A public survey could change animal welfare in Canada. Why was no one talking about it?
Over 90 per cent of farmed land animals are chickens raised for meat — 780 million each year in Canada alone. And they suffer from some of the worst conditions. Yet, while major companies have pledged to adopt better standards, the “Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard” compiled by Mercy For Animals finds that too few are taking seriously the most pressing animal welfare topic in the food industry today.
We can do something about that right now.
Until November 8, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) ran a survey about chicken welfare, following a national campaign by Mercy For Animals Canada that exposed the poultry sector’s use of ultrafast-growing breeds and called for swift action from companies falling short of their public pledges.
Chickens in Canada have been bred to grow four times as fast as they did in 1950, reaching about 2.4 kilograms in 38 days. Known as “Frankenchickens” because of genetic selection for unnatural and monstrous growth, these birds commonly suffer organ failure, heart disease and muscle abnormalities at just a few weeks old.
Polling continually shows that Canadian consumers value animal welfare and transparency, yet we rarely hear about opportunities like NFACC’s survey. Instead, we get advertising gimmicks from associations like Chicken Farmers of Canada that spend resources on friendly chicken mascots, instead of better treatment of animals.
What’s more, NFACC’s survey included the troubling caveat that they “may exclude submissions that are coordinated or directed by an organization or group,” revealing the fragility of the happy chicken facade.
Groups focused on chicken welfare are key stakeholders, and they serve as the public’s primary vehicle for engaging an often cagey industry. So, why might a public comment process exclude submissions prompted by organizations, and will this apply equally to industry groups, as it will to their critics?
We may never know because the process is as undemocratic as it is unaccountable.
NFACC’s membership is industry dominated — 49 of 56 members either benefit financially from the sale of animal products or represent those that do.
The NFACC model raises concerns about standards “created by a group dominated by the very industries affected by those standards.” And now they want to limit who can weigh in on issues that touch on core Canadian values.
With no federal legislation protecting animals in Canadian farms, the animal agriculture sector is consolidating its power through the guise of regulation offered by NFACC. Members include some of Canada’s largest food companies, like Loblaws and Sobeys, that together own about 50 per cent of Canada’s grocery market.
In early 2021, the grocery sector backtracked on long-standing animal welfare policies precisely when it declared it would make commitments only through NFACC.
Nearly four years later, the sector has yet to make a single animal welfare commitment, while over 90 per cent of retailers around the world with policy deadlines before 2024 have gone 100 per cent cage-free.
Although companies appear to take on industry interests through participation in NFACC, they are also beholden to consumers and investors who want better animal welfare standards and transparency. Over 130 companies in Canada have publicly committed to going cage-free, and 50 to meeting leading standards for chickens raised for meat.
But holding the industry accountable is falling to private citizens, the few professional animal welfare experts without financial conflicts of interest and socially responsible businesses.
Mercy For Animals has led this work through the annual “Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard.” The fourth edition is the most comprehensive analysis of corporate animal welfare policy in Canada ever produced, highlighting both company progress and the urgent need for greater transparency.
A happy chicken mascot won’t fool Canadians or make a cruel system trustworthy, but holding powerful industry players accountable is a step in the right direction.
PJ Nyman is the corporate engagement manager at Mercy For Animals Canada.
Comments