Protesters gathered outside Lilydale/Sofina Foods Inc. Saturday, calling on more transparency from the farming industry in response to a recent video showing disturbing acts towards chickens at a poultry farm in Chilliwack.

“The industry has shown that they are incapable of self-regulation,” protest organizer Geoff Regier said.

The demonstration outside the facility comes less than a week after animal rights organization Animals for Mercy posted an undercover video showing live birds being torn apart, stomped and thrown by employees at Elite Farm Services.

The chicken-catching service had been hired to round up chickens for transport to the Lilydale/Sofina Foods slaughter plant.

The BC SPCA said they are preparing a report to Crown counsel earlier this week, and that it will recommend numerous charges of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

For Chilliwack resident Kaylee Yochin, the documented abuse isn’t suprising but nontheless horrifying.

“I don’t think you can even bring words to the emotions you feel learning of something like that,” she said, referencing the newest video and a cattle abuse video from two years ago – currently in the courts.

RELATED: Jail time possible for two of three men guilty of abusing cows at Chilliwack farm

Since the video was released, the farm labour company that provides chicken catching services to Fraser Valley farmers has fired the employees, which includes one supervisor.

RELATED: Chilliwack company says all employees to wear body cameras

Regier said he questions if increasing security measures within these facilities will actually do much in terms of holding companies accountable.

“I don’t trust that when they do find abuse and animal suffering caught on video of body cameras that they’re going to call the media and say ‘look at all of this stuff that’s happening,’” he said.

“What we need is… for close-circuit cameras in all the facilities, live streaming to the Internet so that the public can see what’s happening to animals in modern farms and slaughter houses.”

@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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