A recent survey by a consumer advocacy group found that more than two-thirds of Ontario households have no cattle on their property, even though most of the province’s cattle herd is in farms.
“The problem is that you’re seeing this massive growth in the cattle population,” said John Thompson, director of the Beef Industry Action Network.
“We’re seeing it in our backyard, in our backyards, in the backyard of people.”
Thompson says many Ontarians are not aware of the laws, or they think they’re too restrictive, but he says there’s a growing public backlash against animal abuse.
“This is happening all over the country.
It’s not just here,” he said.
Thompson says while there are many reasons to avoid slaughter, there’s no denying the cattle-intensive practices are a major threat to the animals.
He says they’re also an economic problem for the cattle industry, as well as a loss of habitat for many of the animals they consume.
The problem with Ontario’s cattle-only slaughter laws, Thompson says, is that they have the unintended consequence of killing millions of birds and other wildlife.
He said Ontario needs to change its laws to allow for humane slaughter, and that’s not a hard sell.
“We need to have a national, uniform system that is humane and just,” Thompson said.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has a petition drive to get rid of the cattle ban.
