Mercy for Animals Canada has recorded inhumane treatment of pigs at a Canadian processing facility. Workers at Western Hog Exchange in Red Deer, Alberta were forcing animals to walk with electric prods and using bats to force pigs to move through crowded pens.
That facility is federally monitored, and inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are on the footage. In fact, some inspectors gave the workers electric prods to use on the animals. One inspector said “if anybody has a camera, this’ll be on the internet.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released a statement about “allegations” of inhumane treatment of the animal at that facility. They say, “Animal abuse is unacceptable, and we do not tolerate it under any circumstances.” An internal review has begun at the agency to see if federal rules were broken.
The Canadian government created Inspection Verification Teams earlier in 2014 to oversee the performance of Canada’s food inspection system. Those teams are supposed to show up at federally registered facilities for unannounced inspections.
The CFIA states “We are pleased to see the Western Hog Exchange has taken steps on their own to address animal welfare concerns within their facility. We will continue to work with them and all of our stakeholders to ensure that animals are treated humanely during transportation and slaughter.”
If you witness cruelty to animals or animal abuse, notify authorities and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA says that billions of farm animals are abused and lack basic protections under the law. They state that consumers should investigate where the food they buy comes from and only buy animals products that are labeled with animal welfare certification labels.
I am glad someone is treating animal abuse seriously. It is sad that there were inspectors there, and they did nothing. I’m glad this undercover footage happened.