Category: News/Blog

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Please sign petition before Tim Hortons AGM

Conventional battery hens

UPDATE:  Tim Hortons has announced an animal welfare initiative. Details here.  Stay tuned for VHS reaction.

On May 10th, Tim Hortons will hold its annual general meeting in Toronto. A shareholder resolution will be proposed asking Tim Hortons to stop buying eggs and pork from hens and pigs confined in cramped metal cages.

Add YOUR voice to the discussion. Sign our petition here and TELL TIM HORTONS TO STOP SUPPORTING FARM ANIMAL CRUELTY. We have collected more than 23,000 signatures so far – AT LEAST 10,000 is even better.

Please sign and share today. We have only A FEW DAYS LEFT!

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Canada’s factory farms exposed

VHS’s contribution to the report concerns Canada’s supply management system and cruelty to caged hens like these ones on an Ontario battery farm.

Report is a must read

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has released some alarming findings about the impacts of Canada’s animal agriculture practices.

What’s On Your Plate? The Hidden Costs of Industrial Animal Agriculture exposes the destructive impacts of intensive livestock operations on our health, the environment, animal welfare and rural Canada.

The report also exposes the real costs of our food, including tax-funded subsidies to agriculture, and the costs borne by our health care system for public safety and food borne illnesses. Our “cheap” food isn’t so cheap after all!

VHS co-wrote a section on supply management and Canada’s egg industry (pages 101-105). Read the report here and take action to help address the issue.

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

City Critters – a great new book on urban animals

Don’t miss official launch on April 25

Almost every day there are news reports about wild animals in urban areas.  There seems to be an endless stream of stories about coyotes, bears, raccoons and other animals interacting (sometimes clashing) with humans, as we encroach on their habitats. While some animals adapt well to urban life, our co-habitation with them can still be difficult.  That’s why it’s vital that we learn about these animals and understand why we are increasingly sharing the same space.   It’s also why VHS is pleased to recommend a timely new book that can help us do just that.

City Critters, by Vancouver author Nicholas Read, provides a welcome and comprehensive introduction to the incredible range of animals North Americans can find, sometimes literally, on their doorsteps.

Described by one reviewer as “meticulous and rich with fascinating anecdotes about various human/wildlife encounters”, City Critters is ostensibly aimed at younger readers but animal lovers of any age will appreciate it.

The book is being launched alongside several other books for young readers on April 25 at 7p.m. at Kidsbooks, 3083 West Broadway, Vancouver.  All proceeds from the sale of City Critters will go to animal charities, including the Vancouver Humane Society.

 

 

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Ask Mayor Nenshi to speak up for compassion

Compassionate Canadians must write to Calgary’s mayor.  Here’s why:

It’s time to end cruel calf-roping at the Calgary Stampede and there’s one man who could make it happen:  Naheed Nenshi, the mayor of Calgary.

Since his election in 2010, Mayor Nenshi has done much to enhance Calgary’s image as a progressive city with a heart.  But the city’s image remains tarnished by the cruelty inflicted on animals during the annual Calgary Stampede rodeo.  And calf-roping is perhaps the cruellest rodeo event of all.

Three-month old calves are goaded out of the chute at full speed (up to 27 miles per hour). The terrified animal is then chased by a mounted rider who ropes the calf to a sudden, bone-jarring halt, picks him up and slams him to the ground. The event is timed and the rider who does it fastest wins.

The time pressure of the event and the prize money at stake can lead to poor roping, harsh handling and mistakes by riders – all of which put the calf at risk of injury. But it is not just the risk of injury that is the problem with calf-roping. It’s the fear.

All cattle are “prey” animals and research has shown they are particularly sensitive to fear. Dr. Temple Grandin, the distinguished animal behaviourist, has written that fear is “so bad” for animals it can be worse than pain.

There can be no doubt that a three-month-old calf, goaded and chased into an arena with a shouting crowd is suffering even before the rope pulls him off his feet.  How can tormenting an animal in this way be acceptable as entertainment?  Treating a dog this way would result in cruelty charges.

Mayor Nenshi, as a member of the Stampede’s board of directors, could be a voice for compassion by urging the board to stop the unconscionable cruelty of calf-roping.  By taking this step, the Stampede could begin evolving into an acceptable form of entertainment – one that doesn’t rely on the abuse of animals.

Please tell Mayor Nenshi to speak up for the innocent calves who suffer for the sake of human amusement by emailing him this letter.

More information on the Calgary Stampede rodeo here.

 

 

 

 

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Big Ag and Calgary Stampede target school kids

Rosy image of factory farming promoted

Conventional egg farm

The corporate power of Big Agriculture and the Calgary Stampede is being used to paint a rosy picture of factory farming to Calgary schoolchildren – with no dissenting voices allowed.

The Stampede’s ‘Aggie Days’ (April 21-22) is an annual event “celebrating” agriculture in Alberta – as long as it’s conventional, intensive agriculture.  Up to  30,000 local schoolchildren visit the promotion each year.

Paul Hughes, a local food activist who promotes small-scale urban agriculture, has been denied a booth at the event for the past four years. Hughes says that his booth would focus on how to grow food in an urban environment, providing information on preparing plots, choosing plants and starting school gardens.   Yet despite such innocuous activities and a pledge not to engage in any political activity, Hughes was again denied a booth.

Other exhibitors, like Alberta Chicken Producers and Alberta Egg Producers, will have booths at the event.  But Hughes, who is president of the Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (CLUCK), is not welcome.  CLUCK is opposed to factory farming, including battery-cage egg operations. Perhaps the big conventional chicken operations don’t want schoolchildren to hear that hens are happier when they’re not crammed six to a cage.

While VHS has concerns about unregulated urban chickens, CLUCK’s proposals are about responsible urban husbandry that’s subject to regulation that will protect animal welfare.  It’s hard not to admire CLUCK’s fight for a traditional form of small-scale agriculture that respects animals and the environment.  It’s just one more small voice trying to stand up to the overwhelming power of corporate agriculture.

And it’s that corporate power that is being used to silence any voice that questions factory farming.  Meanwhile, Aggie Days will ensure that schoolchildren see a one-sided view of agriculture that suits Big Ag and the Calgary Stampede.

 

 

 

 

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Hear great new music and help farm animals!

We’re excited to launch our newest and most musical endeavour today!

With the help of Vancouver Film School students we’ve created a great new music album featuring 10 up-and-coming alternative-indie artists, both local and international. There is even a forward by renowned animal advocate Bob Barker of “The Price is Right” fame.

The album, titled Alternative for Animals, can be downloaded from CDBaby.com for only $7.99, and 100% of the proceeds will go to VHS’s farm animal programs. Preview the tracks and purchase the album here.

The album is meant to raise awareness about the animal cruelty issues in the farming industry and give you a chance to help. See www.raisingthebarn.ca for more details.

Alternative for Animals will serve as a powerful reminder to people of how our choices and actions can either contribute to or alleviate animal suffering.  We are certain that when consumers are informed about the facts, they will be encouraged to reduce or eliminate their consumption of meat, dairy and eggs or at least choose products from certified organic farms. These options offer higher welfare for the animals and are better for the environment and human health.

Please spread the word about this fantastic project and support the movement towards improving farm animal welfare.

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Hens to end miserable lives as glue

The sticky problem of making money from old hens finally has a solution. They’re going to be turned into glue.

According to a story in the Western Producer, researchers at the University of Alberta say spent hens, which are seen as waste in the industry, can be used to produce wood glue. There’s a “big market” say the researchers.

In Canada at any given time, there are approximately 28 million egg-laying hens. Most of them spend their short lives of 12 to 24 months in wire cages (called battery cages), with each hen having less room than a sheet of paper. The hens are crammed five to seven to a cage with no room to express any natural behaviours such as nesting, wing-flapping, dust-bathing or foraging. The frustration from such extreme crowding causes the birds to cannibalize each other. Industry’s answer to this problem is to cut off the hens’ beaks with a hot blade or a laser, which has been scientifically proven to cause extreme pain.

Until now, the bodies of hens that are no longer considered productive (spent hens) have been worthless, so much so that even transporting them to slaughter was uneconomical. On-farm killing and composting has been encouraged, using methods such as gassing, macerating and electrocution.

There are significant welfare problems with both transport and on-farm slaughter. Transportation of farm animals is poorly regulated in Canada for any species, and the vulnerability of spent hens means they are particularly at risk. Their bones are fragile due to excessive egg production and lack of exercise – between 24% and 29% of laying hens have broken bones by the time they reach the processing plant, according to a 1989 study. The battery cages in which they spend their lives are poorly designed, so even removing them from the cages can cause painful injuries, including fractures. Because of their low economic value, each bird is not treated with care and ‘catchers’ can be extremely rough when removing hens from cages and cramming them into transport drawers.

The trip to the slaughterhouse is fraught with yet more misery, including inclement weather, long transport distances, vehicle vibration, etc. Once there, stressed and suffering, they are again pulled from the containers and hung upside down to have their heads dragged through an electrified water bath (called stunning). Too many birds survive the stunning and are fully conscious as their throats are slit.

While on-farm slaughter addresses the problems with transport, welfare is still a serious issue. Because farms are away from the city, the public, including authorities tasked with oversight of animal welfare, does not see what’s happening. All of the killing methods, including gassing, maceration, and electrocution, can cause terrible suffering.

An improvement in economic value is not likely to result in increased welfare. Spent hens will continue to suffer until the public accepts the painful reality of their lives and deaths.  Their suffering can be reduced by purchasing only cage-free eggs or by cutting out eggs altogether.

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Big Ag would benefit from neutered provincial SPCAs

Two disturbing pieces of proposed legislation, one in Ontario, the other in B.C., appear to be aimed at reducing the powers of SPCA constables to protect animals.

In B.C., Bill 24 would see responsibility for hearing the appeals of individuals whose animals have been seized because of distress, move from the B.C. Supreme Court to the BC Farm Industry Review Board (BC FIRB).  This would include both farm and companion animals.  The proposal has caused widespread consternation, with the BC SPCA arguing that it would result in cases taking longer to resolve.  The society has expressed “deep concerns that, based on the recorded history of BC FIRB decisions, the earliest that appeals will be heard is six months and in many cases, it may take much longer.”  Consequently, the BC SPCA has called on the public to oppose the bill.

VHS agrees with the BC SPCA’s position.  VHS board director Rebeka Breder, a lawyer specializing in animal law, told the Georgia Straight: “The bottom line is that this does not help animals in any way or further the protection or welfare of animals in British Columbia. If anything, I find that it impedes it.”

Meanwhile, in Ontario, Bill 47 is proposing to give the province’s agriculture ministry the power to enforce farm animal welfare instead of the OSPCA.  The society says the bill “would cause Ontario to hold the worst Animal Welfare legislation in Canada.”

It is an odd coincidence that two pieces of provincial legislation are proposing to strip powers from the courts or SPCAs (whose sole purpose is to protect animals) and hand them over to provincial agriculture bodies.  The current membership of the BC FIRB includes farmers but no one with specialist experience in animal welfare (let alone companion animals).  The Ontario ministry of agriculture’s vision statement is for “Thriving rural Ontario, agriculture, and food sectors”, while the OSPCA’s vision highlights  “making a measurable difference for animals.”   It would no doubt suit the agriculture industry to have bodies whose focus is not animal welfare overseeing the treatment of livestock instead of professional animal welfare investigators.

In the United States, powerful lobbyists for the agriculture industry have succeeded in convincing legislators in Iowa to outlaw investigations of farm animal cruelty by animal advocates working undercover as employees.  Several other states are considering such “Ag-gag” laws.  Such proposals have yet to emerge in Canada, but it is clear that public concern over factory farms and animal welfare has alarmed the intensive agriculture industry.

Animal advocates should be vigilant and ensure that the legislative moves in B.C. and Ontario do not allow Canada’s Big Ag  to keep its treatment of farm animals away from the scrutiny of animal cruelty investigators and a concerned public.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Horses die for our entertainment

News that the HBO series ‘Luck’ has been cancelled after three horses died during production, has put the spotlight on the horse racing industry just as a number of horses have been killed in high profile races.

The deaths of five horses in two days at the U.K.’s famous Cheltenham Festival has outraged animal welfare advocates, including the RSPCA.  Meanwhile, it has been reported that 16 horses have died in the last 14 weeks at New York’s Aqueduct Horse Track, prompting the State’s Governor to call for an independent inquiry.

Of course, race horse deaths are nothing new.  Last year, it emerged that 20 horses had died within as many months at the Hastings Park Racecourse in Vancouver.

And horses die regularly in other forms of equine entertainment, such as rodeos.  More than 50 horses have died at the Calgary Stampede since 1986,. This includes two at last year’s Stampede, as reported by the Calgary Herald ‘s pathetically upbeat headline: ‘Visitor numbers up, horse deaths down as Calgary Stampede ends’ (Six died the year before.)

Supporters of these spectacles should face up to the fact that animals are dying so that they may be entertained.

 

 

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

Red meat is bad, but don’t switch to chicken or fish

Eating red meat increases the risk of premature death says a major new report by the Harvard School of Public Health.

This latest study showing that red meat consumption is a health hazard will likely be welcomed by opponents of factory farming. After all, anything that potentially reduces the demand for meat should be good news for animal welfare, the environment and human health. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Like many studies showing the health risks associated with eating red meat, this one recommends switching to alternatives such as fish or poultry – options that are fraught with environmental, sustainability and animal welfare problems.

VHS launched an Eat Less Chicken project specifically to counter suggestions that chicken is a more acceptable choice than red meat. In terms of pound-for-pound animal suffering, eating poultry is among the worst options, as billions of chickens are inhumanely raised and slaughtered to provide relatively small amounts of meat. While poultry production is not as environmentally damaging as, say, intensive pig farming it still has considerable negative impacts.

If substantial numbers of people were to start replacing red meat with fish, it would likely further devastate global fish stocks, three quarters of which are already either fully or over exploited.

The simple truth is that moving toward a plant-based diet is the best way to reduce our impact on the environment, improve our health and prevent animal suffering.

For more information see our Eat Less Meat webpage.