Health science must not be co-opted for political gain

Concerns about animals subject to intense confinement, crowding and other standard industrial animal farming practices have led people to break the law and trespass onto farms to call public attention to the harshness of some of these practices and instances of animal abuse.

In response, legislators have introduced Bill C-275, An Act to Amend the Health of Animals Act, an anti-trespass law presented as legislation needed to protect animals from infectious diseases introduced by protesters who trespass on farms. The bill will be debated in the House of Commons this week.

One of the events leading up to Bill C-275 occurred in 2019 when a turkey farm in southern Alberta was invaded by people protesting the current large-scale use and abuse of animals raised for food. It was a very upsetting experience for the farm owner. Several of the protesters were arrested, charged and found guilty of break and entry and mischief.

In an interview after the incident, the farm owner indicated that it was the unannounced trespass and the allegations of mistreatment of animals that were most upsetting — not concerns about infectious diseases. The farmer, who operates a turkey farm that houses and provides outdoor access for 30,000 turkeys, reported that if people wanted to come and "sit all day and look at the turkeys, they can."

Many people in the farming community and animal agriculture business were also upset by the incident. They wanted tougher sentences and more negative consequences for protesters to act as deterrents.

Politicians like MP John Barlow decided to appeal to threats of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases are serious concerns for the animal agriculture industry. There are some federal regulations to protect animals in Canada, such as those restricting the importation of animals and animal products from abroad. However, most on-farm biosecurity measures are voluntary and not legally mandated.

In justifying the need for Bill C-275, several politicians repeatedly stated that trespassing protesters caused infectious disease outbreaks — including diarrheal disease at a Quebec pig-breeding operation.

These are serious allegations that prompt a response. But they are also false and not supported by evidence. A subsequent investigation of the pig farm in Quebec documented evidence of inadequate ventilation, accumulation of manure and animals in need of medical attention, but no evidence protesters had introduced a diarrheal disease.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 and avian influenza among minks on fur farms raised public health concerns and prompted the slaughter of millions of minks in Europe for public health reasons. But these infections were introduced by workers, by food or by birds and free-ranging animals — no one trespassed on those farms to cause those outbreaks. In Canada, trespassing is illegal, but biosecurity measures to prevent COVID-19 and influenza outbreaks on fur farms, such as wearing face masks or respirators when working, are voluntary and at the discretion of individual businesses.

An open letter from 20 infectious disease specialists called attention to the fact that Bill C-275 misrepresents facts and seeks to “weaponize genuine concerns about infectious diseases and animal and human health in order to increase protection of private businesses from trespass and bad publicity.” Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reports document many infectious disease outbreaks on farms, but none that are caused by protesters or people who trespass.

In testimony provided to the committee studying Bill C-275, CFIA’s chief veterinary officer raised concerns that the bill “may not be a valid exercise of federal agricultural power.”

We encourage advocacy and activism for better lives for humans and animals. We encourage third-party inspections and video surveillance of commercial farms and slaughterhouses. We do not condone illegal activities or trespass — particularly if those illegal activities involve intimidation or abuse.

We agree that trespass should remain illegal and that business owners, turkey farmers and mink breeders should be protected from illegal activities. However, we think those goals should be achieved through means that don’t involve misrepresenting facts about health and infectious diseases. Such political machinations could serve to undermine the seriousness of infectious disease concerns and directly support a populist narrative that public health “science” can be co-opted for political gain.

Based on current realities, Bill C-275 is not going to improve animal health or significantly reduce the incidence of infectious disease outbreaks on farms. Bill C-275 has been promoted by making false claims and uses a baseless (or at least exceptionally weak) argument to advance an agenda, not fill a legislative gap. Animal and human health are complex, interdependent and serious issues that demand fair, evidence-based legislation — not Bill C-275.

Jan Hajek is an infectious diseases specialist at the Vancouver General Hospital and a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia.

Michael Hawkes is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the BC Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia.