Protecting farm animals, farmers, and our food supply

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

There has been a great deal of talk across Ontario in recent months about animal welfare.

Ontario is changing the way animal welfare laws are enforced. We passed the PAWS Act on January 1, 2020 – a transparent and accountable measure that keeps all animals safe.

Unless you are a farmer, you may not be aware of another animal issue that has gone overlooked. Farmers have long expressed concern with incidents of trespassing on farms and food processing facilities, as well as interference with animals in trucks.

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To that end, we have introduced the Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act. If passed, this legislation will better protect farmers, their animals, livestock transporters, and Ontario’s food supply.

The health and safety of farmers and farm animals is at the heart of the proposed legislation. With that in mind, explicit prior consent will be required to access an animal protection zone on a farm or food processing facility. We’ve also made it illegal to tamper with signage indicating an animal protection zone or what activities are permitted within that zone.