Canada is a very poor performer under the VACI, given its extremely high production and consumption of animal products.
We all love animals, but why do we call some of them pets and some of them dinner? If you knew how meat was made, you'd probably lose your lunch. I know, I'm from cattle country — that's why I became a vegetarian. Meat stinks, and not just for animals but for human health and the environment.
K. D. Lang
Canada is a very poor performer under the VACI, given its extremely high production and consumption of animal products.
Canada slaughters a high number of animals, with around 20 land-based animals slaughtered per person / year (compared to a global average of 9.7). The country’s dependency on farm animals is relatively high, with around 5.7 farm animals per person (compared with a global average of around 4). Canada is a major exporter of pig meat, and while it recently passed a law to phase out the use of sow stalls, these devices continue to be used widely. Factory farming continues to be widely used in pig and poultry production.
The Canadian diet contains a high proportion of animal products, with 49.4% of the average Canadian’s diet being made up of land-based animal protein (compared with a global average of 35.2%). This equates to each Canadian consuming around 49g of land-based animal protein per day (compared with a global average of 26.7g). It was estimated that around 4% of adult Canadians identified as vegetarians in 2003.
Canada was given a “D” under the Animal Protection Index (API), and is also a poor performer under the Sanctioning Cruelty category. The quality of animal welfare legislation and its enforcement varies substantially among the country’s various states and territories. Cruel factory farming practices continue to be widespread across the country, and are exempt under the relevant animal protection laws. Learn more about the quality of Canada’s legislative protections on the API here.