MOOSE JAW, Saskatchewan—National animal law organization Animal Justice is calling for animal cruelty charges after a transport truck driver was caught on video violently striking pigs with a paddle outside of a Saskatchewan slaughterhouse. Shocking footage taken by local animal protection advocates with Regina Animal Save shows the driver striking several pigs inside a transport truck with a paddle, hitting at least one animal in the face.
The incident took place on Sunday, October 24, 2021 outside of the Thunder Creek Pork slaughterhouse in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Animal Justice has filed a complaint with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Animal Protection Services Saskatchewan requesting that the agencies investigate the incident and take action to prevent cruel and aggressive handling of pigs at the facility in the future.
“The treatment of these pigs was completely unacceptable,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, staff lawyer with Animal Justice. “Canadians are increasingly concerned about the treatment of farmed animals, and want to know that animals raised for food are not subject to abuse. It is heartbreaking to know that in their final moments these intelligent, social animals experienced cruelty and mistreatment. These animals deserved better.”
Transport is known to be an incredibly stressful experience for farmed animals, including pigs. Yet Canadian laws permit pigs to be transported up to 28 hours without food, water, and rest.
“Canada has some of the worst animal transport laws in the industrialized world,” said Ms. Mitchell. “Yet even our meagre laws are clear that pigs should not be handled aggressively during transport. It is against the law to strike an animal on the face or other parts of their body with a paddle. Violence and cruelty to farmed animals is a serious matter, and we are calling on authorities to hold the companies involved to account.”
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Animal Justice’s complaint can be read here.
For more information, contact:
Kaitlyn Mitchell
Staff Lawyer
or
Joseph Kratz
