Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — A British Columbia company tied to nationally broadcast footage of livestock abuse has laid off five workers, according to a statement from the organization Tuesday. The animal rights and vegan advocacy group responsible for capturing the video says that’s not enough, and is pursuing legal action. Employees at a Vancouver-area chicken farm […] Read more
Workers fired following chicken abuse video
Major dairy farm gets six-figure fines in cruelty case
Reading Time: 3 minutes British Columbia’s largest dairy farm has been slapped with a reported $300,000 in fines after entering guilty pleas to charges of animal cruelty, stemming from covert video shot in 2014. Chilliwack Cattle Sales (CCS) and co-owner Wesley Kooyman were convicted Friday in Provincial Court over violations of the province’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. […] Read more
Nestle pledges cage-free eggs for Canadian wares
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian arm of Swiss food processing giant Nestle has promised to shift its egg supply to “cage-free” sources by 2025. Nestle Canada, whose products using eggs include some of its Lean Cuisine meals and Real Dairy desserts, said Wednesday it was “dedicated to working with Canadian farmers to make this transition.” The Canadian business […] Read more
After the animal abuse video went viral
What’s it like for a Canadian farmer at the centre of an international animal rights media frenzy?
Reading Time: 5 minutes A year and a half later, Jeff Kooyman is still disturbed by a video produced on his farm, Chilliwack Cattle Sales, by the advocacy group Mercy for Animals. Broadcast during prime time on CTV national news on June 2014, the video let the whole world see young workers shouting “f***ing bitch” at cows, kicking one […] Read more
Maple Leaf to upgrade stunning process, ‘accelerate’ on sow housing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pledging to upgrade its hog and poultry stunning processes, speed up its timeline on sow housing and step up its game on facility audits, livestock pain management and reduced antibiotic use, Maple Leaf Foods said Friday it’s now set to carve an animal care agenda into formal company policy. The major Canadian meat processor on […] Read more
Ont. poultry packer back under hidden-camera spotlight
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s biggest poultry processor is back under animal welfare activists’ scrutiny with hidden-camera footage alleging more mishandling of birds at one of its packing plants. Maple Lodge Farms, which in September 2013 was convicted under the federal Health of Animals Act over birds’ exposure to cold weather during transport, said Saturday it’s paying “prompt attention” […] Read more
Are Canadian farmers ready for a food fight?
Your business could soon be caught up in a public relations battle. Based on what we’re seeing south of the border, are you ready?
Reading Time: 9 minutes A tsunami seems set to wash over Canadian agriculture. No, the seas haven’t suddenly shifted inland. This dangerous wave is made up of public sentiment about the way you conduct your business. Just like a tsunami, you might not like it, you probably won’t welcome it, but trying to resist it is going to be […] Read more
Open-door policy
Unless the livestock sector is content to let animal rights activists set the agenda, it needs to become a whole lot more forthcoming and welcoming
Reading Time: 5 minutes Why does it appear to be so easy for animal rights activists to get a camera into a livestock operation, and so hard for the popular press to do exactly the same thing? The most recent example was when the industry got yet another black eye with an “inside” look at turkey farms, courtesy of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
