e-3961 (Animals)

The Government of Canada takes animal welfare very seriously. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is always open to exploring ways to further enhance its  practices for enforcing the humane treatment laws for which it is responsible.

Laws for animal welfare at federally inspected slaughter facilities and CFIA regulatory compliance surveillance activities

Canada’s laws for the humane slaughter of food animals at federally inspected abattoirs are found in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). CFIA drafted  these laws based on current international animal welfare research as well as feedback provided by Canadians and other stakeholders during one of the broadest  consultations ever conducted by the Government of Canada.

In the same way that citizens are responsible for following applicable laws, federally inspected facilities are responsible for following the humane treatment requirements  found in the SFCR. CFIA’s role is to verify compliance.

Before receiving a licence to operate a slaughter facility under the federal regime, abattoir owners or operators must have preventive control plans for animal welfare in  place. These plans must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of CFIA, that the facility is meeting all federal humane handling, stunning and slaughter requirements in the  SFCR. In this way, CFIA verification work begins even before an abattoir is permitted to operate at the federal level.

Once licensed under the federal system, operators can only run slaughter lines when CFIA inspectors and veterinarians are on-site to verify that operators are meeting  their obligation to fulfill all humane treatment requirements found in the SFCR. CFIA on-site staff take this responsibility seriously, and circulate the facility on an ongoing  basis to verify, to the best of their ability, that animals are protected from unnecessary pain and suffering. It is important to recognize that this system yields high compliance. When instances of non-compliance are identified, inspectors are present to address these promptly and effectively.

Reliability of undercover video footage on the internet

When CFIA receives reports of animal cruelty at federally inspected facilities, it takes them seriously and investigates. However, for various reasons, investigations  occasionally reveal that there is no current animal welfare concern. For example, because information can remain online indefinitely, CFIA sometimes receives reports of  situations that have already been investigated and appropriately dealt with. Slaughter practices vary around the world. There are images on the internet depicting  inhumane slaughter practices taking place in other countries that are not permitted under Canadian law.

Video monitoring in federally inspected slaughter facilities in Canada

Any changes CFIA makes to surveillance activities must conform to Canadian legal requirements and be based on the effectiveness of the new measure at improving  compliance. CFIA continually assesses scientific research on best practices for animal welfare. Based on this information, CFIA regularly updates humane slaughter  requirements and activities.

At this time, it is not clear that video monitoring would strengthen the existing compliance verification system. As mentioned in the petition, some countries have already  mandated the use of video surveillance in slaughter facilities. Canada, along with the rest of the international community, will be interested in any data that emerges from  these countries. CFIA welcomes the sharing of knowledge, research and data to help inform approaches and policies regarding the humane treatment of animals in  Canada.