Animals unable to move must remain on farm

Gary Sliworsky
Ag. Rep.

Livestock unable to move on their own legs will have to stay on the farm for treatment or disposal, in accordance with amendments to humane transport rules that should be in place within a year, says the Canadian food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
The agency has approved a proposal by farm, research and veterinary groups as well as federal and provincial officials to halt the movement of distressed livestock. The rule would apply to producers, truckers, vets and slaughterhouses.
Existing humane transport regulations already make it illegal to force downer animals on to a vehicle for shipment to a slaughterhouse, however, it is not clearly spelled out. So regulations will be changed make it clear. In essence the regulation will say that no one should load an animal if that action causes the animal suffering. The only exception will be if the animal is going for veterinary treatment or diagnosis.
CFIA will proceed immediately with this change and follow it up with a more sweeping overhaul of humane transport rules to improve conditions for animals being hauled over long distances. These regulatory changes have been under consideration for several year and should be completed next year for presentation to interested groups.
Meat packers and farmers say they don’t ship many animals over long distances and they would support the changes being considered by the CFIA. Changes include requiring two drivers for a livestock truck and a device that would tell drivers when it is time to give the animals a break.
Meanwhile, the downer ban is undergoing a final legal check within the government before it is referred to the interested groups. This step shouldn’t take long because of the amount of input that went into the proposal in the first place.
Farmers will still be able to arrange for on-farm emergency slaughtering of animals deemed to be safe for personal consumption.
Work on the downer ban in Canada was started well in advance of the announcement by USDA Secretary Ann Veneman that she plans to prohibit downer cattle from entering the human food chain in the wake of the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Washington state in December.
The Canadian ban will lead to more animals on livestock farms that have to be disposed of through emergency slaughter or an acceptable disposal method. Some provinces are looking into various on-farm disposal methods, as there is little demand for dead animals for rendering.