The bill would impose fines as much as $25,000 on animal rights activists who trespass on farms and food processing facilities, as well as obstruct trucks carrying farm animals.
TERRY HAIG: ‘A disagreement between animal rights activists and livestock producers is intensifying in Ontario after the province introduced legislation Monday that it says will protect those in the livestock business. The bill, the Security and Trespass and Animal Safety Act, would increase fines for trespassing on farms and food processing facilities as well as make it illegal to obstruct trucks carrying farm animals… The bill would see fines of up to $15,000 for a first offence and up to $25,000 for subsequent offences…
Introduction of the legislation follows intense lobbying by livestock producers.“Ontario farmers and agriculture workers deserve to be able to carry out the important work they do without fear for their safety,” Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman said… Not surprisingly, animal rights activists are not happy with the proposed legislation, which would create so-called “animal protection zones”…
Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice, an animal rights group, told Canadian Press’s Shawn Jeffords that the bill would also make it illegal to gain access to a farm processing plant under “false pretences.” Labchuk calls the proposed legislation “chilling” because it would mean animal rights groups could not expose cases of abuse by using whistleblowers…
Another activist, Anita Krajnc, the founder of the vegan advocacy group Toronto Pig Save, told Jeffords part of the new bill appears aimed at just a few animal rights groups, including hers. Krajnc became well known in 2015 when she was charged for giving water to pigs on their way to slaughter. She was found not guilty after a judge ruled she didn’t harm the animals or prevent them from being slaughtered’. SOURCE…
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