Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Farm animals treated cruelly, advocate says
These pigs are kept in cages so small, they can’t turn around. ( WINNIPEG HUMANE SOCIETY PHOTO)
A leading American advocate for ending cruelty to animal agriculture is hoping his stories of success south of the border will inspire his Canadian counterparts.
Paul Shapiro, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States, said despite last fall's passing of a resolution to ban intensive confinement systems in California, there is still much work to be done in improving the living conditions of egg-laying hens and pigs used for breeding purposes.
He said the majority of the 26 million egg-laying hens in Canada are confined to wire mesh cages in which they're unable to spread their wings "for their whole lives" while breeding pigs are generally kept in two-foot-wide gestation crates that are so small they're unable to turn around.
"These animals have done nothing to deserve any kind of punishment. We take so much from these animals, truly the very least that they deserve is some semblance of a decent life," he said from Washington, D.C.
Shapiro is speaking at a two-day event hosted by the Winnipeg Humane Society this weekend. It is not open to the media or the public.
Bill McDonald, executive director of the WHS, said animals deserve five freedoms -- freedom from hunger and thirst; from pain and illness; from discomfort; from fear and distress; and the freedom to express normal behaviour.
"When you see a pig in a crate, they can take two steps back and two steps forward. That's not normal behaviour, they're rooters, they build nests out of straw and hay," he said.
McDonald said he realizes farmers are business people who produce the food to feed the world and they're sensitive to increases in their cost structures. He said he's not out to ban the eating of meat. "We just want to make sure those animals are humanely treated, raised and slaughtered," he said.
Karl Kynoch, chairman of Manitoba Pork, said the local industry is constantly conducting research to discover best practices for the care for animals. He said all too often, lobby groups calling for better treatment aren't fully informed of the current situation.
"We already have animal-welfare codes that we follow. Anything we do for the animals, we do to treat them better and keep them in high health," he said, adding there are pros and cons to every system, including group housing.
He said the hog industry processes about four million animals a year and is worth $1 billion in annual exports to the Manitoba economy.
The weekend event will also include participants from Humane Society International, Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals, Canadian Coalition for Food Animals, World Society for the Protection of Animals, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, and the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2009 A9
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Our 'true champion'
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Original Joe's, Elephant & Castle expanding
- Flood reviews launched
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site


You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.