Urge BC to Ensure Humane Treatment of Dairy Cattle
- by: BC SPCA
- recipient: Honourable Norm Letnick, B.C. Minister for Agriculture
Every year, more than 100 million farm animals are raised in British Columbia alone. The B.C. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act applies to all animals, but "reasonable and generally accepted practices of animal management" are exempt from prosecution.
In B.C., minimum standards for farm animals are unclear. They're unclear both to farmers and the public, creating confusion about just what government's expectations are for animal care.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution: referencing the Canadian Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals in a regulation to the B.C. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. These are standards already agreed to by the farming industry, SPCAs and veterinarians.
Make sure B.C.'s Minister for Agriculture knows how important it is to you for British Columbia to have the strongest animal protection system and the clearest standards in Canada for ALL animals including dairy cattle.
Dear Honourable Norm Letnick,
Subject: Please adopt standards for dairy cattle into B.C. animal cruelty regulation
On behalf of all animal lovers, I want to tell you how important it is to me for British Columbia to have the strongest animal protection system in Canada for ALL animals.
That means defining generally accepted practices under the B.C. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act with reference to the Canadian Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals.
The Codes are industry-accepted standards that should be clearly referenced in regulation to the B.C. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to ensure clear standards exist for B.C. farms.
Five other provinces have already taken this step, and now it's time for B.C. to join them or risk falling behind in its animal protection system.
[Your comments here]
Let's truly ensure B.C. has Canada's strongest animal protection system.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
