A trucking firm from Lucan has been fined $40,000 after
the Canadian Border Services detained a load of horses and called in
veterinarians to assess animal welfare.
Loerzel Farm
Transport Inc., operating as Ontario Corporation number 2023424, was inspected at the Windsor crossing. In addition to the company fine, Manfred Loerzel was fined another total of $6,000.
In April 2010,
veterinary inspectors of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted a
routine inspection of a shipment of horses at the Windsor, Ontario port of
entry.
The CFIA says “every
person responsible for transporting animals in Canada must ensure that the
entire transportation process including loading, transit and unloading, does
not cause injury or undue suffering to the animals.
“The federal
requirements for animal transport are set out in the Health of Animals
Regulations, Part XII.
“They are
enforced by the CFIA with assistance of other federal, provincial and
territorial authorities.”
It may be a
coincidence that Americans vigorously opposed to horse slaughter in general and
to the revival of horse slaughter in the U.S. in particular were complaining
about two horse-slaughter plants in Canada, one in Alberta and the other in
Quebec.
