Animal welfare

In addition to the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA Act) having among the toughest penalties in Canada, the B.C. government also supports animal welfare with contributions through government activities and programs.

B.C. Government supports animal welfare by:

• Facilitating education sessions to increase knowledge of the animal welfare challenges facing the agriculture industry
• Building awareness of production practices that support animal welfare
• Supporting scientific investigations to identify and address potential gaps
• Monitoring issues and developing appropriate solutions to ensure an effective government framework for animal welfare
• Inspecting dairy farms to ensure regulatory compliance regarding the provision of suitable animal housing, cleanliness, and clean water
• Providing animal necropsy services and livestock training support to the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) to enhance their enforcement actions
• Participating in the Animal Welfare program of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) which provides funding for animal welfare projects

Farm animal welfare in British Columbia:  Frequently asked questions

Sled dog protection in British Columbia

The Dog and Cat Breeding Consultation Summary

Stakeholder consultations regarding input to potential legislation to assist the BC SPCA to monitor and take action against irresponsible breeders of dogs and cats.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food’s Advisory Committee on farmed animal welfare

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food formed an Advisory Committee (the Committee) to assess the farmed animal welfare framework in B.C. During its term, the Committee was tasked with making the framework more explicit and transparent, ensuring the framework promotes high standards of farmed animal welfare, and supports those involved in delivering these standards on an ongoing basis.

The Committee was composed of experts in components of the framework and different areas of animal welfare. The Committee members were as follows:

• Cpl. Cory Lepine: Enforcement Representation
• Calvin Breukelman: Poultry/Broiler Hatching Egg Industry Representation
• David Janssens: Large Scale Milk Industry Representation
• Jack DeWit: Hog Industry Representation
• Jacqueline Wepruk: National Farm Animal Welfare Organization Representation
• Jeffrey Spitters: Organic/Chicken Industry Representation
• Jennifer Woike: Poultry/Egg Industry, BC Agriculture Council Representation
• Kevin Boon: Cattle Industry Representation
• Dr. Lisa McCrea: Farm Animal Veterinarian Representation
• Dr. Marina von Keyserlingk: Animal Welfare Scientific Advisor
• Mark Siemens: Egg Industry Representation
• Dr. Megan Bergman: Veterinarian/College of Veterinarians of B.C. Representation
• Nicole Sillett: Dairy Industry Representation
• Nova Woodbury:  Meat Processing Representation
• Dr. Peter McKenzie: Farmed Fish Industry/Aquaculture Veterinarian Representation
• Marcie Moriarty: Enforcement Representation
• Richard Harry: Aquaculture Industry and Indigenous Representation

The Farmed Animal Welfare Recommendations Report:

The independent Farmed Animal Welfare Advisory Committee consisted of a group of people with extensive experience in the realities of farmed animal welfare in B.C. and elsewhere in Canada. Their perspectives on the status of farmed animal welfare in B.C. differ and their experiences of how the framework of farmed animal welfare laws, regulations and standards play out in the real world are deep and diverse. Notwithstanding their differences, they have agreed on recommendations regarding the priority issues that they believe government needs to address to evolve the framework and increase public awareness and understanding. The Ministry will review these recommendations carefully. This work will be a multi-year evolving process. Farmed animal welfare in B.C. is a cooperative effort and we thank each of the committee members for volunteering and working together to complete this challenging and valuable task.

• Read the Farmed Animal Welfare Recommendations Report (PDF, 3 MB)
• Read the Farmed Animal Welfare Legislative Framework (PDF, 4.4 MB)