For most of their lives, farmed animals in Canada have no federal protections and are exempt from almost all provincial animal protection laws. The only federal laws and regulations applied to farmed animals cover transport and slaughter and are notoriously weak.
Canada’s Animal Transport Regulations are inhumane and cruel
It is permitted to transport farmed animals for up to 36 hours without food, water, or rest. Transporters are not required to provide any protection from the elements, meaning that animals can be transported in open-sided trucks even through Canada’s harsh winter conditions or in summer heatwaves. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulations are vague and ambiguous. This lack of specific acceptable ranges hurts animals. This vagueness is the same as Ontario’s Standards of Care resulting in poor enforcement and justice.
In 2019, due to growing public and advocacy pressure, CFIA finally updated their federal animal transport regulations. Unfortunately, the new standards failed to meet even the most fundamental requirements that have long been law in other jurisdictions and which are widely supported by science. The DRAFT version of new CFIA regulations were scaled back due to industry pressure.
In the European Union, regulations provide clear guidance, stating that animals should not be transported in open vehicles in temperatures outside of 5°C–30°C.
The new regulations are a missed opportunity to bring Canada in line with other developed countries. They highlight the egregious level of influence animal use industries over the government department tasked with protecting animals in transport. Even CFIA disclosed that each year over 1.5 million animals are either injured or killed in transport each year.