Animal Care Panel Comments on Undercover Video from Two Alberta Egg Farms

Oct 23, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

A panel of farm animal care experts have provided their observations in a report after viewing an undercover video at two alleged Alberta farms. The panel was asked by the Centre of Food Integrity to examine the video shown on CTV News W5 report which was released by animal rights group Mercy for Animals Canada.

Experts concluded that the video shows unethical and irresponsible treatment of farm animals. The panel also said it was difficult to reach conclusions based on the edited footage which was presented. The expert panel was comprised of Dr. Candace Croney, Purdue University; Dr. Ed Pajor, University of Calgary; and Dr. Stewart Ritchie, a British Columbia veterinarian and poultry consultant.

The footage showed disturbing images of chickens being handled unethically by workers and the practice of thumping as a form of euthanasia. The experts said they’ve never seen thumping as an accepted industry practice for euthanasia. “I disagreed with everything I saw in the video.” said Dr. Ritchie. “But I would have liked to have seen more than the short video clips so I could more clearly understand if the scenes they chose to show truly represented the way this farm was being managed.”

The full report can be accessed by clicking here.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.