The following statement regarding Animal Health Canada’s strategic goals announcement may be attributed to Maha Bazzi, Director of Animal Welfare Initiatives, U.S. & Canada, at Mercy For Animals:
Mercy For Animals acknowledges Animal Health Canada’s (AHC) announcement of its five strategic goals for improving the health and welfare of farmed animals by 2030. While progress on disease prevention, surveillance, and antimicrobial reduction is urgently needed, we caution that AHC’s welfare mandate will fail if it relies on the existing, industry-dominated frameworks that have historically stalled change.
For too long, the welfare of farmed animals in Canada has lagged behind public expectations and scientific recommendations because standards are set by the very industries they are meant to regulate. As highlighted in our Beyond The Commitment report, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC)—a division of Animal Health Canada—has repeatedly failed to deliver protection for animals, endorsing inhumane practices like confining hens in cages. This system has institutionalized animal suffering rather than alleviated it.
True leadership requires breaking the industry’s stranglehold on welfare standards. While we recognize the value of a ‘One Health’ and ‘One Welfare’ approach, actual progress requires genuine collaboration among government, industry, animal welfare experts, and civil society.
As Animal Health Canada implements these goals, priorities must shift from protecting economic interests to driving meaningful improvements for animals—such as ending intensive confinement. Animal Health Canada must ensure that diverse voices, including independent animal-welfare organizations and consumers, have a meaningful role in shaping policies that affect animals’ lives. Canada has an opportunity to demonstrate genuine leadership in farmed animal welfare, and Mercy For Animals urges all partners involved to approach this work with ambition, accountability, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.
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