A new Federal Court decision granted an injunction to halt the enforcement of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) guidelines on stun-free slaughter. The guidelines, introduced in 2019, require checking for specific signs of consciousness after animals’ throats are slit during stun-free slaughter before they are hung upside down to bleed out.
While Animal Justice values the importance of religious freedom and respect for Charter rights, we are disappointed in the July 24, 2024 decision. The injunction was sought by a group that includes Kosher meat certifiers and distributors, as part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the humane slaughter guidelines. The applicants argue that the guidelines are unreasonable and violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They argue that the steps to confirm unconsciousness mandated in the guidelines impact access to Canadian-slaughtered kosher meat because they reduce line speed (the rate at which animals are killed in a slaughterhouse), reducing companies’ willingness to engage in stun-free slaughter.
Animal Justice is seeking intervener status in the case to make sure that the interests of the animals stay at the forefront, and to highlight steps taken in other jurisdictions to address the serious risks associated with stun-free slaughter.
No slaughter of animals is humane. During conventional slaughter, farmed animals including cows are ordinarily stunned using a captive bolt gun, in an effort to render them unconscious and stop brain activity before they are suspended upside down to be killed. Stunning is done to prevent the animal from experiencing pain, fear, and distress when cut into and hoisted on a shackle to be bled out. Unfortunately, even conventional slaughter can cause significant animal suffering, as documented in Animal Justice’s 2023 exposé at B.C.’s Meadow Valley Meats, where footage showed animals were improperly stunned, showing signs of consciousness after being cut open to bleed out.
Unfortunately, welfare risks during stun-free slaughter are generally higher than with conventional slaughter. Many veterinary experts and animal welfare organizations around the world are opposed to the practice of stun-free slaughter because the animals are conscious when their throat is initially cut and loss of consciousness is not immediate. Because of the importance of ensuring loss of consciousness before hanging the animal upside down by one leg to bleed out, many European countries mandate post-cut stunning during ritual slaughter. Others, including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Slovenia, have banned stun-free slaughter altogether.
In 2019, the CFIA released updated guidelines to prevent avoidable animal suffering during non-stun slaughter. They were a result of a scientific literature review and concerns about inspections that revealed signs of sensibility in animals after they were suspended for stun-free slaughter.
The guidelines do not ban stun-free slaughter or require post-cut stunning. Rather, they provide specific methods to check for consciousness in animals after their throats are cut and before they are hoisted on a shackle, to prevent them from experiencing additional fear, distress, and pain.
Slaughter methods, whether conventional or ritual, inevitably involve risks of causing animals significant suffering. Because the potential for error can be particularly high with stun-free practices, it is vital at a minimum to implement rigorous, science-based checks to ensure animals are unconscious before they are bled out. While it’s important to respect religious freedoms and Charter rights, the welfare of animals should always be the top priority when animals are killed.
Animal Justice is awaiting a decision from the court on whether we’re permitted to intervene in this important case.
Banner: Jo-Anne McArthur | Eyes On Animals | We Animals Media
