One of 11 animal rights activists who were arrested after occupying a pig farm east of Montreal on Saturday says her group will continue to push the Quebec and Canadian governments to end industrial pork production.
Cassey Phaneuf and other members of the Montreal branch of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) were arrested by Quebec provincial police in St-Hyacinthe after entering the establishment and broadcasting their protest on Facebook.
Video from the event showed the activists sitting against a wall in the facility and denouncing the conditions, saying the animals didn’t have enough room to turn around.
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David Duval, the president of the province’s pork breeders’ association, said these kinds of protests are stressful for both the pork producers and the animals themselves.
He said in a phone interview that Canadian animal welfare standards are among the highest in the world, and accused the protesters of broadcasting images taken out of context.
But Phaneuf says animals who are raised for money don’t have any rights, and called for a meeting with Quebec Premier François Legault to discuss the issue.
Quebec provincial police say all 11 activists were released on a promise to appear in court at a later date, with conditions to respect.