Animal rights activists say it’s time Canada updated its regulations when it comes to shipments of live animals.
Thirty people demonstrated in front of the Harry Hays building in downtown Calgary Monday afternoon demanding changes.
They are specifically calling attention to the export of horses to Japan for the meat trade and say the horses face over 30 hours of travel often in cramped conditions.
“Four shipments coming from a feedlot around Fort Macleod containing up to 90 horses and those shipments go to the Calgary International Airport,” says Vickie Colgan spokesperson for Canadians Against Live Export. “They are offloaded three to a crate where they stay for several hours until they are loaded into a plane and flown to Japan.”
Under Canadian law, horses cannot be kept confined for more than 36 hours.
The industry says those claims aren’t accurate and treating the horses well is important for business.
“It affects the taste of meat and affects the welfare of the animal,” says Bill desBarres with the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada. “The welfare of the animal is the foremost thing that we are concerned with.”
Colgan says her group wants public pressure to help influence policy changes.
“We want to see legislation that is reflective of a progressive western nation,” she says. “European Union, the United States of America both have much better standards for animal transport in general. Canada laws haven’t been updated since 1975.”
In a statement, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it remains focused on enforcing the law while reviewing current legislation.
Similar protests were held Monday in Toronto and Vancouver and Colgan expects the rallies to be held every August 29th until changes to the regulations are made.
