The MAPAQ continued: it is required to stop certain rodeo tests in Saint-Tite

Droit Animalier Québec (DAQ) changes its target and continues the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) so that it complies with the opinions of four of its veterinarians who recommend changes in the events involving animals during rodeos which take place in Saint-Tite.

After having tried without success to have certain Rodeo tests of the Western festival in Saint-Tite cancel out the court of appeal, DAQ this time asks the courts to force the MAPAQ To respect the conclusions of its 2022 report on the tests involving certain animals.

The report had been written by a working group made up of four veterinary doctors, who had concluded that the tests for taking the calf in the lasso, earthworks and taking Bouvillons as a team compromise well-being and safety animals.

The activity of taking the calf at Lasso does not ensure the well-being and safety of animals used, since it exposes them to fear repeatedly, with significant risks of anxiety, acute and chronic stress, despite the modifications made in recent years.

A hearing is scheduled for Thursday at the Montreal courthouse to discuss arguments of the prosecution before the Superior Court.

Last August, the Court of Appeal rejected the Quebec Animal Call to have certain events involving animals at the Western festival in Saint-Tite.

The western festival in Saint-Tite and the MAPAQ both indicated that they would not comment on the legal proceedings brought by DAQ.

The festival has always respected the laws and regulations in force, and animal welfare is a priority for the organizationsaid a spokesperson for the festival by email.

The MAPAQ Assures that work to establish practice codes continue to progress and that a scientific study is being developed to document the impacts on the calves of the rodeos.

The status of animals changed in 2015 in Quebec following the adoption of a new law to protect animal welfare. The director of the Quebec Observatory of Animal Law, Me Michael Lessard, explains that this is a paradigm shift in the way of seeing animals on the legal level.

From what we understand of the prosecution, there is really an absence of response from MAPAQ, so in this sense, it is very worrying to see that the government refuses to apply a law which has been voted unanimously in the National Assemblyhe deplores.

A bulky report remained unanswered

A March, DAQ had filed a report containing 900 pages of documents to the MAPAQthe summant to set up an emergency moratorium for a rodeo which must take place in Saint-Tite on May 17 and 18. This request remained a dead letter.

Despite the responsibility of MAPAQ to protect animals, this report remained unanswered, because the MAPAQ made the decision not to act. DAQ firmly believes that it is more than time that MAPAQ acts and applies the protection recommendations of its four veterinary doctorscan be read in the organization of the organization.

The spokesperson for DAQChristiane Bailey, says that the organizations of the organization are the conclusion of changes that were started 10 years ago.

What we blame MAPAQthis is his inaction. Since 2015, in Quebec, we have a new law called the law on the well-being and safety of the animal, which prohibits making animals suffer and mistreating them for entertainment endsshe explains.

It is on the basis of this law that DAQ Contesses the actions of the ministry, especially since, according to Ms. Bailey, the implementation of the recommendations of the experts is delaying and that it is urgent to act.

What we ask is that, while the MAPAQ Study the file, we take all the expert reports necessary to say that at least we must make a moratorium on the three main tests of the Rodeoshe says.