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A group of animal rights activists managed to enter a pig maternity ward in Lanaudière and observe the difficult breeding conditions to which the pigs are subjected.
Dirt, piglets dying or sick without help, no hay on the ground, buckets full of deceased piglets are among the shocking scenes recorded.
Christiane Bailey, coordinator at Concordia University’s Social Justice Center, was able to speak to the group that had infiltrated the location.
In an interview with TVA Nouvelles de Midi, she denounced the treatment of pigs in Quebec farms.
- Listen to the “Everything You Need to Know” section in 24 minutes with Alexandre Moranville-Ouellet on QUB radio:
She points out that pigs, like dogs, can feel emotions, are intelligent and social, but are not protected by Quebec law. The pork industry regulates itself.
She assures that what can be seen in the pictures is not an isolated case.
“You have seen sows in cages that cannot even turn around or walk. “You can only lie down and get up,” she gives as an example.
She denounces another “common” practice used when piglets are sick or dying and are often too weak to support fattening.
“One of the methods to kill them is to grab them by their hind legs and hit them violently against the wall or floor to inflict a head injury and then throw them away,” she explains.
This so-called “slamming” method is common on Quebec farms, she claims, because it’s too expensive to see a veterinarian.
“These are animals that simply suffer from their existence,” she concludes.
The industry is reacting
Louis-Philippe Roy, president of Éleveurs de porcs du Québec, assures that the practices observed there are not accepted by the industry in Quebec.
“These are images that are difficult for people who don’t know the industry to recognize. There is a reality on the farm, but things we saw, like the piglets in agony, should have been euthanized,” explains the President.
He ensures that pig producers are committed to animal welfare. “This is not something we accept. What we are seeing is unacceptable.”
It ensures that inspectors and veterinarians visit production facilities every year to enforce codes of conduct.
The pork industry is the second largest in Quebec and creates 29,000 jobs. Nearly 40% of pigs produced in Canada are slaughtered in the province.