CFHS Member Update

April-June 2013

CFHS and Canada Post takes Choose Adoption to mailboxes across Canada On Monday April 22 the Choose Adoption Stamp was officially launched. The brainchild of the CFHS, the Canada Post stamp is a unique platform to promote the importance of animal adoption across broad and diverse audiences. The launch was attended by Mrs. Laureen Harper, Minister Steven Fletcher, Canada Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra and Ottawa Humane Society President Linda Barber. Thank you to member organization the Ottawa Humane Society for being the ultimate host. CFHS is now in discussion with Canada Post about a Spay/Neuter stamp for 2015.

Speak up for pigs! Code of Practice open for public comment until August 3 rd

 The CFHS is the only national animal welfare organization who directly negotiates with farmers and other stakeholders to improve on-farm conditions for pigs through the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC). After three years of challenging and difficult negotiations the draft Code for the Care and Handling of Pigs is now available for public comment. This new draft is a step forward since the Code was first published 20 years ago in 1993. For the first time the Code outlines 90 firm requirements that must be adhered to on farms. To learn more about the new Code register for our Member’s Only webinar on July 29th at 1pm – 2pm EDT https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/304314246. If you have not received an e-mail invite please contact Kim Elmslie at kime@cfhs.ca.

Some ways in which the Code advances welfare include:

• Pigs that are injured, in pain, or suffering must be promptly treated or euthanized; • Pain control is to be used when castrating piglets at any age (beginning in 2019) and when tail docking piglets older than one week of age effective immediately (note: castration will be eliminated in Europe in 2018); • Pigs must be provided with some type of environmental enrichment; • Electric prods are to be prohibited unless as a last resort. Prods must never be used in the finishing pen (the last stage of growth and feeding before pigs are transported), on young piglets, or distressed, sick or injured pigs.

The use of gestation stalls is one of the most contentious issues in pig welfare. The Code will continue to allow for the limited use of gestation stalls up to 28 days after the date of last breeding and an additional 7 days to manage groups. This new limited use regime will begin in 2024 and is mandatory for all barns constructed in 2014 and onward.  The CFHS supports farmers who move all the way to 100% stall free systems (gestation, farrowing & breeding stalls) rather than just a move to partially eliminate stall use.

The Retail Council of Canada and Loblaw Corp announced in April that they will "work towards sourcing fresh pork products from sows raised in alternative housing practices as defined in the upcoming code of practice for pig care by the end of 2022." To learn more about which retailers, producers and jurisdictions have committed to gestation stall phase outs visit http://cfhs.ca/farm/

 Community cat meetings identify solutions

The CFHS worked together with member and non-member societies in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Alberta to host the first series of provincial meetings to identify solutions to the national cat overpopulation problem. The provincial meetings have been critical in bringing together the diverse stakeholders who are working to achieve progress for cat welfare in a focused and collective manner.   Upcoming meetings are being planned for Saskatchewan on September 19th, 2012 alongside the Saskatchewan SPCA Provincial conference. Meanwhile planning is underway for meetings in Manitoba and Ontario.

Raising awareness about animal adoptions The CFHS conducted a soft launch for the new Choose Adoption ribbon at Woofstock, North America’s largest dog festival, in Toronto June 8th – 9th. Guardians of adopted dogs are encouraged to tie a teal ribbon to their dog’s leash to identify the dog as an adopted animal. The Choose Adoption ribbon program is a visually graphic way to increase the public visibility of adopted animals/adoptees; raise awareness of adopting pets as the preferred method of welcoming an animal into a home; increase the perceived value of an adopted animal and to create a national adopted animal community.  The ribbons will be available for you to have in your shelter later this autumn. A package of materials on the program will follow in an e-mail from Barbara at the end of September.

Canadian celebrities pitch in to help promote Finding Fido Canadian music celebrities Tara Oram and Mark Spicoluk donated their valuable time to appear in the new CFHS public service announcement (PSA) targeted at ending puppy mills. This is the first in a series of PSAs that will feature different celebrities promoting adoption over buying. Canadian actor Jonathan Keltz (Entourage, Necessary Roughness, Republic of Doyle) donated his expertise and indefatigable energy to direct and oversee the production team. The PSA will be posted to the CFHS facebook page later in the summer.

Creating national standards for shelters Following on the success of the national stakeholder meeting held in Brampton in February the ASV Review Committee immediately got down to work. At the February meeting the Animal Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) document Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animals Shelters was identified as the primary source document to be used for the development of Canadian standards. The committee spent April, May and June conducting a line-by-line analysis of the ASV document to thoroughly understand what companion updates/revisions might be required to provide a Canadian context. The committee is comprised of shelter vets, shelter operations staff and shelter administrators. The committee will be making their recommendations to the broader taskforce imminently. The committee is now focusing on identifying funds for translation.

Influencing the decision-makers  The CFHS is continuing to meet with Members of Parliament on important animal welfare issues. In June we submitted recommendations to the Agriculture and Agri-Food committee on direct measures to improve the welfare of farm animals including the immediate release of the transport guidelines, the continued funding of NFACC and we directly identified ways the committee could deepen their understanding of important animal welfare issues.  

Influencing the decision-makers  The CFHS also developed a question that was to be directed at Minister Gerry Ritz during question period; however, Parliament was dissolved before it could be read. We will follow up when Parliament is back in session in September. In addition to meeting with the Agriculture committee MPs, the CFHS was active meeting with NDP MP Isabelle Morin who wanted our input and guidance in the creation of a Private Member’s Bill (PMB) to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to protect animal against cruelty. This bill is intended to replace NDP MP Joe Comartin’s bill. Ms. Morin’s bill is expected to be introduced in the autumn. In addition to her bill there are currently three other PMBs dealing with similar amendments. To learn about the differences between the current Private Members Bills visit: http://cfhs.ca/law/federal_legislation/ .

 The Call for Abstracts for the 2014 CFHS National Animal Welfare Conference is now open.

The program committee is currently accepting abstracts for the following areas: • Cats: Community-based strategies to reduce cat overpopulation • Sheltering: Innovative or effective shelter welfare programs • Animal Law and Enforcement: Leading techniques and approaches to cruelty enforcement • Animal Welfare: Research, programs and advocacy campaigns for farm, companion and wild animals. The conference will be held at the Eaton Chelsea (formerly the Delta Chelsa) April 12-15, 2014. Details about conference registration will come in autumn 2013. To learn more visit www.cfhs.ca/conference2014. Abstracts can be submitted to Kim Elmslie: kime@cfhs.ca .

Creating access to humane euthanasia in Canada In May the CFHS had a very positive and productive meeting with Health Canada and they have agreed to move forward with the initiation of a pilot program in Ontario. CFHS is partnering with the AASAO to facilitate a working group of key stakeholders in Ontario including the OVMA, CVO, ON government, OSPCA and OAVT. The CFHS has been actively pushing Health Canada since 2007 to make euthanasia more humane within the sheltering system in Canada.

Broadening the scope of humane education in Atlantic Canada The 2013 CFHS McGrand grants to support humane education programs in Atlantic Canada were presented to Sadie’s Place for their Pawsitive Program and to the SPCA Péninsule Acadienne and the Miramichi SPCA for the production of educational materials.

Pushing for more transparency in animal research The CFHS is continuing to work with the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) to provide more transparency on the use of animals in research. Primarily, the CFHS is working to identify the best way to influence the reduction, replacement and refinement (3Rs) of the use of animals in research. The goal of the CFHS is to restrict the use of animals to those areas of research, testing and teaching which do not jeopardize their physical, mental or emotional well-being. In June a CFHS community representative joined the CCAC team for a lab animal assessment.

Creating tools to expand accessible spay/neuter programs

The CFHS has created the first draft of our accessible spay/neuter report. Thank you to the members of the reading committee for their precious time and invaluable feedback. The comprehensive and concise report is a resource for all members who are working to achieve accessible spay/neuter programs in their communities. In addition to the report the CFHS will create an advocacy toolkit which includes practical fact sheets, key messages, talking points, a PowerPoint template, case studies, sample programs and a template letter for addressing key decision makers. Expect the report by the end of the year.

New Horse Code is released

The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines has now been released. Thank you to Dr. Bettina Bobsien for representing the CFHS at the Code. http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice/equine

Strengthening the movement Miramichi SPCA, Association of Animal Shelter Administrators of Ontario, Sadie’s Place, Helping Lost Pets and the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society joined the Federation making us even stronger!

Upcoming

Montreal SPCA and the CFHS will host the first Canadian screening of the Internet Cat Video Film Festival. The juried reel was curated by the Walker Art Center and opened to 10,000 people in August 2012. Provincial cat meetings in Saskatchewan will happen at the end of September. In November the CFHS will host the second annual exclusive members event on Parliament Hill. This is your opportunity to discuss with Members of Parliament and Senators what issues are important to your shelter.

CFHS Annual Report is available online Read the 2012 CFHS Annual Report http://cfhs.ca/info/annual_reports_1/

THANK YOUIf you have any questions please contact me at barbara@cfhs.ca