The owner of a 91原创 poultry farm is outraged, but not surprised, about the shocking abuse of chickens in Chilliwack.
In the wake of the at Chilliwack chicken farms, five employees and one supervisor of the local farm labour company involved have been fired, according to the company鈥檚 president.
Kendall Ballantine of said that while the footage may come as a surprise to many, to her it鈥檚 a 鈥済laring reminder鈥� of why she got into farming three years ago.
Located in South 91原创, Central Park Farms 鈥渞aises chickens, pigs, and cattle, but we specialize in non-GMO fed, free range meat chickens that are raised with pasture access and are non-medicated,鈥� Ballantine pointed out.
The chicken-catching service involved in the video had been hired to round up chickens for transport to the Lilydale/Sofina Foods slaughter plant in Port Coquitlam, the SPCA said in a statement.
Mercy for Animals created a website, www.chickentorture.ca, where it posted the video of clips edited together, a petition to ask Loblaws to stop sourcing Lilydale Chicken, other allegations against Lilydale, and information on vegan alternatives to poultry.
Ballantine noted that the employees shown abusing the chickens were from a third-party independent company working at a variety of local, large-scale, commercial chicken farms.
鈥淪adly I鈥檓 not surprised by this,鈥� she added.
鈥淎nimal welfare is not at the forefront of decision-making in these types of operations 鈥� the crew is there to get a job done and done fast. It makes me wonder how much training these employees get on proper handling and animal welfare, because I鈥檇 be surprised if they receive any at all.鈥�
Farmers need to play an active roll in what鈥檚 happening on their farms, according to Ballentine: 鈥淚 understand crews catch at night, but was there someone from the farm managing the crew? If they truly care about animal welfare they would have procedures and checks in place to make sure this isn鈥檛 happening on their farms. Based on this video this clearly isn鈥檛 an isolated event.鈥�
She also believes the blame lies partly with the consumers.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 watch these videos be outraged and then forgot about it when the media stops reporting on it. If you鈥檙e outraged, good, then let鈥檚 all work towards stopping this. Find a farmer who is doing it right and support them,鈥� Ballantine said. 鈥淔armers are raising animals to the conditions we鈥檙e willing to support and pay for. We want cheap meat? Then I can guarantee we aren鈥檛 getting ethically raised meat.鈥�
She said small farmers like herself don鈥檛 outsource functions on their farms.
鈥淎t our farm, we are our catching crew and we handle the transportation of our animals so I can say with certainty that this isn鈥檛 happening on our farm,鈥� Ballantine said.
鈥淲e load our chicken, then drive the 35 minutes to the processing plant just before our early morning appointment, that way I can guarantee my animals are loaded and in transport for the least amount of time possible and so we can minimize stress for our animals.鈥�
In the wake of this video鈥檚 release, Ballantine urges consumers to ask questions about those supplying the meat they feed their family.
鈥淜now your farmers and know where your food comes from,鈥� she urged. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about transparency, find someone who willing to open the doors to their farm whether it鈥檚 in real life or through sharing their day-to-day interaction with their animals on their social media accounts. There are a lot of wonderful farmers raising meat ethically in the Lower Mainland, so it鈥檚 important we seek them out and support them. Vote with your shopping dollars when it comes to how you want animals treated.鈥�
鈥楽hocking and reprehensible鈥�
Meanwhile, the Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) issued a statement Tuesday calling the video 鈥渟hocking and reprehensible,鈥� adding that they have a third-party audited Animal Care Program that is enforced on every farm.
鈥淚f a farm is found not to be complying with the Animal Care Program standards, or is causing undue suffering to birds, the farmer is subject to penalties and the proper authorities will be contacted,鈥� the statement said, in part.
And while Vanderspek of the BC Chicken Marketing Board said he makes no excuses for anyone, chicken farmers should not be the focus of ire. Day-old birds are delivered to the chicken farmers by the processors who are also responsible for hiring chicken catchers.
鈥淭he farmer is supposed to be onsite monitoring what is going on, it鈥檚 his farm and his birds,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut the farmer can鈥檛 be everywhere at once.鈥�
鈥淭he images in this video are absolutely sickening and the individual employees and the companies involved need to be held accountable,鈥� said Marcie Moriarty, the BC SPCA鈥檚 chief prevention and enforcement officer.
鈥淭he video includes some of the most brutal and sadistic acts of violence against animals I have ever seen.鈥�
If convicted, the individuals and companies involved face a fine up to $75,000, a maximum five-year jail sentence and a possible lifetime ban on owning or being around animals.
- Files from Paul Henderson, Black Press
