TORONTO—Animal Justice is releasing thousands of pages of government documents that paint a distressing picture of Canada’s response to the 2022 outbreak of avian influenza where more than 11 million birds were killed.
These records, which include internal Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) field notes, memos, and emails are now publicly available for journalists and researchers.
The documents obtained through access to information requests expose previously unknown details about CFIA’s response to the avian flu which relied heavily on third-party contractors conducting mass-killings with little oversight.
Some of the revelations include:
- The government paid millions of tax-payer dollars in compensation to large-scale poultry producers, including factory farms previously penalized for breaking animal welfare laws, without any stipulations to enhance biosecurity or welfare measures. More than $100 million was paid out in total.
- In many cases a castration tool was used for cervical dislocation (a method of killing involving the spinal column) rather than a specialized tool, likely resulting in increased suffering.
- The CFIA enlisted a US firm to experiment with a foam-based euthanasia method to exterminate one barn of birds. When the foam left many birds alive and suffering, the company admitted it lacked the expertise for mass euthanasia at this scale.
- Elite Farm Services, a contractor with a history of convictions and fines for viciously abusing birds, received more than $750,000. Elite committed serious biosecurity errors during these operations, including improper handling of infected zones, insufficient sanitizing supplies, and incorrect use of protective gear.
“These documents show the response to the outbreak was nothing short of chaotic, with millions of animals suffering under a poorly managed crisis response,” said Camille Labchuk, a lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice. “The records also reveal a compensation system that in many ways incentivizes poor biosecurity practices, and results in mass pay-outs to companies .”
The full archive of documents can be found here.
To arrange interviews or for more information, contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
