Canadian Food Inspection agent and exacerbated by poorly designed handling facilities.”
MFAC says pigs and other farmed animals can legally be trucked for up to 52 hours in Canada without food, water or rest, which results in the death of over 8 million animals year.
Animal laws in Europe only allow livestock to be transported for a maximum of eight hours without food, water and rest.
“Canada’s outdated livestock transport regulations are downright shameful, and lag behind the rest of the western world, allowing animals to suffer unimaginably as they are trucked through all weather extremes, for days without food or water,” said Twyla Francois with MFAC.
Mercy for Animals has sent a reform proposal to federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz based on European Union animal transport laws.
In one scene in the video, a worker describes finding 31 dead pigs in one truck after a winter transport in temperatures close to -40 C.
It is also legal in Canada to cut the sharp teeth of male pigs with bolt cutters without using painkillers. In Europe, standard practice is to separate pigs in transit, negating the need to cut their teeth.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a statement last week saying it has launched an internal investigation “to determine if federal rules were broken and if suitable inspection actions were taken.”
Western Hog Exchange posted a statement on its website in late September after being shown the video, saying it is also investigating.
“Many of the images we saw on the video were shocking and disturbing, and they are not in keeping with the animal care training and policies in place at WHE,” chair Brent Moen said in the statement. “It’s clear that we need to do better.”
— With files from QMI Agency
Kevin.connor@sunmedia.ca
An image taken from a video released by Mercy for Animals Canada.
Video shows pigs being beaten and shocked | Home | Toronto Sun
Video shows abuse at Red Deer hog assembly yard
By Kevin Maimann, Edmonton Sun First posted: Monday, October 13, 2014 06:00 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, October 13, 2014 09:31 PM EDT
An animal welfare group is demanding action from the federal government after releasing a hidden-camera video that shows workers beating pigs in front of inspectors at a Red Deer hog assembly yard.
The graphic video, taken by an undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals, shows workers at Western Hog Exchange kicking and hitting hobbled pigs with bats and cutting teeth off loudly squealing male pigs with bolt cutters.
In one scene, a person identified as a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspector says, “If anybody has a camera, this’ll be on the Internet.”
“Inspectors were present for the duration of every single one of the investigator’s shifts, and not a single warning or violation was recorded by the CFIA,” said Anna Pippus, director of legal advocacy with Mercy for Animals Canada.
Pippus said while she believes some of the footage depicts legal violations, much of what is shown is standard practice in the animal transport industry.
She said Canada’s animal transport laws are the weakest in the western world.
“Every single time we’ve gone undercover at a randomly selected factory farm, we’ve uncovered abuse and neglect that has shocked and horrified the Canadian public, in some cases resulted in animal cruelty investigations by law enforcement, raids and charges,” she said.
“The laws are simply too weak to protect animals and they’re not being enforced.”
The undercover investigator applied for a job as a hog receiver at the facility – she applied at several facilities and took the first job that was offered - and worked there for 10 weeks between May and August this year.
Mercy for Animals has sent a reform proposal to federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz based on European Union animal transport laws. In Canada, some species of farm animals can be legally transported for up to 52 hours without food, water or rest, compared to the European limit of eight hours.
In one scene in the video, a worker describes finding 31 dead pigs in one truck after a winter transport in temperatures close to -40 C.
It is also legal in Canada to cut the sharp teeth of male pigs with bolt cutters without using painkillers. In Europe, standard practice is to separate pigs in transit, negating the need to cut their teeth.
CFIA issued a statement last week saying it has launched an internal investigation “to determine if federal rules were broken and if suitable inspection actions were taken.”
Western Hog Exchange posted a statement on its website in late September after being shown the video saying it is also investigating.
“Many of the images we saw on the video were shocking and disturbing, and they are not in keeping with the animal care training and policies in place at WHE,” chair Brent Moen said in the statement. “It’s clear that we need to do better.”
kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca
@SunKevinM
Mercy For Animals Canada has released a hidden-camera footage where the allege that pigs have been beaten, shocked, and mutilated without painkillers in full view of CFIA Government Inspectors. Frame Grab Courtesy/Mercy For Animals Canada
Video shows abuse at Red Deer hog assembly yard | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
