Health of Animals Regulations (C.R.C., c. 296)

Young Ruminants

• 143 (1) No person shall load, confine or transport ruminants that are too young to be fed exclusively on hay and grain in, or unload such animals from, a conveyance or container, or cause one to be so loaded, confined, transported or unloaded, unless the expected period of time between the beginning of the animal’s loading and the end of the animal’s unloading is not longer than 12 hours.

• (2) No person shall reload an animal referred to in subsection (1) after it has been unloaded at its final destination.

Animal Handling

• 144 (1) No person shall, during the loading, confinement, transporting or unloading of an animal in or from a conveyance or container,

  • (a) beat, strike, whip or kick the animal;

  • (b) use a prod, whip or any other driving device on the animal in a manner that is likely to cause the animal’s suffering, injury or death;

  • (c) use a prod, whip or any other driving device on an animal to make it move if it does not have a clear path to move;

  • (d) apply an electric prod or a device that has a similar effect to an animal unless the animal is a bovine or porcine of at least three months of age and the prod or device is not applied to sensitive areas of the animal including the belly and the anal, genital and facial regions of the animal;

  • (e) drag the animal;

  • (f) lift the animal by its fleece, fur, feathers, head, neck, ears or horns or by one wing;

  • (g) handle or lift the animal by its tail; or

  • (h) handle the animal in any other way that is likely to cause the animal’s suffering, injury or death.

• (2) No person shall, when an animal is in a container,

  • (a) drop, kick or throw the container; or

  • (b) handle the container in any other manner that is likely to cause the animal’s suffering, injury or death.

• 145 (1) A person who is loading or unloading an animal in or from a conveyance or container shall use a fixed or movable ramp, gangway, chute, step or apparatus unless the animal is not likely to suffer, sustain an injury or die by stepping directly from or onto the ground or other surface.

• (2) No person shall load or unload an animal in or from a conveyance or container, or cause one to be so loaded or unloaded, using a fixed or movable ramp, gangway, chute, step or apparatus unless it is used in a manner that is not likely to cause the animal’s suffering, injury or death and the following conditions with respect to the ramps, gangways, chutes, steps or apparatuses are met:

  • (a) they can bear the weight to which they are subjected without collapsing, twisting, breaking or bending;

  • (b) there are side rails of sufficient strength and height to prevent the animal from falling off;

  • (c) they have a surface that is designed, constructed and maintained to prevent the animal from tripping, slipping and falling; and

  • (d) they are placed so that there is no unprotected gap through which the animal could trip, slip, fall or escape.

• (3) Side rails are not required if the animal is loaded and unloaded individually in a manner that is not likely to cause the animal’s suffering, injury or death.

• (4) No person shall load or unload livestock or cervids — or cause them to be loaded or unloaded — into or from a conveyance or container using ramps, gangways, chutes or apparatuses that have a slope from the horizontal that exceeds

  • (a) 20° in the case of a porcine;

  • (b) 25° in the case of a bovine;

  • (c) 30° in the case of an equine; and

  • (d) 35° in the case of a cervid, caprine or ovine.

Protection from Inadequate Ventilation and Weather Conditions

146 No person shall load, confine or transport an animal in or unload an animal from a conveyance or container, or cause one to be so loaded, confined, transported or unloaded, if the animal is likely to suffer, sustain an injury or die due to inadequate ventilation or by being exposed to meteorological or environmental conditions.

Exposure to Toxic or Noxious Things

146.1 No person shall load, confine or transport an animal in or unload an animal from a conveyance or container, or cause one to be so loaded, confined, transported or unloaded, if the animal is likely to suffer, sustain an injury or die by being exposed to anything that is toxic or noxious, including exhaust from the conveyance.

Space Requirements

• 147 (1) No person shall load, confine or transport an animal, or cause one to be loaded, confined or transported, in a conveyance or container unless

  • (a) in the case of livestock, cervids, camelids and ratites, the animal is able to stand at all times within the conveyance or container with all feet on the floor, with head elevated, with sufficient space to permit a full range of head movement and without any part of its body coming into contact with a deck, roof or top of the conveyance or cover of the container;

  • (b) in the case of poultry, other than ratites, confined in a container, the animal is able to maintain a squatting or sitting position with sufficient space to permit a full range of head movement without coming into contact with the cover of the container; and

  • (c) in the case of all other animals, and poultry that is not confined in a container, the animal is able to maintain its preferred position with sufficient space to permit a full range of head movement.

• (2) No person shall load, confine or transport an equine, or cause an equine to be loaded, confined or transported by land, in a conveyance that has more than one deck.

Overcrowding

• 148 (1) No person shall load an animal, or cause one to be loaded, in a conveyance or container, other than a container that is used to transport an animal in an aircraft, in a manner that would result in the conveyance or container becoming overcrowded, or transport or confine an animal in a conveyance or container, or cause one to be transported or confined, in a conveyance or container that is overcrowded.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), overcrowding occurs when, due to the number of animals in the container or conveyance,

  • (a) the animal cannot maintain its preferred position or adjust its body position in order to protect itself from injuries or avoid being crushed or trampled;

  • (b) the animal is likely to develop a pathological condition such as hyperthermia, hypothermia or frostbite; or

  • (c) the animal is likely to suffer, sustain an injury or die.

148.1 No person shall transport an animal by air, or cause one to be transported by air, unless it is transported in a container that meets the stocking density guidelines that are set out in the Live Animals Regulations, 44th edition, published by the International Air Transport Association, as amended from time to time.

Isolation

• 149 (1) No person shall load, confine, transport or unload incompatible animals, or cause incompatible animals to be loaded, confined, transported or unloaded, in the same conveyance or container unless they are isolated from one another.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), animals are incompatible if any of the animals are likely to suffer, sustain an injury or die if they are loaded, confined, transported or unloaded together.

Conveyances and Containers

• 150 (1) No person shall load, confine or transport an animal, or cause one to be loaded, confined or transported, in a conveyance or container unless the conveyance and the container, if the animal is in a container, are designed, constructed, equipped, maintained and used to prevent the animal’s suffering, injury or death and the conveyance and the container, if the animal is in a container, meet the following conditions:

  • (a) they are suitable for the species of animal;

  • (b) they prevent the animal’s escape;

  • (c) they provide adequate ventilation for each animal;

  • (d) they provide a floor that prevents the animal from tripping, slipping and falling;

  • (e) they are not likely to collapse or topple over;

  • (f) they do not have exposed bolt heads, angles or other projections;

  • (g) they do not contain objects that are unsecured;

  • (h) they have no insecure fittings;

  • (i) they can be cleaned except in the case of a container that is used for one-time animal transport; and

  • (j) in the case of a container, the animal is visible from outside the container or at least two of the container’s outer sides have a readily visible sign or symbol indicating the presence within of a live animal and a readily visible sign or symbol indicating the upright position of the container.

• (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a container that is used to confine or transport an animal in an aircraft.

• (3) No person shall load, confine or transport, or cause to be loaded, confined or transported, livestock, cervids, camelids or ratites in a conveyance or container unless the conveyance or, if the animal is in a container, the container has a floor that is strewn with sufficient sand, straw, wood shavings or other bedding material to absorb and prevent the pooling or escape of water, urine and liquid manure.

• (4) No person shall confine or transport an animal in a container unless the container is secured to the conveyance in a manner that prevents it from moving during transport.

• (5) No person shall transport an animal by air, or cause an animal to be transported by air, unless it is transported in a container that meets the design and construction requirements that are set out in the Live Animals Regulations, 44th edition, published by the International Air Transport Association, as amended from time to time.

Vessels

• 151 (1) No person shall load, confine or transport livestock and poultry, or cause them to be loaded, confined or transported, in a vessel unless

  • (a) the vessel is equipped with passageways to permit the care of the livestock and poultry;

  • (b) the vessel is equipped with an enclosed area or pen to accommodate livestock and poultry that become injured, ill, compromised or unfit during transport;

  • (c) the vessel is equipped with lighting — including emergency lighting — that is appropriate to permit the care of the livestock and poultry;

  • (d) the vessel has on board lighting equipment that is appropriate to enable the examination of the livestock and poultry;

  • (e) the vessel has on board humane killing devices that are in good working order and are an appropriate type for the species, sex, age and weight of the livestock and poultry;

  • (f) the vessel has on board a sufficient quantity and type of supplies, including medication, for the care of the livestock and poultry on the vessel taking into account the species of the livestock or poultry and the duration of the transport; and

  • (g) the vessel has on board dispensing systems to provide feed and safe water to the livestock and poultry.

• (2) The sea carrier shall have a person on board the vessel who is trained to use the humane killing devices that are on board the vessel.

• (3) The sea carrier shall have an appropriate number of trained persons on board the vessel to provide for the care of the livestock and poultry.

• (4) Every sea carrier shall, before departure, have on board the vessel,

  • (a) a sufficient amount of feed and safe water for each animal to be transported, having regard to the expected duration of the transport, to prevent a nutritional deficit and to prevent them from becoming dehydrated; and

  • (b) an additional one-day supply of feed and safe water for each animal based on the amount determined in paragraph (a) for every period of four days or less of the expected duration of the transport.

• (5) The sea carrier shall store the feed and safe water in a place and in a manner that will prevent the feed and safe water from posing a risk to the animal’s health and from otherwise becoming unsuitable for their consumption.

151.1 If the duration of the transport of the livestock and poultry is expected to exceed six hours, the sea carrier or vessel master shall, at least 24 hours before the departure, provide a veterinary inspector with the following information:

• (a) the planned date and time of departure from the port of origin and arrival at the destination;

• (b) the name of the person who will be in charge of caring for the livestock and poultry; and

• (c) the procedures for communication that would allow the person who is in charge of caring for the livestock and poultry to obtain veterinary advice as required during transport.

151.2 No person shall confine or transport livestock and poultry on a vessel, or cause them to be confined or transported on a vessel, in the vicinity of an engine casing or any boiler room casing if it is likely to cause the livestock or poultry to suffer, sustain an injury or die unless the casing is covered and insulated to prevent that suffering, injury or death.

Feed, Safe Water and Rest

152 At the time of loading an animal for transport, a commercial carrier or any other person transporting the animal in the course of business or for financial benefit shall determine the date, time and place where the animal was last fed, watered and rested.

• 152.1 (1) No person shall load, confine or transport an animal in a conveyance or container, or cause one to be so loaded, confined or transported, unless the person provides the animal with

  • (a) feed of an appropriate type for its species, age and condition and in amounts that are sufficient to prevent a nutritional deficit;

  • (b) safe water in amounts that are sufficient to prevent the animal from becoming dehydrated; and

  • (c) rest that is appropriate for its species, age and condition to prevent the animal from suffering from exhaustion.

• (2) In order to meet the requirements set out in subsection (1), every person who loads, confines or transports an animal in a conveyance or container shall monitor the animal on a regular basis.