“We just make the public aware,” says Animal Rights Activists

It was cold and raining on Monday Dec. 9 as protesters from Guelph Cow Save and KW Animal Save gathered out front of Cargill Meat Solutions in Guelph.

“We’re here because of the animals and we’re here because of Bill 156,” Mo Markham, the organizer of the event, said.

Bill 156, The Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019, was proposed by Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Ernie Hardeman, and is intended to “protect Ontario’s farms and farm animals from trespassers and other forms of interference and to prevent contamination of Ontario’s food supply,” the bill states.

However, protestors worry that increased penalties for trespassing, including fines up to $15,000 for the first offence, could be used to prevent animal rights activists from potentially exposing unsafe practices at facilities.

“[Bill 156] is trying to silence animal rights activists and… is trying to keep the truth from the public,” Markham told The Ontarion.

The bill also makes it illegal for people to “go undercover” at the facilities.

“If I expose [the animal’s conditions] then I am the one being fined, not the abusers,” Markham said.

Andrea Polanco, a PhD student in Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph, was also at the protest and responded directly to the wording of the bill which suggests this is an effort at stopping contamination.

“There has been no evidence that us giving water to the animals has impaired their welfare or has been a health issue for humans,” Polanco said.

While protesting out front of the facility, Guelph Cow Save and KW Animal Save were very clear about their intent.

“We just make the public aware,” Polanco said. “A lot of people in Guelph don’t even know that there’s a slaughterhouse in their city and it’s… one of the biggest in the country.”

Markham also doubled down on their intent while waiting for the next truck of cows to arrive.

“We have an obligation as the public to protect them, the same as we would human beings in a nursing home or with children.”

While there is still a long process before Bill 156 becomes law, groups like Guelph Cow Save and KW Animal Save will continue their fight.

 

 

Photos by Allan Sloan