November 24th, 2019. A decision on this ground breaking case has yet to be announced.
Hello All! If you’d like to
Hearing is at the
Federal Court (701 Georgia Street, 3rd floor)
in Vancouver, B.C.
on October 30 and 31, 2019
at 9:30 am.
We appreciate all the support we can get!
Hope to see you there.
REBEKA BREDER of Breder Law Corporation in Vancouver, B.C.
“One of my bigger cases now is acting for the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition. We are suing the federal government for violating animal transportation laws.
This is a groundbreaking case as it is the first time an animal protection organization has sued the government over the way it transports animals.
People are surprised to learn that horses are being slaughtered in Canada, and perhaps even worse, they are being exported, by air, in crammed conditions, to Japan to be slaughtered for meat. Horses that may have been someone’s pet.”
GROUND BREAKING CASE:
PRESS RELEASE sent today to Vancouver news outlets. (Permission to share!)
October 28, 2019
Horse Protection Group’s Legal Challenge Against the CFIA – October 30-31 in Vancouver
Canada’s prominent horse protection group, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC), will be in Federal Court this week in Vancouver, BC with Rebeka Breder from Breder Law.
Rebeka Breder will be conducting final arguments on behalf of the CHDC’s lawsuit against the Federal government at the Federal Court at 701 Georgia Street, 3rd floor in Vancouver, BC on October 30 and 31, 2019 at 9:30 AM.
In August 2018, the CHDC filed for judicial review in the Federal Court regarding live horse shipments from Canada via air, for slaughter in North East Asia.
The lawsuit challenges violations of two sections of the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR) and names the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food as the respondent. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Health of Animals Act and the HAR.
According to Rebeka Breder, “The law in regard to the live export of horses for slaughter is clear. Sections 141(8) and 142(a) of the Health of Animals Regulations state that horses over 14 hands in height (the size of a large pony) must be segregated, and horses must be able to stand in a natural position. These provisions exist to ensure the humane transport of horses, yet the CFIA consistently violates the law by allowing the overcrowding of horses and by allowing horses’ heads to touch the tops of crates, when live horses are shipped by air cargo to Japan for slaughter.”
Since 2012, the CHDC has studied conditions under which live horses are exported to Japan for human consumption. Photographic and video evidence has consistently revealed that even large draft horses have been crammed together for export purposes, sometimes as many as three or four per wooden crate, and that the ears of very tall horses have been seen to breach the netting covering the tops of crates. There is also evidence of horses dying and injuring themselves.
“This legal challenge pits David against Goliath,” says Sinikka Crosland, Executive Director of the CHDC. “But the CFIA is not above the law. The government has certain legal and ethical obligations, which cannot be swept under the rug.”
Please send inquiries to:
Rebeka Breder or Sinikka Crosland
Telephone – 604.616.4755
sinikka@defendhorsescanada.org
Section 141.8 of the Health of Animals Regulations states horses over 14 hands (56”) must be segregated from all other animals for air transport;
3 to 4 horses are loaded into crates smaller than a single horse stall;
Many horses being air shipped to Japan are large draft types over 17 hands (68”), contravening the Health of Animals Regulations;
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) sets out standards for Live Animals Regulations, stipulating that horses must be shipped individually and have sufficient head clearance;
IATA only allows exceptions for small polo ponies or Icelandic horses to be shipped in modified horse containers without partitions;
Large draft horses can be 3 times the size of such ponies, therefore contravening IATA regulations.
NATIONAL COVERAGE VIA CTV IN 2018:
T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND
LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA
CANADA SLAUGHTERS HORSES FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
It may be hard for some to believe that tens of thousands of horses, including pets, are routinely slaughtered in Canada, for human consumption.
Some of the meat is consumed in Canada and much of it is shipped to the European Union and other markets, including Japan.
The barbaric slaughter of horses is currently not legal in the United States, BUT horses, including pets and ex-racehorses, from the United States are shipped to Canada and to Mexico to be slaughtered.
In addition Canada allows for the transportation of live horses to Japan, to be slaughtered for human consumption, and unfortunately the transportation of horses destined for slaughter within Canada, and by air, is far from humane.
JESSICA SCOTT REID
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