September 12, 2023
Ontario Pork believes that inspector training enhancements are required for inspectors to obtain a better understanding of normal farm practices and to properly assess the handling, condition, and care of farm animals. Swine farm best practices, husbandry, housing and processing are all important for inspectors to understand. We also believe that working with livestock commodity groups to focus on training and specialization i.e., pigs, would be tremendously beneficial for the inspector, producer, and commodity group in effectively managing a situation/complaint.
Read more by downloading Ontario Pork’s submission, found below.
August 17, 2023
Ontario Pork responded to a regulatory review of the PAWS Act specific to how a document is delivered to a producer and additional time to initiate an appeal of an order, a removal, a decision to keep an animal in care, or a statement of account and changes to corresponding time period for animal forfeitures.
Read more by downloading Ontario Pork’s submission, found below.
May 13, 2023
Ontario’s pork farmers are committed to internationally recognized high standards of animal care and farm practices, based on science, education, and animal husbandry best practices, with the industry investing heavily in research and innovation to improve animal care, food quality and safety. We firmly believe that treating animals cruelly, or inflicting unnecessary pain or suffering, is not acceptable to farmers or the public.
Despite the benefits that came with the enactment of the PAWS Act, Ontario Pork continues to have concerns with how the process is currently functioning, specifically:
- How distress is defined
- Inspector powers and knowledge/training
- Mental health training and resources
- Inspections and enforcement
- Veterinarian inclusion
- Animal seizure/removal process
- Adherence to biosecurity requirements
November 16, 2020 - Ontario Establishes Advisory Table on Animal Welfare
The Ontario government has established an advisory table to further improve animal welfare across the province. The advisory table is made up of a group of experts including representatives from agriculture and agri-food, who will help develop regulations under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act. Ontario Pork will continue to represent member issues and concerns as the regulations are developed.
December 5, 2019 – Bill 136 was granted Royal Assent
Ontario’s pork farmers are committed to internationally-recognized high standards of animal care and farm practices, based on science, education and animal husbandry best practices. It is positive to see this reflected in Section 13 (2) of the new Act. The industry invests heavily in research and innovation to improve animal care, food quality and safety. We firmly believe that treating animals cruelly, or inflicting unnecessary pain or suffering, is not acceptable to farmers or the general public.
Ontario Pork is supportive of changes that will provide government with the ability to allow others, beyond inspectors, to act when an animal is in imminent risk of serious injury or death. We continue to support and recommend the ability to bring along a commodity organization representative as well. We applaud the government for working to ensure increased transparency and accountability.
We continue to be concerned regarding farm biosecurity and compliance by those entering the premises. We recommend that the regulations to clearly address adherence with a farm’s biosecurity protocols to minimize the risk of disease spread, and that there is no entry unless a farmer is present.
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Last updated September 12, 2023