TORONTO, April 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This Earth Day, the Animal Protection Party of Canada is calling on the federal government to make the necessary legislative changes to stop animal and environmental exploitation and address the global climate breakdown.
Liz White, Leader, states: “I think it’s not an exaggeration to say human behaviour has brought the climate crisis to our planet, from extreme forest fires and floods to zoonotic diseases and pandemics. Canada has never, and will never, meet its modest climate targets if governments continue to subsidize animal agriculture, one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gasses. Trying to curtail carbon emissions is a good step, but it’s not enough. Governments around the world must curtail all greenhouse gasses, including methane and nitrous oxide, and must begin to transition from intensive animal agriculture to smaller, organic plant-based farms.”
According to Statistics Canada, from 2006 to 2011, despite the overall decrease in farms and area, the average size of farms increased since the previous census1. The average size of a Canadian farm is 778 acres, well above the average size of a U.S. farm, which is 444 acres2.
White continued, “Is all of this acreage being used to grow crops for Canadians? No, it’s mostly being used to grow crops as animal feed. What an inefficient use of resources. We need to create a self-sustaining, ecological and stable food supply instead of focusing on animal agriculture, which is causing so much environmental destruction.”
Jordan Reichert, Deputy Leader, says: “The government has failed to acknowledge the systemic exploitation of animals in Canada and the consequences are significant. Over 800 million animals killed each year, significant habitat destruction, negative health consequences, and major GHG contributions. We can no longer pretend that animals are not a part of our social and political world. This Earth Day we are calling on the government to acknowledge animals as sentient beings, end subsidies to animal agriculture, and use these funds to transition the industry to plant-based agriculture.”
Liz White
Leader
c) 416-809-4371
liz@animalprotectionparty.ca
Jordan Reichert
Deputy Leader
c) 250-216-0562
jordan@animalprotectionparty.ca
1 https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/95-640-x/2011001/p1/p1-01-eng.htm
2 https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/fnlo0220.pdf