undercover footage exposes cruelty on Canadian egg farms
Date: April 13, 2007
Humane Society shows controversial video to mark 5th Annual National Farm Animals Day
(Vancouver, BC) Video footage shot at Clark Egg Farms Ltd in Ontario (Canada’s largest poultry producer) exposing filthy, chafed birds crammed into tiny wire cages where they can barely move, will be used to highlight the plight of Canada’s 665 million farm animals at the Vancouver Humane Society’s 5th Annual National Farm Animals Day.
Date: Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 12 noon (until 5pm)
Place: Robson Street side of the Vancouver Art Gallery
“Most people in cities are completely disconnected from the origins of their food,” says Joanne Chang, spokesperson for the event, “So educating them on the realities of modern agriculture is essential.”
The treatment of farm animals is outlined in voluntary standards. Things like battery cages for egg-laying hens, gestation stalls for pigs and many other forms of intensive confinement are considered acceptable. However, scientific evidence has shown that these practices cause unnecessary suffering and that more humane, viable alternatives exist. The European Union has banned many forms of intensive confinement based on these concerns.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” continued Chang “There are alternatives. The current standards exist because of consumers’ demand for cheap food. People need to realize that someone always pays the price, and in this case it is the animals.”
For more information on farm animals in Canada or to view the video footage, visit www.chickenout.ca
DVDs of the footage and photos of the farm will be available at the event.
