When Canadians shop for meat at the supermarket, many believe that buying local meat is a more ethical choice. Yet between 2017 and 2022, nearly 800 cases of inhumane handling of animals were reported in federally inspected slaughterhouses across the country. What do these figures reveal about animal welfare in Canada?
Shifting geopolitical dynamics — particularly with the United States — have prompted many Canadian consumers to favour locally sourced foods. At the same time, growing public concern about animal welfare invites a deeper examination of what is being supported when consumers choose local meat. Very few people know how animals are processed into meat, a blind spot largely explained by the discomfort these practices provoke.
As a professor and doctoral student at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law specializing in agri-food and animal law, we aimed to shed light on this issue in a recent research project.
