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Canadian animal transport regulations under revision
Make your opinions known

 

Canada’s animal transportation guidelines desperately need updating. Now is a unique opportunity to express your views to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about existing transport standards, the adoption of new welfare standards and adequate enforcement. Transportation is an issue that impacts virtually all farmed animals. This paper addresses issues affecting farmed animals only.

To make comments, visit this link.

 

The basics

  • Virtually all farmed animals are transported at least once in their lives.
  • Long-distance journeys are a traumatic experience for farmed animals.
  • Animals should not be transported if it can be avoided, and journeys involving animals should be as short as possible. Generally, the longer the journey, the lesser the animal’s welfare.
  • A meat-only trade is recommended in place of long journeys.
  • Canadian animals that are exported are not protected by Canadian transport standards, and can end up in countries where they receive little or no protection.
  • Spent hens should be euthanized on-farm whenever possible to spare them the trauma of transport.

 

For a more detailed look at this issue, click here to view CCFA's submission (pdf).

Send an email to:

 

Honourable Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Ritz.G@parl.gc.ca

 

requesting that he revise Canada's outdated transport regulations to be consistent with the findings of the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare, to reduce transport time for pigs, poultry, horses, calves and lambs to 8 hours, and 12 hours for cattle, sheep and goats, and ensure adequate enforcement of the regulations.

 

Or email your MP requesting that s/he support revisions to Canada's transport regulations.

MP information can be found by clicking here.

 

Excerpts from current Canadian animal transportation standards

This link to the Justice Department contains Canada’s current animal transportation regulations (Health of Animals Regulations, Part XII). Please note the website is not up-to-date and does not include the important recent amendment which disallows transport of downer animals.

 

  • Current standards for animal transport allow:
    • Equines, swine and other monogastric animals (including poultry) to be transported 36 hours without food water or rest
    • cattle, sheep, goats or other ruminants to be transported 52 hours within Canada without food, water or rest
    • (The CFIA notes in its discussion paper inviting Canadians’ comments that 52 hours could extend to 81 hours without food for ruminants.)
  • Rest periods need be only 5 hours following maximum travel times, until transport may begin again.
  • Current standards are vague, e.g., suggesting there should not be “inadequate ventilation.” Instead, the standards should specify automatic heating and cooling systems for vehicles.
  • Existing standards actually allow beating an animal, stating, “No person shall beat an animal being loaded or unloaded in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to it.”

 

What Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals and Animals’ Angels want in the revised animal transport regulations

The comments below are not inclusive of all transport issues affecting farmed animals, but highlight key regulatory issues.

 

  • CCFA and AA oppose long-distance transport.

 

Animals should be slaughtered as near as possible to the farm of rearing.

 

Given our position against long-distance transport, it may seem incongruous to recommend times for such travel. However, because long-distance transport is unlikely to end in the short term, suffering can be lessened by adoption of more animal-friendly transport standards. Thus we recommend the following maximum standards:

 

  • Maximum 24 hour travel time for reasons other than slaughter for ruminant animals (cattle, goats, sheep, etc.)
    Except lactating cattle: 12 hours, then milked
    Except calves and other suckling young: 6 hours
  • Calves should be a minimum of 14 days old, and pigs, 50 days old, before being transported.
  • Maximum 18 hours for reasons other than slaughterfor monogastric animals (pigs, poultry, horses, etc.)
  • Maximum time for animals destined for slaughter: 8 hours – ruminants and monogastrics
  • Except calves, piglets and other suckling young: 6 hours
  • Maximum time for loading poultry from start to finish: not exceed 6 hours
  • Lactating and suckling animals should never be tranportedtoauctions for sale, only to slaughter or for fattening.
  • Food and water stations (staging points) should be provided for unloading and resting animals when journeys reach maximum travel times.
  • Rest periods should be 18 hours minimum before travel begins again.
  • Staging points should be CFIA-approved and inspected, with three per province (except PEI).
  • Animals should not be transported within the final 10% of their pregnancy.
  • Non-ambulatory animals or animals with a broken leg should not be transported.
  • Any bird that appears lame or injured should be euthanized on-farm, not transported.
  • Mandatory training on humane animal handling, easy loading techniques and transport regulations should be required for all drivers.
  • A certificate of competence for drivers should be required to demonstrate they have passed the training course. Certification should be withdrawn for infringement of standards.
  • All livestock trucks should be licensed, to demonstrate the trailer or truck is fit for transporting animals.
  • Animals should be transported to their destination without unnecessary delays. Journeys longer than 12 hours should have two drivers, to prevent delays while drivers sleep.
  • An official veterinarian should be present at time of loading when journeys exceed 500 km, to confirm the truck is in acceptable condition, meets regulatory requirements and the animals are fit for transport.
  • The veterinarian should sign the transport plan, and ensure selected staging points are appropriate, and registered.
  • All journeys should require a transport plan (indicating origin and destination, planned resting breaks, type and number of animals on board).
  • Data from the transport plans should be compiled in a computerized CFIA database to trace animal movements and sales.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF VEHICLES

  • All trucks should be equipped with a tacograph, a fixed means of lighting, a thermometer installed in the trailer, and automatic heating and cooling systems.
  • Dividers should be in place to create compartments for small numbers of animals and prevent trampling.
  • Horses should not be transported in two-tier trailers.
  • Emergency water troughs should be available in every truck to attach to sides of the trailer.
  • All trucks should have a layer of bedding thick enough to absorb urine and manure during the entire journey.
  • Height of cages for hens, chickens, turkeys and rabbits should allow the animals to stand upright in a natural position.
  • Easy driver-access to animals should be assured.
  • Inclination of ramps should assure animals do not slip or become frightened during loading.

 

LOADING DENSITY AND LOADING CONDITIONS

  • Precise loading densities should be created, similar to the EU standards, but allowing additional space for sheep, cattle and horses.
  • Lower density levels should be required during hot summer months (e.g., 15% additional space when the outside temperature exceeds 25C).
  • Electric prods should be absolutely forbidden, and no hitting on the face, genitals, udder, hip bones, vertebrae or legs during loading or unloading allowed.

 

ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATIONS

  • Additional CFIA personnel should be provided to properly enforce standards for animal transport, at sales barns and auctions, with improved reporting and documentation of animal mistreatment across Canada
  • CFIA should involve the RCMP, provincial police and SPCA officers in enforcement duties to ensure more comprehensive oversight of animal transport, markets and auction barns.
  • Penalties for infractions should be specified in the regulations.
  • Canadian animals need protection beyond Canada’s borders, not just on Canadian soil.

 

If protection cannot be assured, animals should not leave Canada.

 

  • Livestock trucks require priority at border crossings with special lanes, so effective communication is needed between U.S. and Canadian enforcement agencies.
  • In case of a downed animal, a means is needed to gain access to U.S.-bound sealed trailers.
  • CFIA veterinarians need authority to euthanize animals in distress at the border.

 

Comparative animal transport standards: New Zealand

  • Mature ruminants should be watered at least every 12 hours.
  • Lactating animals should be watered at least every 8 hours.
  • Non-ruminant animals (pigs, horses, poultry) and unweaned animals should be watered at least every 8 hours.
  • Pigs should not be transported more than 8 hours without water and 24 hours without food.
  • Inspections of vehicles should be undertaken within 30 minutes of departure, then at least every two hours through the journey.
  • Pregnant animals in their last trimester should not be transported longer than 8 hours.
  • Electric prodders, plastic pipes and dogs must not be used to herd pigs.
  • Horses should not be transported more than 12 hours without water and 24 hours without food.
  • Birds should not be held in containers for longer than 12 hours, unless they are assured of access to water.

 

To make comments

E-mail: animaltransportanimaux@inspection.gc.ca
Fax: 613.288.6144
Mail: 59 Camelot Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0Y9

 

Thank you for your concern about transportation of farmed animals.