Montreal, March 31, 2015 – On Saturday, CTV’s news program W5 aired “For the Birds”, a report which revealed shocking images from a hidden-camera investigation conducted by Mercy for Animals Canada inside one of Canada’s largest chicken slaughterhouses. The facility, located in Ontario, is owned by Maple Lodge Farms and slaughters an average of approximately half a million chickens per day, including birds from Quebec.
The footage taken by Mercy for Animals Canada shows large numbers of chickens arriving already dead at the plant due to transport in freezing weather; workers violently throwing crates containing live chickens; birds with their wings or heads being trapped and crushed in transport crate doors; rough handling and shackling of live chickens at a rate of 20 birds per minute, resulting in leg and wing fractures; thousands of chickens being improperly stunned and thus having their throats cut while still fully conscious; and birds being scalded alive due to improper slaughter. To view the W5 report, click here. For more details about the investigation undertaken by Mercy for Animals Canada, click here.
“As difficult as the images filmed during the undercover investigation are to watch, consumers need to understand how their purchasing decisions can directly affect the lives of animals,” said Sophie Gaillard, Lawyer and Campaigns Manager for the Montreal SPCA’s Animal Advocacy Department. “The equipment and methods used at the Maple Lodge Farms facility reflect the industry standard – this is the sad reality of how chickens are currently being transported and slaughtered in Canada”.
This is not the first time that Maple Lodge Farms has come under fire for animal cruelty. In 2013, the company was convicted of causing injury and undue suffering to thousands of chickens during transport. As a result, Maple Lodge Farms was fined and received a three-year probation during which time the company is to spend one million dollars in order to rectify its deficient practices. Barely a year after the beginning of the probation period, it is clear that animal cruelty continues to run rampant at Maple Lodge Farms.
Please join the Montreal SPCA, Mercy for Animals Canada, and other animal protection organizations across the country in taking a stance against inhumane chicken transport and slaughter. Here are ways you can make a difference now:
- Ask Maple Lodge Farms to take concrete steps to end animal abuse at its facilities by signing Mercy for Animals Canada’s petition.
- Educate friends and family about the cruelty behind chicken transport and slaughter by sharing Mercy for Animals Canada’s undercover investigation on social media.
- Reduce or eliminate your consumption of chicken and other animal products.
Photo credits : CTV W5
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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514-226-3932, or anitak@spca.com.
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first humane society in Canada and our mission is to:
- protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
- represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
- raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.
For many years, the Montreal SPCA has been working hard with municipal, provincial and federal governments to improve animal protection laws. In 2014, our inspection service investigated 1,217 new complaints and conducted the inspection of 3,012 animals, all species combined. A total of 101 animals were seized as a result of these investigations and several criminal and penal charges were laid.
For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.
