Comment on Animal Transport Standards

From CCFA:

Every time you see a truck of chickens or cows or pigs on the highway does it make you cringe?

It should. Canada's outdated transport standards allow cattle to be transported more than two days WITHOUT water, food or rest. And for food, more than three days. Can you imagine?

Horses, pigs and poultry may be transported a day and a half WITHOUT water, food or rest.

Animals wait in trucks while drivers eat and sleep. After arduous journeys, animals may not receive food or water before slaughter.

Now ­ until March 15, 2006 ­ you can tell the Canadian Food Inspection Agency what transport standards are needed to protect Canada's animals.

Transport is stressful for animals. They suffer, and sometimes "go down". Some die during journeys ­ especially laying hens whose bodies are worn-out and calcium-deprived.

Animals suffer extreme heat and cold in trucks without automatic heating and cooling.

Animals are prodded with electric prods to get them to move on and off vehicles. Pigs sometimes die from the prodding.

It is not a pretty business. Let CFIA know you care. Insist on vastly-improved, up-to-date transport standards and more stringent enforcement by CFIA.

Here's a link to background information and recommendations, and how to provide

e-comments: http://humanefood.ca/News/news_84.html. If you don't agree with our recommendations, by all means develop others, but PLEASE comment.

Thanks,
Stephanie
Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals
Stephanie Brown

Toronto, Canada

e-mail: brown@idirect.com