Employees Sacked Over Alleged Abuse Caught on Video at B.C Chicken Farm
In British Columbia, the S.P.C.A has opened up investigation into what its investigators call “brutal and sadistic” violence against chicken. Five employees have been sacked by the company responsible for catching fowls at farms in Chilliwack, B.C, after an animal rights group released video of alleged abuse.
The president of Elite Services based in Chilliwack, Dwayne Dueck, said in a statement that the company is taking “immediate corrective action” and one of the sacked workers was a supervisor. “Elite services understand the significance of ensuring the proper care in handling of animals. Proper handling methods or mechanisms help maintain the quality of production and effectively minimize stress on the animals”. Dwayne said in a comment issued on Tuesday. “We are fed up with the footage and want to assure all our suppliers and distributors that this is not reflective of who we are, our fundamental belief or behavior we accept from our workers”.
The vice president in charge of carrying out findings working for the group Mercy for Animals, Lindsay Wolf says a whistle-blower working for the company which offers services at more than 12 factory farms in the Fraser Valley. Wolf said the chickens were slaughtered at a plant in a suburb of Vancouver, Port Coquitlam before they were carried to Loblaws and Loblaws- owned stores.
In a conference call from Toronto, Wolf said “the shocking video footage we obtained showed workers hitting, kicking and throwing birds, and smashing them into walls and transport crates”.
Loblaws in a statement said “we stand firmly behind the standards set by the National Farm Animal Care Council, the policies outlined by the chicken farmers of Canada, and our own commitments to animals’ welfare which is clearly articulated in our supplier code of conduct and in our animal welfare principals.
Loblaws also said it has informed its suppliers, Sofina Food Inc, an Ontario-based Company that it has “zero tolerance for any kind of animal abuse”.
