A must watch!!! ~ Global tv ~ (avail online too!)

[Miss*Bijou]

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REVEALED: NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS

This doc aired on GLOBAL TELEVISION, WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 AT 10PM but you can now watch it online by >>clicking here



Kevin Newman deals with another hot issue: Do animals have any rights in Canada?

That’s a question he poses in the latest instalment of the ‘Revealed’ documentary series, produced by 90th Parallel Productions for Global Television. NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS examines Canada’s deplorable record on animal welfare and looks at the people who are fighting to bring about much-needed change. It’s part of Global Television’s summer documentary series ‘Currents’ and will be telecast on Wednesday, July 28 at 10PM.


“The issue of how we treat our animals is a visceral one and the reality of what’s been happening in this country isn’t easy to take,” Kevin Newman said. “I believe this is a subject that doesn’t get enough attention and the impetus for the ‘Revealed’ series with 90th Parallel is to provide a platform to illuminate issues in an incisive way. I certainly hope we’ve succeeded with this important topic.” Newman narrates this film and co-wrote and co-produced.


Without being unnecessarily graphic, NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS exposes Quebec’s notorious puppy mills and examines the mistreatment of animals raised for food. We see the gestation crates where animals spend their entire lives confined in standing positions, and overcrowded abattoir-bound trucks where livestock can go for days without food or water.


It all happens because Canada has very outdated, ineffectual laws protecting animals and when cruelty charges are made, they are often dismissed. “In Canada animals are property,” explains one activist. Our legal standards protecting animals lag far behind the European Union or California, for example, where major steps have been taken to protect animals and enhance their lives.


This documentary introduces viewers to some of the people who are fighting to bring about change in this country. There’s Nicole Joncas challenging the Quebec courts to close their horrific puppy mills, or Twyla Francois, armed with an undercover camera, campaigning vigorously to bring attention to the mistreatment of farm animals. We meet Canada’s first lawyer to specialize in animal law, and a new, young generation dedicated to the fight to improve the lives of animals through legal and educational means. NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS is a documentary that will enlighten and enrage you. And will leave you wondering how humane our society really is.


NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS is directed by Karen Pinker. It is produced by 90th Parallel Productions Ltd in association with Canwest. Gordon Henderson is executive producer. Karen Pinter and her crew joined CETFA investigators while on investigation from last summer to fall. They caught with their cameras exactly what our investigators see daily - government-sanctioned cruelty to farm animals in transport, on farms, collecting stations, auction houses and slaughterhouses. They then travelled to Europe to see that livestock agriculture doesn't have to be this way.


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The 1hr doc aired on (July 28, 2010) on Global and is now available for viewing on the website. If you did not get to watch it on Global, please take some time to watch it in the next few days!


Even if the images are not anywhere close to showing the worse abuse, cruelty, neglect and current practices, I know some of you, like me, still find it very difficult to watch. However sometimes it is absolutely necessary!! Pretending it is not happening does not make it go away and our own discomfort from watching a short report is infinitely small compared to those animals who experience it all day, day after day for their entire lives!


And if you are finding difficult to watch so prefer to not see it at all - what does it say about the fact that this goes on every day in Canada? Why are we not outraged and demanding changes? Whether you're a vegetarian, an omnivore or a vegan is irrelevant, if you live on this planet, and in Canada especially, this concerns you. We all need to watch this and take steps towards becoming a humane society.


There is not excuse for the (mis)treatment we currently inflict on animals in Canada Every living being is entitled to dignity and it is time to stop and reflect on how Canada should be treating its animals - all of its animals. By continuing to ignore what it truly going here, we are just as guilty as those directly responsible for the abuse - claiming ignorance does not cut it; the info is there it's our responsibility to make ourselves aware and demand changes.


They cannot defend themselves, therefore it is our moral duty to do it for them. So PLEASE WATCH IT!!!




For all of Twyla Francois youtube videos >> click here



Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Feel free to continue reading for more information.




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"We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace."

- Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilization

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Report: Canadian standards for farm-animal transport dangerously lax

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Gloria Galloway - Jun. 02, 2010 3:00AM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...t-dangerously-lax-report-says/article1589007/




Report: Canadian standards for farm-animal transport dangerously lax


Poultry workers opened the doors of a chicken truck at a Toronto slaughterhouse in December, 2008, to find that nearly 1,500 birds had frozen to death in sub-zero temperatures during their final journey from the farm.


At about the same time, 16 neglected horses – animals so emaciated they had not developed winter coats – were sent to a meat factory in Lacombe, Alta., in an unheated truck as the thermometer dipped to minus 12 C. Government inspectors who witnessed their arrival took note of the incident but let the transport company off with a simple warning.


Those and other anecdotes are included in a report by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to be released later this week that looks at the conditions in which animals intended for Canadian dinner plates are transported – often for the last time.


The study, which was based on inspection reports filed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) between Oct. 9, 2008, and Jan. 9, 2009, was initiated in response to the listeriosis crisis of 2008 that killed 22 people. It finds that Canadian standards for the transport of animals are significantly weaker than those of other jurisdictions, including Europe and the United States.


Under CFIA policy, an inspection is warranted if 1 per cent of a shipment of broiler chickens arrives dead, whereas the U.S. threshold is 0.5 per cent. The report also found that the CFIA standards are not strenuously enforced.


“A lot of MPs were asking how many meat inspectors were hired during the listeriosis outbreak and it started to get us questioning how many animal inspectors are there,” Melissa Matlow, the report’s lead author, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. It’s an important question, “not only from an animal welfare perspective, which is what our organization cares the most about, but from a food-safety perspective.”


In fact, much evidence suggests that food-borne illnesses are readily transmitted among animals that are crammed into trucks and train cars.


“When the animals are packed more closely, the opportunity for bacteria to pass from one animal to another is obviously increased,” said Carlton Gyles, who studies animal-borne diseases at the University of Guelph. “There have been studies looking at things like salmonella that can be passed by animals during transportation. So that could increase the chances of contamination of meat.”


Canadians also want to know that the meat they eat comes from animals that did not suffer unduly, Ms. Matlow said. Statistics that the animal rights organization obtained from CFIA indicate that two million to three million animals die during transport every year and another 11 million arrive at their destination diseased or injured.


“We have to ask the question, how many of these animals [that die in transit] are ending up on people’s dinner plates?” Ms. Matlow said. “If there is only one inspector for every two million animals slaughtered for food every year in this country, how can they possibly ensure this isn’t happening?”


CIFA says its inspectors see the animals both before and after slaughter and they would move quickly to shut down a plant that attempted to process animals that were dead on arrival – which is strictly prohibited by federal regulations. But they also admit they cannot be in every meat plant at all times.


The greatest animal suffering observed in the study occurred on long journeys – especially in freezing weather. Canadian cows can be in transit for 52 hours without food, water and a rest break. In Europe, the standard is 12 hours.


Geoff Urton, the farm animal welfare co-ordinator at the British Columbia SPCA, said Canada’s regulations are more than 30 years old and need to be updated. “There is really good evidence that the current standards are not adequate to actually protect the animals,” said Mr. Urton.


Paul Mayers, the associate vice-president of programs at the CFIA, said his agency is preparing to rewrite the rules on animal transport.


But he said the changes will be less about setting time limits for transportation than an overall effort to keep animals healthy. “What we’re talking about,” Mr. Mayers said, “is achieving the outcome in relation to the individual species as opposed to arbitrary time limits, focusing instead on the animal itself.”


As for the fact that many transporters who break the rules get off with a warning, he said the CFIA uses a graduated approach to enforcement, leaving prosecution – in most cases – for repeat violators.


Transporters and the slaughterhouses rely on animals for their income, Mr. Mayers said. “So we certainly see that the vast majority of Canadian producers and transporters are strongly committed to treating animals humanely.”





KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT


1. Unacceptable numbers of animals, particularly chickens, die during transport.

* This most often happens when the birds are moved over long distances and in inclement weather.

* 2 to 3 million: The number of animals that arrive dead every year at Canadian slaughterhouses.



2. Animals are transported in overcrowded conditions.

* Transporters pack between seven and 16 chickens into crates that are a half-metre square, and cows have arrived at processing plants with sores on their backs from brushing against the roof of the truck.

* 6% to 89%: The increase in number of animals covered with salmonella after being kept in crowded conditions for 40 minutes, according to a Texas Tech University study.



3. Severely injured and sick animals are transported in contravention of federal regulations.

* Animals are arriving at slaughterhouses and auctions emaciated, weak, crippled and with severe injuries.

* 2: The number of sheep a farmer brought to be slaughtered at Princeton Meat Packers in Woodstock, Ont., that had injuries so severe, they should never have been transported.



4. Severely compromised animals are transported and left to suffer for prolonged periods, sometimes days.

* The World Society for the Protection of Animals says many incidents may be in violation of federal or provincial animal cruelty laws.

* 58: The length of time, in hours, one crippled cow was left alive on top of a pile of dead animals in Lethbridge, Alta.



5. A shortage of trained animal welfare inspectors, particularly veterinarians, puts animal health and welfare at risk.

* Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors are not authorized to euthanize animals or relieve their suffering for humane reasons, and few animal inspectors are veterinarians or trained to address animal welfare problems during transport.

* 329: The number of animal inspectors employed by the CFIA across Canada to supervise 772 facilities that slaughter 700 million animals annually. There are also 980 meat inspectors.



6. CFIA's reporting and enforcement are often weak and inconsistent.

* Animals are transported in clear violation of regulations (for example, goats transported in feed bags, rabbits transported in the trunk of a car, animals tied up and under covers without air holes) and inspectors respond by giving warnings or educational pamphlets.

* $221,800: The total amount of individual fines, ranging from $500 to $2,000, levied in 2006 across the country for violations of the health of animal regulations.



7. Animals suffer as a result of poor driver training.

* Drivers appear to be unaware of regulations, including their right, indeed, their responsibility, to refuse to transport an injured animal. Some drivers didn't even know how many animals they had aboard their truck.

* 20 hours: In one case, the number of hours a severely injured horse spent in transit.





Recommended: For a copy of the full report (Curb the cruelty) and other related documents >> click here



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There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties...
The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.

--Charles Darwin




Life is life--whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man.
The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage.

-- Sri Aurobindo




When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.

--Ingrid Newkirk

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Confronting the truth about animal suffering

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Confronting the truth about animal suffering
By Peter Fricker 8 Jun 2010 Vancouver Sun Community of Interest


Last week, one of my colleagues at the Vancouver Humane Society suddenly jumped up from her desk and ran from the room in tears, sick to her stomach. She had just watched the latest undercover video of horses being killed inhumanely at a Canadian horse slaughterhouse.


At VHS we’re used to seeing videos depicting all kinds of horrific animal cruelty, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. As video evidence is now a vital element of animal protection work, there’s no shortage of such shocking material. That’s because animal activists have increasingly been carrying out risky and difficult undercover work to expose the cruelty that’s hidden from the public. Animal advocacy groups have used this evidence to draw public attention to animal welfare issues and, sometimes, to bring perpetrators to justice.


Recently, CBC’s The National used undercover video of horse slaughter as the basis for its own investigation into inhumane practices at plants in Alberta and Quebec, discovering that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had not been properly monitoring the shooting of the horses for three years. Had the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition not brought the video to the CBC’s attention no one would ever know the truth about what happens behind the slaughterhouses’ closed doors.


In the United States, an undercover investigation of a dairy farm by animal welfare group Mercy for Animals has shocked the country with video evidence of farm workers subjecting animals to unconscionable cruelty. After viewing the footage, Dr. Bernard Rollin, a distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University, stated: “This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless.” So far, one man has been charged with twelve counts of animal cruelty.


In another recent case, an investigation by PETA resulted in another shocking video in which a pet supply company worker is seen slamming hamsters against a table in an attempt to kill them – evidently because they were deemed unsalable.


The industries involved in these cases routinely respond that “it was an isolated incident” and blame a few “bad apples.” Rarely do they accept any responsibility for what has taken place. Even when the cruelty is systemic and common practice, animal industries go into denial when they are found out. This was the case with VHS’s exposé of an Ontario battery egg farm in 2005. Video footage of the farm showed thousands of egg-laying hens in over-crowded, filthy cages, suffering from severe feather loss and numerous other injuries. The farm never accepted responsibility for the conditions, and, sadly, such treatment is not illegal in Canada.


It’s understandable that many people refuse to look at these videos. They are heartbreaking, sickening and depressing. Who can blame anyone for wanting to avoid them entirely? And yet they are often the only way to document the truth about the way animals are treated today. It is frustrating for animal advocates to hear skeptics continually defend factory farming, the pet trade, rodeos, zoos, circuses and other animal industries while they deride “crazy animal activists.” It is often these same skeptics who refuse to look at the horrific evidence that exposes the cruelty occurring in the industries they defend.


For people who believe animals are entitled to humane treatment but find it unbearable to see the evidence of their suffering there is one piece of advice they might consider: Turn away from the images of cruelty if you must, but please don’t turn away from the animals themselves. There are thousands of people taking action to end animal suffering who don’t dwell on depressing videos. They arm themselves with the facts and take action – everything from writing letters to boycotting animal products and industries.


Nevertheless it will always be important to document and record the suffering that humans inflict on animals. As my colleague put it when she returned to her computer screen: “The animal lived it. The least you can do is bear witness.”


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Photo Essay: The Journey to the Slaughterhouse


You've no doubt heard the expression "A picture is worth a thousand words."
These pictures are worth far more than that.

>> click here to read


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"One day the absurdity of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be palpable. We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr

 

[Bad Santa]

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Miss Bijou. Animal Cruelty laws must be strengthened in this country. But the farm lobby is very powerful and many will fight any changes in the law tooth and nail if they think it will cost them money. Too many think efficiency is more important than if animals suffer.

As always, the almight dollar is the bottom line. The only real way to effect change is for people to vote with their wallets. If certain industry's practices are found to be cruel, buy your produce from those who treat animals humanely.

But as you say, a lot of people don't want to see it because it's painful to watch. Shows like this one are good. Thanks for bringing it to people's attention!

 

[mimi]

thank you for taking the time to speak about a very important topic.

Animal cruelty is an awful thing, and, we should be acting on the welfare of these animals, however, the best angle to begin with is not their welfare, but, rather, with our own. Safeguarding our food supply should impliment laws that prevent this abuse.

When I read of so many animals dying in transit I pause to consider how the original environmental impact of raising the animal could have been avoided if fewer animals were raised and more care was spent getting them to slaughter houses....btw....new rules on slaughter houses have reduced their number and made long hauls more common.