46 pigs died during trips to Langley: documents
Federal access-to-information documents reveal that 46 pigs died — some displaying necrotic hues of green and purple — in seven separate incidents last year involving transport to a Langley slaughterhouse.
One case detailed in Canadian Food Inspection Agency documents obtained by Postmedia shows that a trailer with 275 market pigs was loaded on the morning of April 20, 2016 in Alberta and unloaded late the same day at Donald’s Fine Foods (Britco Pork) on Fraser Highway in Langley. Eight pigs were found dead in the bottom rear compartment of the trailer. An inspection and necropsy blamed “high loading density” on a “moderate hot day” during the journey.
Krista Hiddema, vice-president of Mercy For Animals, said this week that the incidents exposed by Postmedia are neither isolated nor surprising.
CFIA estimates that two per cent of all animal transports in Canada are not in compliance with current regulations. This represents an estimated 14 million animals per year (mainly poultry) that may suffer during transport, of which 1.59 million animals per year are reported dead on arrival at their final destination.
The federal government is expected to release new regulations soon governing animal welfare during transport, but Mercy For Animals fears they won’t go far enough.
Under the planned new regulations, the basic maximum intervals for transport without feed, water and rest would be 28 hours for pigs, varying for other animals. Hiddema said the comparative upper standard for pigs in the European Union is eight hours unless a transport truck has on-board food, water and temperature controls, and depending on stocking densities.
She said it is critical that everyone, from the farmer to transporter to slaughterhouse operator, takes responsibility for the humane transport of livestock, including ensuring animals are fit for transport at the outset. “When that responsibility is shared, and when they are all working toward the same goal, that will decrease the suffering and certainly decrease the dead-on-arrival rates.”
Hiddema also urged the federal government to enforce adequate training for truck drivers in the needs of each type of livestock, incorporating assessments of journey length, stocking density and weather conditions.
The worst of last year’s seven incidents, previously reported by Postmedia, occurred on Jan. 6, 2016, when 27 market pigs among a load of 223 being transported from Alberta to Donald’s Fine Foods died due to cold winter conditions involving temperatures of as low as -10 C, documents show.
Kunsman Transport Ltd., since purchased by Canart Transport, had transported the pigs.
Michael Mensah-Wilson, quality assurance manager for Donald’s Fine Foods, said at the time that the incident “was highly unusual and an upsetting event for all involved.” He added: “We take the humane treatment of farm animals from transport to processing seriously.”
On Tuesday, Mensah-Wilson said that “any loss, of course, is a concern to us,” and that the company works closely with producers and transporters on quality-control issues, including training, and cooperates with federal inspectors. He said the company in the past has severed ties with haulers that did not meet standards, but he could not immediately provide names.
Donald Leung is chair and founder of family-run Donald’s Fine Foods, and his son, Allan, is CEO.
The names of the haulers are missing in the latest batch of access-to-information documents.
The other incidents last year at Donald’s include a pig — described as “severely bloated and a green colour” — that died early into the Oct. 12 transport. The truck from Alberta had been delayed four to five hours due to a police incident near Golden. Another pig arrived healthy, but became “severely stressed” during the unloading process and was euthanized.
An inspection report for June 3 at Donald’s simply states “dead pigs discovered on arrival” likely due to stress, although the trailer did not exceed loading requirements. No number of deaths is provided, but Mensah-Wilson said it involved two.
A May 3 inspection report at Donald’s noted four market hogs dead in different compartments of a trailer. “The pigs were markedly bloated and dark purple in large areas of the skin,” with blood dripping from their nostrils. The pigs were in the transport truck for 15 hours, and were thought to have died during the early part of the trip. Loading levels were at maximum in the trailer.
Two days later at the same slaughterhouse, two pigs were dead on arrival. There was no evidence of non-compliance and a necropsy did not reveal any trauma or disease.
On Jan. 29 at Donald’s, one pig was found dead on arrival, but there was insufficient evidence to support any non-compliance with meat regulations, the report reads.
There is no indication in the documents that fines or other penalties were levied against the haulers.